For something with just two sides to it, it’s amazing the hundreds of questions that can arise. We are of course, referring to paper. There’s a good chance that some of what you’ve found to be true about printing and finishing paper is counter-intuitive. For instance, the simple question, ‘Which side of the paper should I score on my folding machine?’ falls into that camp.
If you work in a trade bindery or print shop handling a lot of book work, by now you probably have your own bag of tricks for folding 32 page signatures. If however you’re not accustomed to running them on a regular basis, you might encounter a bit of a learning curve.
If you’re a new folding machine operator, don’t let the wrinkles on a folded piece lead to wrinkles on your face! There are numerous things that can cause a sheet to wrinkle as it travels through the folder but with a little patience and thought it’s usually easy to eliminate the problem and with experience, prevent it entirely.
When the short side of a rectangular sheet is running against a folding machine side guide, it’s generally called an ‘oblong’ sheet in reference to the oblong fold that might take place in the parallel folding section. It’s also referred to as landscape format. A common scenario is the 11x17” or 8.5x11” cover stock run in such a fashion in order to score and/or perforate the sheet before folding in a right angle section.
Another technique for edge trimming on the folder (to continue from last weeks blog post) involves the use of extra thick cutting knives. Typically these are about 1mm thick and come in various diameters to correspond with the total thickness of the piece you are trimming.
If you struggle with edge trimming on your folding machine, here's a tip that could 'straighten' out your problem.
When you work with folding machines, it’s inevitable that you’ll be involved with a job that is “impossible” to run. Perhaps one fold just won’t fold consistently, or the sheet is ripping, or scuffing, or hanging up in a fold plate, and none of your regular tricks work. And because you’re the last guy in the production line, the time scheduled to produce those hundreds of thousands of pieces has evaporated and the job, which arrived in your department at 3 p.m., has to be delivered the next day. Panic sets in as you start to calculate how many people it would take to hand-fold the job overnight. Yet most folder operators figure out how to run these “impossible” jobs.
The introduction of aqueous coatings in the late 70’s was a plus for a few reasons, one of which was that aqueous coated jobs could be sent to the bindery for cutting and folding within minutes. But that great looking high-gloss finish often makes the folding machine operator’s job more difficult. The fold rollers simply have a tougher time gripping the super slick surface.
Dog ears can be a thorn in the side of folding machine operators. Sometimes a simple turn of the dial to adjust the inside panel fold length is all that’s needed to fix it. Other times it seems nothing will work. For some it may feel like it is a conspiracy with everyone from the designer through the press room participating, to see how creative, clever and experienced the operator really is. In true adherence to Murphy’s Laws, the problem was always at its worst when there was the least amount of time to fix it.
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