Office Equipment Blog from Office Zone

Question:

I need to laminate 2 photos together, back to back. What type of glue or double side tape would you recommend? I need to cut the photos along the edge.

Wayne M.

Answer:

You can actually laminate photos back to back without the aid of glue or tape. A nice thing about lamination pouches is the inside of the pouch is somewhat tacky. That’s because the film has the glue on the inside of the pouch. This makes it easy to place an item inside before laminating and not worrying if will move during the laminating process.

We recommend the Tahsin TCC 6000 Photo Pouch Laminator for your application. This is a continuous use, heavy-duty model designed especially for laminating photos. It encapsulates photos and digital images without all of those annoying resulting bubbles, often found in the film after it’s passed through the machine. The advanced hot roller system in the TCC 6000, and the adjustable speed controls, ensure quality and trouble-free operation. The TCC 6000 also includes a handy reverse function for backing out mis-feeds and jammed items.

You mentioned that you wanted to trim the photos. You can find a wide selection of rotary paper trimmers and cutters on our site.

Question:

Hi,

Does your MVS Chamber Vacuum Sealer function with out the inert gas kit? What is the overall benefit to the inert gas kit? What is the maximum bag size? is it the chamber dimensions? Can I have some info on the lease to own program?

Thanks,

Michael W.

Answer:

I’m not sure what specific MVS model you are referring to, but the MVS 45 Chamber Vacuum Sealer from Minipack is our most popular machine in this series. The inert gas kit is an option; the machine works just fine without it. The kit basically lets you replace the air in the vacuum seal bag with nitrogen. Some of our customers like to use the gas kit to extend the life of the food and other perishable items they are vacuum sealing.

The largest bag you can seal with the MVS 45 measures 14″ x 16″. The chamber is 18″ wide x 18″ deep x 8.25″ high. You may apply to lease to own the MVS 45 Vacuum Sealer. You have the option of making low monthly payments on this machine, versus investing one large up-front sum. We have partnered with a reputable funding agency that makes the leasing process quick and relatively simple.

Question:

I am wanting to make calendars and recipe books. Would the ProClick 50 machine work for me? If not, what would you recommend? I like the idea of being able to add and edit pages.

Thanks,

Mary

Answer:

Most of our customers prefer coil/spiral binding machines for their calendars and books. First of all, if you’re trying to achieve a professional-looking book or calendar, then coil binding is our first recommendation. Also, the pages in your calendar (or recipe book) will easily turn with plastic coil. You can also add or edit pages simply by snipping a crimped end off of the binding element and then rolling it out. You can make your changes, edits, etc. and insert and crimp a new coil. It’s as simple as that.

A ProClick binding machine would work too; however, the end results would not look as refined as an item produced with a coil binding machine. Some of our customers use a wire binding machine to make calendars and books, but you would have a difficult time editing the pages. Once something is bound with wire, it’s best left alone. You can de-bind, but it takes more effort and patience when compared to using a ProClick machine or coil binder.

Question:

Can you insert a return envelope in a larger-sized envelope with the Formax FD 6202 paper folder-inserter?

Answer:

Yes, the FD 6202 Advanced 1 and FD 6202 Advanced 2 folder inserters will place a smaller envelope (or other similar-sized insert) into the envelope while also folding and inserting documents. The important thing to keep in mind here is the insert placed in the envelope may be a business reply type envelope, as long as it is smaller.

The best thing to do is test your samples before making a purchase. You may send us samples of the outer envelopes and return envelopes for testing. Be sure to send us at least 100 of each to ensure thorough testing. We will then run your samples free of charge on one of our demo machines and let you know if the FD 6202 will work for your needs.

Question:

What are the advantages of using a letter folding machine? What are the advantages when compared to folding paper by hand?

Answer:

There are several benefits to using an automatic paper folding machine. One of the biggest benefits is the speed at which you can fold paper, and the amount of time you will save. A person will never be able to fold paper at the same speed as a machine.

A paper folding machine eliminates the need to have employees fold paper. This means you don’t have to pay
them for several hours of labor for something a paper folder can do in just minutes. And, there are no paper cuts with an automated paper folder.

Paper folders are easy to set up and require relatively little maintenance. They can handle a variety of paper sizes and thicknesses and can usually do a variety of common folds. Many paper folder models are capable of performing custom folds as well.

Be sure to take a look at our wide selection of paper folders today.

Question:

What are self-sharpening blades? I noticed this feature on some of your paper trimmers and don’t know what it means.

Answer:

Some rotary paper trimmers or cutters include the feature of self-sharpening blades. Rotary cutter blades spin as they cut paper. As they spin, they rub against a tungsten metal rail that the manufacturer claims helps keep the blades sharpened. Although this is a nice feature, the blades do eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Rotatrim is one of the more popular manufacturers of rotary paper cutters that feature self-sharpening blades. Office equipment manufacturers Dahle, Akiles and Carl make paper cutters with self-sharpening blades as well.

