Western Trade Printing offers wholesale paper folding services to the trade. This includes folded brochures, gatefolds, book signatures for saddle stitched books and perfect bound books, poster folding, and folding for all types of direct mail. WTP also produces die-cut quality perforating and scoring in line with our folding machines, eliminating the need for expensive, time-consuming separate folding and finishing operations.
Whether you need trade folding services for jobs that you print, or you need us to handle the entire job from beginning to end, our bindery department has the folding equipment to handle it.
Clients Served by Western Trade Printing (WTP)
Our folding services (and all other WTP services) are available to all resellers in the printing trade. This includes print brokers, commercial printing companies, quick copy printers, publishers, and ad agencies.
Folding Machines at Western Trade Printing | Fresno, CA
Our bindery department is equipped with several folding machines and accessories to reduce turnaround times and deliver the premium quality jobs your clients expect.
MBO B26" Continuous Feed Folding Machine 6/6/4 with Gate Fold
Our MBO B26 folder is a high-performance folding machine perfectly suited for our trade folding services. The continuous feed allows for uninterrupted operation. Production-friendly setup makes for faster job changeovers. This maximizes folding efficiency and reduces the all-important turnaround times for your printing clients.
The 6/6/4 model features six folding plates in the first two sections and four folding plates in the last section, totaling sixteen folding plates. This configuration offers more folding options and flexibility compared to the conventional 4/4/4 model. The B26 easily handles all types of brochures, poster folds, and signatures for perfect bound and saddle stitched books.
The MBO gatefold attachment on our B26 means that WTP can produce several of the most common types of gatefolds.
Sheet Size Range:
• Minimum: 6” x 7”
• Maximum: 26” x 50”
• Running speed: 200 to 7,200 inches per minute
MBO B23" Continuous Feed Folding Machine 4/4/4 with Gate Fold
WTP’s MBO B23 4/4/4 model has four folding plates in each of its three sections, for a total of twelve folding plates. This allows for production of all the common commercial printing folds as well as a wide range of signatures and other intricate folding styles.
Sheet Size Range:
• Minimum: 6” x 7”
• Maximum: 23” x 50”
• Running speed: 1600 to 8,000 inches per minute
Stahl 20" Pile Feed Folder 4/4
Our Heidelberg Stahl folder has four fold plates in each of the parallel and right angle sections. The pile feeder makes it perfect for producing short-run folding jobs fast.
Sheet Size Range:
• Minimum: 4" x 6"
• Maximum: 20" x 33"
Technifold Scoring Inline with our MBO and Stahl Folders
All WTP folders are equipped with Technifold scoring units. These folding machine scoring units produce die-quality scores inline on papers from about 90 - 100# book up through cover stocks.
Depending on the stock, folding machines are generally limited to cover stocks up to about 14 pt or 350gsm.
The key benefit is that it eliminates the need for separate press or die scoring operations, getting the job to your clients faster without any fiber cracking on the folds.
Offline Scoring
For heavy stocks that can’t be scored inline on a folding machine, we use a variety of equipment. This includes our cylinder press, a Rollem, and a Moll Perf-n-Crease unit.
Depending on the job, we also score or perf on our offset presses with litho score or litho perf.
Pocket Folders [Presentation Folders]
WTP prints pocket folders, also called presentation folders. All pocket folders are die cut on our cylinder press.
Additional Options for Folding Jobs at WTP’s Fresno, CA Facility
In addition to inline perforating and scoring on our folders and Perf-n-Crease, we have gluing and paper banding capabilities.
Folding and Gluing
We use inline gluing systems on our folding machines. This lets you produce a range of direct mail pieces such as self-mailers.
Paper Banding for Folded Brochures and Flyers
Paper banding, as the name implies, is a method of compressing and banding brochures and flyers into neat bundles. This makes for neat, effective packaging. It allows for packing more per carton which reduces shipping costs. It also reduces the chance for damage during shipping.
Questions About Paper Folding Design, Layout, or Production?
At Western Trade Printing, we have 250+ years of collective printing industry experience, including folding layout, design, and production operations. We know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to paper folding, gluing, scoring, and perforating.
Our staff experience is an asset that is yours to use to help you grow your business. Simply give us a call with your questions at 559-251-8595 ext. 1.
If you’re new to Western Trade Printing, you can create an account here to get instant quotes and to place online orders.
Areas Served by Western Trade Printing
With its print production facility in Fresno, California, Western Trade Printing offers wholesale printing, bindery, and mailing services to the trade in Central Valley and throughout California.
