www.printmonthly.co.uk 67 July / August 2023 - Issue 343 BACK TO BASICS / GUILLOTINES CUT TO THE POINT An important part of the print finishing process, what guillotine options are available to the market and how can this staple technology improve the quality of the final product? Atechnique used in print finishing for hundreds of years, guillotines remain a staple part of the production process. Whether it is cutting large sheets of business cards to individual pieces, or finishing off brochures or leaflets, reliability and accuracy are of paramount importance when it comes to investment in this area. With this in mind, what key features and qualities should you be looking for when taking on a new guillotine? What can help you achieve your accuracy and quality goals? Print Monthly speaks with a number of manufacturers and suppliers in this market to find out more. Essential Equipment A brand synonymous with print finishing equipment in general is Morgana Systems, which now operates as part of the Plockmatic Group. Ray Hillhouse, vice president of sales and marketing for the Offline Business Unit at Plockmatic Group, says a guillotine is an essential piece of equipment for the vast majority of businesses involved in print and there are a number of key features to seek for any printer. “Firstly, from a health and safety aspect, the inclusion of a light beam guarding the front table area is a legally required feature in any modern machine,” Hillhouse says, adding: “If the beam is broken the cut either cannot be started, or will stop immediately if a cut is in process, thus preventing any nasty accidents. “The ability of the machine’s operating system to store and retrieve multiple cutting programs is often a standard feature, and frequently desired from a time saving point of view. This allows for often used cutting sequences to be recalled at a moment’s notice, saving both time and, hopefully, errors. A cut in the wrong place could make the whole stack totally useless, and reprints are expensive!” Other key features to keep an eye out for according to Hillhouse include a touchscreen interface, with this often seen as the preferred way for operators to interact with a product. He explains that tablet-style displays are becoming the norm with new guillotine equipment, offering an interface familiar to the younger operator. “Ease of use is an important attribute, as in many print shops staff are expected to switch roles and be masters of many pieces of equipment – from pre-press through to the final cutting and even delivery of work,” he says. Hillhouse goes on to say that the actual format of the machine might be considered a critical feature by many. He says larger ▲ Morgana’s Aerocut X facilitates a range of cutting options
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==