Cutter / Slitter / Creaser

[Keith]

Wierd question, has anyone sent the Mohawk 12x18 sheets with 4up magnet 5.5x8.5 postcards through their SCC?

No, that is not a weird question at all and I would like to know the answer as well. We used that exact stock about two months ago and it was no fun trimming on the cutter. Had to do it in small lifts. Then last month, we did a job on the Mohawk 100lb text 2up magnet letters thinking it would be a little easier than the post cards. Nope. Just as much of a pain. We did get smart and glued a false clamp on, effectively shortening the width of the clamp so it wouldn't land on the magnet. Helped a little. But the whole time we were working on it I couldn't help but think, "Would this be easier on one of those magical slitter/cutter/creaser/unicorn-impregnator machines?"

 

[Craig]

Well our PTSCC feeds from the bottom and the feed deck is steel so I can guess premagnatised would not feed.

 

[Shawnd]

No, that is not a weird question at all and I would like to know the answer as well.

Talked to a Duplo tech and he said the magnetic postcard sheets are a no go through their equipment, it would stick to the cutters and not fall down to the waste bin below and cause issues.

 

[Shawnd]

"Would this be easier on one of those magical slitter/cutter/creaser/unicorn-impregnator machines?"

Keith, I can now say 100% as I have seen it with my own eyes, the Graphic Whizard PT 335SCC will do the 4 up Mohawk postcard 12x18 sheets with the removable magnet!

I went to an open house yesterday and got the lead guy from Graphic Whizard to give me a demo of the machine and try out some of my other stocks, I only took 7 sheets of the Mohawk so we couldn't get it dialed in 100% but it worked and I have confidence it could be dialed in with some printed sheets with registration marks (I took blank sheets).

I was very impressed with the machine overall, it isn't a speed demon but it is a machine you can walk away from and come back to a completed stack of full bleed postcards.

It ran 500 8up 4.25x6 postcards on 13x19 10pt C2S in about 7.5 minutes, it ran through them without a hickup and very little setup, was very impressed.

 

[Shawnd]

Hey Shawn,
We have the PTSCC, the Multi came out after we got ours, of course. To be honest we use it to cut business cards the most and to score our fold-over cards. We have a few jobs that we perf as well. I think we had our install last July and have run about 200,000 sheets. For the most part it runs just fine, like any finishing equipment they have their days.

Craig, have you had to have any repair work done on yours yet?

 

[Shawnd]

Well guys, it looks like I will be getting that Graphic Whizard Multi SCC. I am concerned with the lack of reviews about it but on the other hand I can't find anyone saying don't buy it. Guess I will be the beta tester.

 

[Craig]

Craig, have you had to have any repair work done on yours yet?

Nothing major that wouldn't be expected from a new install. They were mostly adjustments.

 

[goalpdl]

Did you look at the MBM G2? It's actually pretty fast and should hold the stacks you are needing.

 

[Shawnd]

I did look at the G2, I need the strike perf for some of the jobs we do.

 

[Shawnd]

Graphic Whizard SCC has been installed, now to really put it to work

 

[Shawnd]

The guillotine cutter is starting to get dusty...

You can't beat the learning curve, taught the new guy how to use the SCC in about 10 minutes.

 

[Hiamedia]

Hi SHawn I see you if I had the SCC now for a few months. What is your suggestion between the Duplo and the ScC? We are about to make the plunge and would like to know your comments on the ScC. Thanks for your time

 

[namelessentity]

Are you guys not very picky about your final output? I've never seen a slitter give clean edges. Everything comes off like it's the bottom sheet from a guillotine cutter.

 

[Shawnd]

I have never run the duplo so I can't give a fair head to head, the dealer we got the scc from also sells duplo and horizon and favors the GW over duplo and says Horizon is the best so we went with the GW because we don't have the volume for the Horizon.

As far as output goes we run a ton of 10pt C2S through it and always get a good clean cut.

 

[Yroc]

Are you guys not very picky about your final output? I've never seen a slitter give clean edges. Everything comes off like it's the bottom sheet from a guillotine cutter.

Yeah, don't know what slitter you've used, but our Duplo slitters are so much cleaner than any of the sheets put through our stack cutter, we really avoid stack cutting anything as the slits are so much better on the Duplo. Plus we have to change blades pretty often on the stack cutter as it dulls very quickly, which also degrades the cut quality....

 

[Craig]

The key to clean cuts with a guiloteen is the final cut being made with the back side of the blade, not the bevel side. Oh, and SHARP blades, most forget to do that. We have 3 blades in rotation about 3000 to 5000 cuts they are changed depending on the paper being cut.

A guiloteen will out perform a Dupli or Graphics Wizard hands down. I have an SCC with over 300,000 sheets run through it. I know EVERY flaw in the machine, including the center cut on a strip of business cards the is NOT the same as the outside cuts. It is a flaw in the mechanics and cannot be fixed.

 

[Shawnd]

Starting to get the dreaded ragged cuts on our SCC on heads 2,3,1,6. Have you replaced the slitters on yours yet Craig?

 

[Brehon]

I purchased a Duplo 645 2 1/2 years ago. I feel like it is one of the best purchases I have ever made. For business cards, I can run 500 print, cut/slit and box in about 5 minutes. I use it everyday, not just for the ton of business cards I do, but also for scoring post cards, booklet covers, invoice covers and the like. I have several small printers around who bring me jobs to score several times a week. I was originally looking at the 616 which sells for around $20,000 here in Canada, but the dealer screwed up and sold my machine to someone else, leaving me to wait 4 to 5 months, in the meantime he put the 645 demo in my shop as a free loaner, then when waiting times got longer, he sold me the 645 for the same price as the 616. I often say it is like buying an employee for less than a years' wage, and keeping him on for free! He never talks back, works his butt off and always does a great job.

I haven't noticed any degradation of the slitter or cutters, cards come out very well cut. I ran a set of fold over business cards for a client (50,000) not long ago. It took less than 4 hours to print, and slit/cut/score them. Prior to the Duplo, I would have to send them out to be scored (expensive) or score them with a table top manual scrorer (aprox 8 hours), then cut on the guillotine. Compare that with 4 hours, and calculate the savings. I can honestly say, it paid for itself within the first year.

 

[DYP]

Now if Duplo would just add a punch module for these machines. For coil, wire-o, three hole, etc.

 

[Shawnd]

Found out I had the top heads not exactly on right, that will causes the springs in the top head to be off and not put the correct pressure on the slitter blade, I am going again with clean cuts.