Ask Ozone

Question:

“You have so many different shrink wrap machines on your website. How do I find the one I need?”

Answer:

Locating the right shrink wrap machine for you may seem like a difficult task. You should first do a little research on the different types of shrink wrap systems in order to make an informed decision. After you know what is available, you can then ask yourself some basic questions and then determine the machine you need.

Shrink wrap machines are broken up into two categories. There are I-Bar shrink wrap machines and L-Bar machines. I-bar shrink wrap machines use a single bar to cut film. These machines usually require at least two passes to completely encapsulate a product within the shrink film. A heat gun is often used to shrink the film around the product. I-bar shrink wrap systems are good for low- to mid-volume shrink wrapping jobs.

L-bar shrink wrap systems use an L-shaped bar to cut film around a product. These machines only require one pass of the arm to fully encapsulate a product in film. A heat gun can be used with a stand-alone machine, but most L-bar sealers include a tunnel. Shrink tunnels evenly distribute heat around a product for fast shrink wrapping. These machines are designed for mid- to high-volume shrink wrapping.

Now that you know a little about shrink wrap machines, you will want to ask yourself some basic questions:

• What will you be shrink wrapping?

• How many products will I shrink wrap per day?

• How many people will be using the machine?

• Where do you want to use the machine?

Once you have answers to these questions, you can contact Office Zone for a specific model recommendation. We also have a handy shrink wrap resource guide. This will have you up to speed on shrink wrap systems in minutes.

Question:

Good morning,

I am looking for an office shredder. I require one that is capable of shredding labels with adhesive/glue attached. My concerns are the machine operational life, service availability and warranty. Problem experienced are the glue sticking and building up over time. This causes the machine to jamming and voids the warranty. Do you have a machine capable of shredding this type of material?

Rex T.

Answer:

If you need to shred labels on a consistent basis, then the model UC5500 ScriptStroyer Pharmacy Rx Medical Shredder is really your best option. This machine was specifically designed for the pharmacy, medical industry. Physicians and pharmacists are under strict guidelines from the government to destroy all confidential patient information, including prescription labels.

A typical office shredder is definitely not capable of shredding an entire plastic pill bottle, but the model UC5500 can. The shredding heads are also specially designed to shred labels with sticky adhesive material. Accumulation and buildup over time from shredded labels is not an issue with this machine.

Question:

Hello

I am thinking about buying the shrinkwrap machine. I do not know if your machine will be able to wrap 6 plastic bottles together and 8 small plastic bottles together. A friend of mine bought the system similar to yours [Compack 5800 Shrink Wrap System], but he has not been able to get the tighter and bubble free shrink, unless done it twice. I know shrink wrapping one individual item is easy, but not few bottles together. What do you advise.

Sameer M.

Answer:

Yes, the Compack 5800 shrink wrap machine can wrap bottles together, all depending on their size. The best way to do this is to place the bottles in a shallow cardboard tray before shrink wrapping. Trying to do this without the tray is possible, but takes much more time and patience … believe me, we’ve tried! If you absolutely cannot use a cardboard tray, then we recommend you try using something to hold the bottles together before the shrink wrap process. A rubber band works just fine, or you might try using packaging tape.

If you would like to get a better idea of what I am describing here, be sure to take a look at this brief video demonstration of the Minipack FM Digit 77 Shrink Wrap Machine in action. In the first segment, it shows you the ideal method of shrink wrapping plastic bottles together.

Question:

I need to laminate 2 photos together, back to back. What type of glue or double side tape would you recommend? I need to cut the photos along the edge.

Wayne M.

Answer:

You can actually laminate photos back to back without the aid of glue or tape. A nice thing about lamination pouches is the inside of the pouch is somewhat tacky. That’s because the film has the glue on the inside of the pouch. This makes it easy to place an item inside before laminating and not worrying if will move during the laminating process.

We recommend the Tahsin TCC 6000 Photo Pouch Laminator for your application. This is a continuous use, heavy-duty model designed especially for laminating photos. It encapsulates photos and digital images without all of those annoying resulting bubbles, often found in the film after it’s passed through the machine. The advanced hot roller system in the TCC 6000, and the adjustable speed controls, ensure quality and trouble-free operation. The TCC 6000 also includes a handy reverse function for backing out mis-feeds and jammed items.

You mentioned that you wanted to trim the photos. You can find a wide selection of rotary paper trimmers and cutters on our site.

Question:

Hi,

Does your MVS Chamber Vacuum Sealer function with out the inert gas kit? What is the overall benefit to the inert gas kit? What is the maximum bag size? is it the chamber dimensions? Can I have some info on the lease to own program?

