If your company creates a lot of saddle stitched booklets or manuals you could probably use a bookletmaker. These machines are designed to take your printed documents, fold them in half and staple them in the center creating a book. Without this type of machine, creating manuals would require using a long reach stapler and then hand folding the pages of your document. However, choosing the right machine for your needs can be somewhat difficult. Here are five things to look for when choosing a booklet maker.
- Paper Size Compatibility: One of the first things to look for when choosing a bookletmaking machine is the size of paper that it can handle. Most of these machines will accept letter size paper and 11″ x 17″ sized paper for making half letter sized books and letter sized books. However, some booklet makers are also capable of handling legal sized paper or custom sizes of paper.
- Maximum Booklet Thickness: A second thing to look for when choosing a bookletmaker is the maximum thickness of book that the machine can produce. Some booklet makers can only handle a few sheets while others can staple up to thirty sheets at a time to create a finished book that is over 100 pages.
- Speed: One of the biggest differences between these machines is the speed at which they operate. Every manufacturer will publish a maximum number of booklets that the machine can create per hour. Unfortunately, there is no universal standard for measuring the productivity of these machines and most manufacturers exaggerate the numbers. Still the numbers provided by the manufacturers can be used as a general guideline to compare the machines.
- Capabilities: The best bookletmakers that are available on the market are capable of not only creating books but can also just fold or just staple documents. This versatility is great for times where you might simply need a paper folder or a saddle stitch stapler. Many larger organizations or print shops may have separate equipment to handle these tasks. However, smaller companies can use this extra functionality to reduce costs.
- Stapling locations: When looking for a machine it is important to note the number of stapling locations that are offered. Some machines offer just two staplers while others offer three or even four stapling heads. With some pieces of equipment these stapling heads are fully adjustable and with others they fixed.
These are five simple things that you can look for when purchasing a booklet maker. As you look at the options that are available on the market you will find that some have the features that you want and others do not. Ultimately, you will need to find a balance between the features that you want and the budget that you have. Good luck and happy bookletmaking.