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Martin Yale 1217a Autofolder Review
For years the standard in paper folding machines
, the Martin Yale Intimus 1217A is well-known in the small print industry for being a solid and flexible machine. Here we will take a look at some of its features, strengths and weaknesses to help you decide if it is the right folding machine for your needs.Strengths:
1.) The 1217A is one of only a few desktop paper folders available capable of handling twelve by eighteen inch sheets of paper. As a fairly common size in the world of digital press, this makes the 1217A a great choice for copy shops and printers.
2.) Heavy card stocks and heavier weight papers are no problem for the 1217A. Its heavy duty feed rollers enable this machine to handle just about any paper stock out there, including many glossy and coated sheets. It is always a good idea, however to test a few sheets out just to make sure it will run smoothly and that the rollers will not leave marks on glossier stock.
3.) Depending on the pattern of the fold and the sheet size, the Martin 1217A can run at speeds of up to ten thousand letter pages an hour. Some sizes and stocks will process a little more slowly, but in any event the 1217A should be able to keep up with most of the faster digital printing machines. It's always nice to be able to fold as fast as you print.
4.) The 1217A also gives you great flexibility in folding patterns. This machine can give you letter, half, z, double parellel, right angle, and baronial folds. If you find yourself needing to fold a sheet that is of a custom size, the 1217A allows you to adjust the fold plates manually to produce just about any sort of fold you can come up with.
Weaknesses:
1.) For all its advantages, you cannot manually adjust the speed of the 1217A. For that you will need to step up to Martin Yale's 2020Vs which is very similar in capability to the 1217A, but that allows for changes in folding speed. Speed adjustment is something that can make folding glossier stocks a bit easier, and can cut down on misfeeds and paper jams.
2.) A slight inconvenience is the fast that you will need to fan out the sheets you intend to fold, so that the papers are separated. It is generally not a huge problem but can be a little tricky especially for inexperienced users.
3.) Though you can set the 1217A to do just about any kind of fold, you will need to do so manually. This entails a little bit of a learning curve for inexperienced users, but once you have it down, it isn't much of a problem. You will want to figure it out sooner rather than later to avoid misfeeds and paper jams. If you thing that you are going to need to change folding patterns frequently, you may want to look into purchasing a machine with auto setup like the Martin Yale 2051 Smartfold.
by: Jeffrey McRitchie