Finishing printing materials

Now place a strip of chipboard under the paper pile in the area directly below the blade. The chipboard extends the life of the wooden or plastic cutting stick which it covers. Place another strip of chipboard on top of the paper, directly below the paper clamp. This strip will protect the top sheets of paper from being damaged by the clamp.

Lower the paper clamp by turning the paper clamp wheel to the right. The clamp should press the paper tightly against the bed of the cutter.

Modem machines require an operator to use both hands to activate the cutter blade. Some hand-lever cutters contain a safety pin which must be held with the left hand while the right hand pulls on the lever. Others require the operator to grasp the lever with two hands in order to activate the blade. Power cutters are usually equipped with dual controls that must be operated with both hands.

When the cut is complete, raise the blade. Check to be sure the blade locked in its uppermost position. Then raise paper clamp and remove the pile of paper. If the other dimension needs to be trimmed, turn the paper and repeat the above process.

Safety Note. Always adjust the paper clamp to its lowest position before you leave the cutter area. Be sure to turn off the power on hydraulic machines.

FOLDING. A small folding machine can fold a small sheet of paper such as a letter or brochure. Large, heavy-duty folders are capable of folding book and magazine signatures. A signature is a sheet of paper that has been folded a number of times, then trimmed with a paper cutter to form papes. Some common paper folds are shown in Figure 10-3.