Duplo presents a table top (wheeled stand optional) top suction air feed creaser to prevent toner from cracking on the printed sheets surface when folded. This Duplo DC-445 Creaser presents features not found on other machines in the market. Top suction feeder, tried and tested as the same feeding system used on the Duplo tower collators and Duplo DC 645, enables operators to load the pile, enter the desired crease positions, then press start. While the work is being processed the operators can complete other work, only to return to reload the machine if needed. PRO’s

1. Top Feed - the top suction feeder enables the operator to load up to 3.9” of paper then press start and walk away. Once the controls of the feeder are understood it is quite reliable and easy to setup.

2. Noise - the top feeder of the Duplo DC 445 allows for a smaller and less noisy mechanism for air suction, this is compared to other machines on the market that use a bottom suction feeder. The bottom feeders require enough air to float the entire pile of paper, where the top feeder needs only to create air separation on the top sheet. As such the noise level is noticeably lower than comparable units. Adding the recommended Air Knife to the DC 445 does increase the noise level some but still below the level of competitive machines.

3. Receiving tray - the high capacity receiving tray, matching the feeder capacity ensures that operators can carry on with other work while the DC 445 is processing the sheets.

4. Perforating / Slitting- while these are options on the machine, the perforating and slitting is quite effective, automatically set up using the same LCD screen as the creases.

5. Power – the Duplo DC 445 uses only a 110V plug while most of the competition requires a 208-230V service.

CON’s

1. Speed - while fully automated it is the slowest of the main competitors on the market operating at 50 sheets per minute. Given the passive operation of the machine is may not be a factor but is worth knowing that comparably priced and featured machines run up to nearly 3 times this speed, these comparable units do however require operator assistance.

2. Crease depth - in our testing the the DC 445 can process a 12pt card well without cracking, above this we found the crease not to be deep enough to eliminate cracking. We also found that grain direction does affect the depth of the crease it is important to have the paper grain be running in the direction of the crease along the page.

3. Air Knife - not perhaps a con but very important that running sheets from digital printers will require the purchase of the optional Air Knife kit, this kit passes air between the sheets as they are picked up by the feeder. Without this options the static produced in the digital printing process will cause feeding issues. Perhaps this should be a standard feature.

Recommendation: All in all this is a great creasing system for the small digital printer or in-plant environment. The DC 445 is well suited for environments where the noise level needs to be moderated and where running speed is not an issue. A reliable easy to operate machine that is quiet Duplo DC 445 creaser may be the right fit for your print facility.