Guide to Paper Folding Equipment

Acquaint yourself with the different types and styles of paper folders.

Paper folders feed sheets using friction or suction. Friction-fed paper folders use hard rubber wheels and suction-fed use a layer of forced air to distribute the paper through the folder. Friction folders are best suited for standard office paper, but will tear through glossy or heavy gauge paper stock. Air-fed folders can accommodate all paper stocks. There are also manual folders, that require fold plate settings to be placed by hand, and automatic folders that electronically adjust the fold plates.

I recommend: Office Zone, an office equipment retailer, publishes a paper folder guide on their website that details the different folder styles and functions.

How often will you use the paper folder?

Usage should always be a consideration when purchasing paper folder or any kind of office equipment. There are folders designed for folding one or two letters that fit on desktops. There are other paper folders large, require its own table or stand, and can fold thousands of pages per minute.

I recommend: Staples has offers a selection of low to midrange paper folders able to fold up to 9,000 sheets per hour.  The Paper Folder Store has mid to heavy-duty machines that are able to fold up to 35,000 sheets per hour. 

Consider additional features.

If you have a high volume of correspondence, invoices or statements to mail out, then it would be prudent to consider a paper folder that also features an automatic envelope inserter, or pressure sealer. They cost more, but savings are made up in increased productivity and labor costs.

I recommend: Formax, a paper folding equipment manufacturer, offers several different models of inserters and sealers that can handle from 4,300 envelopes per hour to 120,000 envelopes per month.