Jogging Tip

Posts Tagged ‘Machine’

Any business that produces and binds a lot of documents on a regular basis should have a paper jogging machine on hand. Paper joggers help remove static from sheets and square up all of the document’s pages before punching, binding, cutting, or folding. Here we will take a look at one of the entry-level players on the paper jogging machine market, the Martin Yale 400, and give you our assessment of this machine’s strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

There are lots of paper joggers out there with lots of different capabilities, and we consider the Martin Yale 400 to be perhaps the easiest to use paper jogger on the market (it is also one of the least expensive). To use this simple machine all you will need to do is insert the paper and turn it on. There are joggers out there that can handle more paper, but with the 400, you can insert as much as a full ream, which is not a bad capacity for a desktop machine. We thought that the 400 was an extremely well built and hardy machine. It has a heavy duty motor and the jogging tray looks to be of rock-solid construction. The thick rubber feet kept the machine firmly rooted in place during our testing.

Weaknesses:

The Martin Yale 400 jogger is an entry level machine and as such you will find that it lacks some of the features that larger more expensive joggers offer. Chief among these is that there is no way to adjust the bin angle or the speed at which it vibrates. With the 400, all you get is an on and off switch. While this makes the machine very easy to use, it also cuts down on its versatility in handling different stocks and sizes. Most larger, more expensive machines also give the user the capability to make adjustments to reduce the level of vibration that is put out by the machine. We sort of missed that when testing the 400. The 400 has a jogging bin that is designed to accept letter sized paper. That means that you can use it with smaller sheets, but you can’t put anything larger in the bin. The angle that the bin sits at also make it a little difficult to use with standard number ten envelopes, as they are not the easiest to get to when they are at the bottom of the tray. As is typical for all paper joggers, you will need to ensure that you set the machine on a sufficiently strong and stable surface. In fact, we recommend that you use a table that is able to easily withstand 500lbs to help keep vibrations to a minimum. You may even want to look into putting the table on an extra carpet piece or a rug in order to keep the machine from vibrating its surroundings too much. As we said, this is true for all paper joggers and is no reason not to purchase the Martin Yale 400.

Overview:

The Martin Yale 400 tabletop paper jogging machine is a low cost jogger that is ideal for mailrooms, print shops, and small binderies.
The value of a paper jogger is that it makes any type of printing, copying or finishing equipment run smoother, with less paper jams.
A paper jogger is used to help remove the static from printed sheets and to align all of the pages perfectly for punching, cutting, binding, folding or processing. It uses vibrations to help ensure that all of the sheets are perfectly aligned for further processing.

Strengths / Features:

Paper joggers are available in a number of different configurations. The Martin Yale 400 comes with a single jogging bin that can handle a full ream of paper at a time. Although there are larger volume jogging machines available, the Martin Yale 400 is the simplest and least expensive paper jogger available on the market. All you need to do in order to jog paper with the Martin Yale 400 is to put the paper in the jogger and turn it on. After a few minutes the paper will all be aligned and jogged.
The Martin Yale 400 is sturdy and is built extremely well. It has a single heavy duty jogging tray that and a heavy duty motor to vibrate the tray. It also has sturdy rubber feet that keep it in place when set on a table or work surface.

Weaknesses / Limitations:

The Martin Yale 400 has no adjustment for bin angle or vibration speed. It simply has an on/off switch. This makes it extremely easy to operate but means that it is not as versatile for handling special stocks or projects. It also means that you can’t adjust it to reduce the amount of vibrations that are put out by the jogger. Most larger more expensive joggers have these features.
The Martin Yale 400 also has a letter sized paper jogging bin. This is ideal for 8.5″ x 11″ and smaller documents. However, it is not designed to handle larger format documents such as legal sized paper or 11″ x 17″ sheets. The angle of the bin also does not make it ideal for use with standard number 10 envelopes since they are difficult to access in the bottom of the jogging tray.
Like all paper jogging machines it is important to make sure that the Martin Yale 400 is set on a strong and sturdy work surface. A table that is rated to hold up to 500lbs is recommended to help reduce vibrations. You can even put a piece of carpet down underneath the machine to help reduce the vibrations.

Recommendation:

Every printer, bindery, mailroom and forms processor should really have a paper jogger. If you don’t have one, the Martin Yale 400 is a great place to start. It isn’t the most powerful or feature rich model.However, it has the basic features to get the job done and comes at an excellent price point that won’t break the bank. Check out the Martin Yale 400 paper jogger for yourself today.