Standard PF-P3100 Dial-A-Fold Desktop Paper Folder Review
The Standard PF-P3100 Dial-A-Fold is a perfect system for medium volume shredding that is fast and reliable. This economical device offers easy set up and low maintenance, making it perfect for businesses on a tight budget with moderate folding needs. With quality features and simple operation, any office will appreciate the convenience and efficiency provided. Here is a closer look at the details.
Strengths:
- The drop-in feed system uses friction to accurately pull individual pages into the fold plates. A push-button control panel offers a sheet counter, single page test button, three variable speeds, and a digital display on an LCD screen. An energy save mode kicks in to conserve energy after a short time of inactivity.
- Setting up the fold plates is very easy, especially for a manual machine. Six standard folds can be selected on the control panel. Once you’ve chosen your paper size and fold style, LED indicators display where the fold alignments should be positioned. This simplifies the adjustment process and saves you the hassle normally associated with manual setup.
- Six common folds are pre-marked on the machine and include C, Z, gate, double parallel, half, and engineering fold. Custom folds can also be created by manual manipulation of the fold plate positioning. An optional cross fold guide aids in the accurate making of right angle folds.
- As many as 300 sheets of 20lb bond can sit in the tray at once for feeding. The fold plates handle weights ranging from 16lb to 80lb bond. Additionally they can accommodate sheets as small as 2.56″ by 4.26″ and as large as 11″ by 17″. Within this wide array of weights and sizes, myriad items can be created including brochures, menus, flyers, bulletins, mailers, newsletters, and many more.
- Neatly folded items exit the machine via conveyor belt. This helps to ensure orderly, sequential stacking of finished documents.
- Standard provides a one year warranty on this product.
Weaknesses:
- This device weighs about 93 pounds and will be heavy to carry from one location to the next. An optional cabinet mounted on casters is available with this folder and would greatly add to the mobility of this machine.
- One thing many businesses might find helpful is the option to feed multiple sheets for combined folding. This aids in the production of multi-page bulletins, newsletters, and mailers. For a comparable machine with this feature, check out the Formax FD342.
- Something to think about is how often you will change fold styles. Though the setup of this folder is easier than many other manual devices, it can still be a difficult process. Offices that rarely change fold patterns may not have an issue with this. But if your business will need to switch often, you might consider going with a machine that will do adjustment for you.
Overall, the PF-P3100 is an excellent paper folder for medium use in any office. Churches, quick printers, and schools will all appreciate the helpful features and rapid folding speeds at a budget-friendly price. While folding multiple sheets at once would be nice, it’s not a necessity for every office. We think the Standard Horizon PF-P3100 would be a great choice for your next paper folder.
About the Author :
Jeff McRitchie regularly writes articles, reviews and blog posts on topics related to binding, laminating, paper shredders and office equipment. With more than 2,500 articles that have been published in thousands of locations on the web. If you are looking for information on binding machines, binding supplies, report covers, 3-ring binders, index tabs, laminators, laminating pouches, laminating roll film, lanyards, name badges, paper shredders, whiteboards, paper cutters and paper folding machines his articles are a good place to start.