| FOLD TYPE CHART |
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Letter, C, Trifold |
Z or Accordion |
Half |
Double Parallel |
Gate (wider middle panel) |
Engineering or fold-out |
Cross or French |
Baronial |
Church (one panel is 3") |
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| FOLDING MACHINE CAPABILITIES |
| PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST MACHINES CANNOT PERFORM ALL FOLDS. Check its description for the folds it can perform. |
Most automatic feed folding machines can perform up to 6 different types of folds on a piece of paper. Most machines have 2 fold plates so they can perform either 1 or 2 folds resulting in 2 panels (half), 3 panels (letter, Z, Gate, Engineering, Church) or 4 panels (double parallel). None of the machines can fold paper in more than 4 panels in the same direction.
There are 2 folding machines with 4 plates that can perform up to 3 folds, allowing you to fold paper 3 times in the same direction. These are the Dynafold 28/4 and the Intelli-Fold 304C. They are used to fold paper very small to put into product boxes.
Check the specifications of the machine you are considering to make sure that it will perform the fold you need. |
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| FOLDING GLOSSY PAPER |
Most folding machines cannot fold high-gloss or coated paper. It is too slippery. The Dynafold DE322 and the Martin Yale Mark VII are the only regular (friction-feed) folder that can fold most glossy stock.
Some machines can fold semi-glossy paper: Dynafold PF330, Dynafold PF370, Martin Yale 1812, Intimus 2051. You may want to send us samples to be sure it can handle the stock you have.
Air-feed folding machines can process glossy paper, but they are expensive and generally used for high volume applications. Call us to discuss your needs. |
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| PERFORMING A CROSS FOLD (Fold in one direction, then fold again from the side) |
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Some machines can also fold a piece of paper that has been folded in half. The settings are changed for the new fold, and the paper loaded so that it folds from the side. This is called a Cross or French fold if it is folded in half on the second pass, or a Baronial fold if it is folded in thirds. See the Large Format and Air Feed categories for these capabilities. We recommend the Dynafold 322, Dynafold 330, Dynafold 370, Formax 342, Formax 382 as well as other automated large format machines. Note that ALL Martin Yale machines that can do this require you to hand feed the second fold.
For very high volume cross folds, see the Formax FD 396. It combines 2 airfeed machines together to perform a cross fold in one pass. |
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| CUSTOM FOLDS |
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| Most machines can also perform custom folds, which means that you can change where the fold occurs within limits. Say, for example, you want the letter fold to have one panel longer than the other or you need to adjust the fold to fit into a window envelope. To do this, manually fold a piece of paper the way you want. Then measure the top panel. Set the first fold plate at that number of inches for the first panel. Then measure the middle panel, and set the second fold at the number on inches it measures. Alternatively, set the machine to the fold type you want, and experiment with settings that lengthen or shorten the first and/or second fold. You should be able to achive the fold you want. Please note that you cannot make a very small fold or come too close to the edge. If you are uncertain about this, please call. |
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| FOLDING MULTIPLE SHEETS AT A TIME |
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| One machine, the Hefter Multi Plus, is the only machine on the market that has the capability to collate and fold up to 3 sheets automatically. Some folding machines allow you to manually feed a set of 3 to 5 sheets into a slot. See the machine descriptions. Folder Inserters can also collate and fold multiple sheets and place them in an envelope or not at your option. Bookletmakers can fold multiple sheets in half when fed manually or automatically when combined with a collator. |
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