Dynafold Af300 Desktop Electric Paper Folding Machine Review

Overview

• The Dynafold AF-300 desktop electric paper folder is an easy to use light volume folding machine.


• It is designed for folding letter or legal sized paper and can be configured to fold documents in half, into a letter fold, in a zig zag fold or with a fold out.


• This review will take a look at the strengths, features, weaknesses and limitations of the AF300 paper folding machine.

• For such an inexpensive paper folding machine, the Dynafold AF300 is actually fairly feature rich. It is capable of folding sheets that are letter size, A4 size or legal size and can set to fold custom sizes of paper as small as 4" x 6".


• The AF-300 can be set to do one of four primary folding patterns including a half fold, a fold out, a letter fold or a zig-zag fold. However, the fold plates on the AF-300 are set manually and thus can be configured for custom folds that are different from the four preset folds.


• The folder operates at a speed of up to 4000 sheets per hour or can be set to fold documents manually. It can even fold sets of up to 3 sheets of paper through the manual feed slot.


• The AF-300 has a feed hopper capable of holding up to fifty sheets of 20lb paper at a time. However it is best to keep it to about half that many in order to prevent feed problems and paper jams.


• The AF-300 also comes with a convenient desk stand and a metal paper catch bin that is ideal for setting the machine on your desk or beside your postage meter.

• The fold plates on the AF-300 need to be adjusted manually. You have to loosen the set screws and move the paper stops to the correct positions. This can be pretty tricky and it can take a while to set the folder up so that it folds correctly. One trick to remember when setting up the fold plates is to use the manual feed knob on the side of machine to feed the paper through the machine. Pay attention to the paper as it hits the paper stops. If the paper stops are crooked the machine won't fold straight. The AF-300 can take as long as 10-15 minutes to set up. This makes it ideal for users who just need to do just one style of fold.


• The AF-300 is not designed for folding heavy or glossy paper stocks. It is a great option for folding standard copy papers but will have difficulties feeding heavier stocks through the fold rollers of the machine.


• The AF-300 is really best suited for low volume folding. For users who need to fold a few hundred documents a week this machine is probably a reasonable solution. However, it is important to understand that using this machine you WILL have paper jams and if you try to fold a lot of paper it will be a headache. This is true of all paper folders in this price range. It is something that many users simply don't understand before purchasing this type of unit.

• The AF-300 is a fairly flexible low cost paper folding machine that provides the user with the ability to fold several sizes of paper into a number of different patterns.


• However, the AF-300 is really best suited for users who are looking to primarily fold documents with one folding pattern and for users who need to fold a few hundred sheets per week.


• Attempting to use the AF-300 for higher volume folding applications is not recommended and will most likely end up in both frustration and headaches.