Print Buying Direct

20th January 2009

When looking at the folders the first thing you need to consider is which of the three options- knife, buckle and combination will suit your needs?

The buckle folder is the most common choice. It uses a set of guides and plates with a backstop to buckle the paper and create the fold. The document enters through a set of rollers and into a plate where the paper strikes a backstop; it buckles and is forced downward and into a set of nip rollers. The nip rollers grab the sheets at the buckle and pull it through, pressing a fold into the sheet. If several folds are required, then the sheet is sent into another plate and the process is repeated. The fold or buckle location is adjustable allowing for different folds to be created. A knife folder uses a blunt steel blade to push the sheet at the right point to create the fold in the material. Its accuracy makes it ideal for booklet work.

Finally the combination folder- using both buckle and knife technology- is faster and provides close registration. It is suited to large quantities and more complex folding jobs. With the issue of toner cracking on digitally printed work still a key consideration the choice of folders can be more complicated. On the whole, a suction fed system rather than friction fed- usually used for litho printed stock- will offer greater protection to the surface. And creasers have been developed specifically for the digital print.