Thanks,

Michael W.

Answer:

I’m not sure what specific MVS model you are referring to, but the MVS 45 Chamber Vacuum Sealer from Minipack is our most popular machine in this series. The inert gas kit is an option; the machine works just fine without it. The kit basically lets you replace the air in the vacuum seal bag with nitrogen. Some of our customers like to use the gas kit to extend the life of the food and other perishable items they are vacuum sealing.

The largest bag you can seal with the MVS 45 measures 14″ x 16″. The chamber is 18″ wide x 18″ deep x 8.25″ high. You may apply to lease to own the MVS 45 Vacuum Sealer. You have the option of making low monthly payments on this machine, versus investing one large up-front sum. We have partnered with a reputable funding agency that makes the leasing process quick and relatively simple.

Question:

I am wanting to make calendars and recipe books. Would the ProClick 50 machine work for me? If not, what would you recommend? I like the idea of being able to add and edit pages.

Thanks,

Mary

Answer:

Most of our customers prefer coil/spiral binding machines for their calendars and books. First of all, if you’re trying to achieve a professional-looking book or calendar, then coil binding is our first recommendation. Also, the pages in your calendar (or recipe book) will easily turn with plastic coil. You can also add or edit pages simply by snipping a crimped end off of the binding element and then rolling it out. You can make your changes, edits, etc. and insert and crimp a new coil. It’s as simple as that.

A ProClick binding machine would work too; however, the end results would not look as refined as an item produced with a coil binding machine. Some of our customers use a wire binding machine to make calendars and books, but you would have a difficult time editing the pages. Once something is bound with wire, it’s best left alone. You can de-bind, but it takes more effort and patience when compared to using a ProClick machine or coil binder.

Question:

Can you insert a return envelope in a larger-sized envelope with the Formax FD 6202 paper folder-inserter?

Answer:

Yes, the FD 6202 Advanced 1 and FD 6202 Advanced 2 folder inserters will place a smaller envelope (or other similar-sized insert) into the envelope while also folding and inserting documents. The important thing to keep in mind here is the insert placed in the envelope may be a business reply type envelope, as long as it is smaller.

The best thing to do is test your samples before making a purchase. You may send us samples of the outer envelopes and return envelopes for testing. Be sure to send us at least 100 of each to ensure thorough testing. We will then run your samples free of charge on one of our demo machines and let you know if the FD 6202 will work for your needs.

Question:

What are the advantages of using a letter folding machine? What are the advantages when compared to folding paper by hand?

Answer:

There are several benefits to using an automatic paper folding machine. One of the biggest benefits is the speed at which you can fold paper, and the amount of time you will save. A person will never be able to fold paper at the same speed as a machine.

A paper folding machine eliminates the need to have employees fold paper. This means you don’t have to pay
them for several hours of labor for something a paper folder can do in just minutes. And, there are no paper cuts with an automated paper folder.

Paper folders are easy to set up and require relatively little maintenance. They can handle a variety of paper sizes and thicknesses and can usually do a variety of common folds. Many paper folder models are capable of performing custom folds as well.

Be sure to take a look at our wide selection of paper folders today.

Question:

What are self-sharpening blades? I noticed this feature on some of your paper trimmers and don’t know what it means.

Answer:

Some rotary paper trimmers or cutters include the feature of self-sharpening blades. Rotary cutter blades spin as they cut paper. As they spin, they rub against a tungsten metal rail that the manufacturer claims helps keep the blades sharpened. Although this is a nice feature, the blades do eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Rotatrim is one of the more popular manufacturers of rotary paper cutters that feature self-sharpening blades. Office equipment manufacturers Dahle, Akiles and Carl make paper cutters with self-sharpening blades as well.

You may have noticed that some of the products on our Web site carry a Customer Choice label. These items have earned this special designation because of their excellent track record and reliability.

The Rotatrim Rotary paper cutters have earned this status, thanks to their robustness and reliability. Rotatrim trimmers were originally designed to meet the exacting requirements of professional photographers. Today, thousands of Rotatrim machines are used in professional darkrooms, photo labs, design houses, schools and colleges.

Our customers tell us they prefer Rotatrim cutters because of their silent glide cutting action. They also report how pleased they are with the trimmer’s extreme accuracy. That’s because of the machine’s twin chrome-plated steel guide rail and hand-finished tungsten steel rotary blades. The blade assembly delivers a virtually maintenance-free, self-sharpening system that ensures low maintenance costs and ease of use.