Question:

I am looking for a coin crimper that crimps both ends of a roll of coins. I have a 5 gal. bucket of wheat pennies I need to roll. I was in hopes you might have a machine that you can put 50 pennies in and when the roll is done both ends are crimped. Either with the flat roll type of paper or the one crimped end roll. Manual or electric. I would prefer manual. I was in hopes they made a crimper/roller that was inexpensive and like the old cigarette rollers.

Thanks, J.C.

Answer:

We don’t have a combination machine that will sort, count and crimp coins. However, we do have two separate models that will work just fine for your application. The first recommended model is the ABC110 coin counter. This is an affordable, easy-to-use coin sorter and counter. The ABC110 counts most common denominations including pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Mixed amounts of coins are poured into the top hopper and then sorted into their respective bins or coin tubes, whichever you prefer.

The ABC110 coin machine is a popular choice with our customers. They tell us that they have used the ABC110 in all sorts of environments including home, schools, business, churches, retail stores, mall kiosks, and so on. The machine’s control panel is easy to use and has several counting features.

The second recommended model is the CM-65 Coin Roll Wrapper Crimping System from Semacon. This stand-alone unit will seal your coin rolls quickly and professionally. All you have to do is attach the proper head (the machine comes complete with different crimping heads for different coin denominations), turn it on, and the CM-65 quickly binds your roll of coins for easy handling.

Question:

I’m looking for a binding machine that will bind legal size books on the long edge (14 inch). Very small volume. What are my options?

Dan O.

Answer:

I have a few more questions about your specific binding needs, what style of binding you prefer (comb, coil, wire), but the machine that immediately comes to mind is the CoilMac-ECI Spiral Binding Machine.

Spiral binding is my favorite book binding option. The plastic coil is durable, it can’t be crushed like wire, and books stay open when placed on a flat surface. The end result looks great. The CoilMac-ECI helps you quickly and effortlessly coil bind documents, books, reports and more.

You mentioned that you needed to bind legal-sized books. The CoilMac-ECI will let you do this. It has an open punching throat with continuous punching guide, specifically designed for documents longer than the standard 11 inches.

The CoilMac-ECI also has an impressive punching capacity. You can punch up to 17 sheets of paper at a time with this model. It has a built-in coil inserter too (most of the models in this price category require that you insert the coils by hand).

Question:

Our company is seeking to completely encapsulate 3 x 500 count boxes of Sweet N’Low (with or without trap) with a heavy clear shrink covering. The size of the three boxes (without tray) is 18″ x 7.5″ x 5.5″.

The immediate emphasis is to identify a piece of equipment that can get this process operational as soon as possible. The thought is to start simply to get the system running and possibly purchase a more automate follow-up to keep labor under control.

What would you recommend for our application.

Stephen T.

Answer:

If you need to get things up and running fairly quickly, then I recommend the Minipack FM Digit 77A shrink wrap machine. This is a customer favorite model, and for good reason. First of all it’s manufactured by MiniPack. That means quality parts and engineering that will last you for years to come.

The FM Digit 77A shrink wrap machine is one of the most reliable, easy-to-use models available. It features a large sealing area that provides more than adequate space for the products that you will shrink wrap.

The machine includes a sealer/tunnel combination, designed for fast packaging. The FM Digit 77A also includes a built-in motor that moves the shrink hood up and down automatically. It can be programmed for either manual or automatic operation.

This model is designed to shrink up to 10 items per minute and may be used with PVC or Polyolefin shrink film of almost any thickness. Best if all, the FM Digit 77A may be programmed to handle a wide a variety of jobs, and it requires very little training to operate.

Question:

We are a company that provides behavior intervention services for kids with special needs. We create a high volume of visual materials (charts, schedules, etc.). We are looking to spend between $600-800 on a quality laminator that is simple to use. We need one that is 25-27″ in width.

Carrie S.

Answer:

The Banner American Easy Lam School Budget Roll Laminator is your best option. For starters, it’s well within your budget range. Secondly, the Easy Lam School laminator will handle items up to 27 inches in width. It appears that Banner American did their homework before introducing their new laminator. So far it’s been a big hit with schools, from elementary to college. Several businesses too have enjoyed the benefits of this model.

The Easy Lam School Budget laminator processes a wide variety of items such as school art projects, charts, posters, schedules, photographs, maps, various documents and more. This is a wide-format roll laminator, so the sky’s pretty much the limit on what you can laminate.

Even though this is an economically priced model, it still is a quality machine that includes several “luxury” features such as heated rollers. Heated rollers are a nice touch since they more evenly distribute heat onto the film, thus creating a better-looking laminated product.