KBFL Technical Help

General Questions on Pressure Seal Form Systems

How is a pressure seal form sealed?

The form is sealed through a process of folding the form on a pressure seal folder/sealer. Folding the form aligns patterns of "co-hesive" which been pre-applied to the document during manufacture. Once folded, the document travels through a series of sealing rollers inside the folder/sealer. These rollers apply pressure to the form, which activates the co-hesive and in turn creates a secure "fiber tear" seal.

Direct mail is an obvious opportunity when combined with a pressure seal format. There are a number of unique constructions which incorporate return envelopes, ID Cards, labels and window die-cuts. In addition, the use of high color offset or digital printing creates a very unique self mailer design. Ask for product samples from the Pressure Seal Plus direct mail collection.

How can I tell if I have a good candidate for Pressure Seal?

Most often any product that is placed and mailed in an envelope is a likely candidate for Pressure Seal. There are other applications that can be converted that may not necessarily process through mainstream mail. We can assist you in converting applications to pressure seal. Simply send us the current application and our experts will devise the best Pressure Seal form possible.

How can I justify a Pressure Seal System?

Cost justification can be sometimes difficult. Some factors for consideration are: maximizing volume while minimizing processing time, costs of traditional envelopes, postage costs, old and outdated equipment, confidentiality, security, labor and maintenance. Anyone running a highly expensive but very slow traditional inserting line can be shown a better way... the Pressure Seal way! In addition, most one page mailing formats are ideal for conversion to a pressure seal form. Mail shops and implants running high volumes of one page mail on their expensive inserters should review the benefits of converting to a pressure seal system. Emphasis is placed on higher hourly output of mailable documents with a much lower initial equipment cost as compared to inserting equipment.

Unlike a standard adhesive, a co-hesive requires two patterns placed on top of each other to create the bond. In the case of a pressure seal co-hesive, very high pressure is required to activate the bond.

Once manufactured, cold or heat should not affect the product as long as the product is properly wrapped. However, the product should be acclimated to a print room for at least 48 hours before imaging. The raw co-hesive material is another story. If the temperature of the raw co-hesive drops below freezing, the material is destroyed and cannot be used. This is a quality control issue for the forms manufacturer.

Are there any special handeling issues for Pressure Seal forms before or after imaging?

Absolutely. Product must be kept in its original wrap to ensure proper moisture content of the paper is maintained. Product should be climatized in the imaging environment at least 48 hours prior to imaging. Once imaged, the product should be placed curl side down to remove any curl caused by passing through the print device. In general, forms should be put through the folder sealer on the same day that they are imaged.

Normal shelf life is from 6 months to a year, assuming proper packaging and storage. Forms that are left exposed to the air will see a rapid deterioration in sealing performance. Leftover reams and partial reams of forms should not be left out. They should be placed back inside their carton's interior bag until the next use.

The duty cycle per month is important. However consideration must be taken as to the quantity per each individual print run. Are there seasonal fluctuations in print volume that may require a larger machine during those periods? Sometimes two smaller units vs. one large one can be the better approach. It is sometimes better, especially on mission critical applications, to have two machines providing redundancy on the event of down time. Other considerations are: the length and width of the form, the fold depths, paper basis weight and ease of use. A good way of comparing one system over another is to look at the weight of the equipment. Lightweight, lightly constructed folder/sealers are just not going to last over the long haul. Choose a well built machine with a heavy duty sealing section that will last. Total weight of the folder/sealer is a good indication of a well built machine.

Duty cycle is the manufacturer's recommendation as to the maximum number of documents that should be processed per month on the machine. It's important to not that the quantity of forms run through the sealer per session must also be considered when purchasing equipment. Reaching a machine's duty cycle with one or two heavy volume runs may cause premature wear, overheating and excessive maintenance.

Ease of operation, heavy-duty construction, durability, processing speed, duty cycle, purchase and rental options. The top three features to look for are:

1) What is the weight of the machine? Heavier machines have more robust construction and will perform better. Check the thickness of the side frames to which the sealing rollers are attached. Light weight, light gauge metal will not stand up to the very high pressures endured by the sealing rollers. Over time the side frames will sag causing loss of sealing pressure in the roller section and therefore a loss of sealing quality.

2) What is the size and construction of the sealing rollers in the machine? Are they solid rollers of just lightweight hollow construction? Are the sealing rollers larger in diameter and heavier construction on the high volume machines or does the company use the same size rollers on all its machines? Lightweight sealing rollers will bow under the sealing pressure and this will affect the quality of seal achieved. Higher speeds and constant running require larger, more robust sealing section design. This is of utmost importance to ensure a consistent, secure seal on a pressure seal form.

3) How are paper jams cleared and how accessible is the paper path and the critical areas inside the machine? Does the machine provide a "kick out" feature whereby mis-feeds or mis-folded forms can be automatically cleared by the operator? Does the machine provide feedback as to where a mis-feed occurred?

Other important features are ease of fold plate adjustment, sound level, size of in-feed hopper, power requirement. Options to look for are a reset-table and non-resettable counter and types of out-feed conveyor systems available. Lastly but probably most important post installation is availability of a reliable and properly trained service network. Who does one call when there is a problem? Is it the form or the machine? Can the problem be solved quickly with phone support or does it require on-site service? A single point of contact for any technical problem is absolutely essential.

Processing speed is the optimum speed at which a folder/sealer can operate. However, like a speedometer on a vehicle, certain limitations must be set to maintain consistent processing. When identifying the true output of the folder/sealer considerations such as loading and off-loading and downtime must be taken into consideration. No machine will yield its maximum speed per hour after consideration for loading and unloading forms, clearing jams and normal workday interruptions are taken into consideration. The "actual yield" per hour will be something less than the folder/sealer's "maximum speed". Using this approximate figure, does the machine still fit the volume of the application?

There are many variables some of which have already been discussed. Is the sealing impression on the folder/sealer sufficient? Is the machine poorly designed or not robust enough for the process? Were the forms manufactured with a poor quality co-hesive or did the manufacturer use poor quality processes when applying the co-hesive to the form? Are the positions of the fold perforations "floating" from form to form or from ream to ream? Do the co-hesive patterns align properly after the form is folded. This is especially important and very easy to check. Were the wrong raw materials used. Were the forms stored properly and allowed to acclimate prior to use? A consultation with a pressure seal trained print professional will help avoid many or all of these problems.

Again there are many variables. Maintenance issues on the printer, forms having excessive curl or flexed edges, forms may be blocking or sticking together, weak or poor perforations. However, try to rule out any issues with the printer itself before looking at the pressure seal form as the culprit.

Why do I get transfer of toner onto the sealing rollers of my folder / sealer?

Toner transfer or build-up will occur due to the fact that some toner is placed on the outside of the folded document. However, excessive toner build-up can occur as a result of poor toner fusion to the sheet. This is a printer issue. Some toner transfer will occur. Knowing this and dealing with it on a regular basis will avoid problems.

Forms issues can be the following: curl in the papers, floating registration of fold perforations, dull or dead spots in the fold assist perforations, excessive paper dust creating a build-up on feed and fold rollers, the paper and folder/sealer may be incompatible, forms may be placed in the feeder wrong. Folder/sealer issues may be the following: Wrong feed adjustments, wrong fold plate adjustments, bent fold plates, chad or debris in the paper path, worn or burnt out parts, buildup of ink or toner on the transfer and sealing rollers. Is the folder/sealer being properly maintained and under service with a properly trained service network? Many of the above problems can be diagnosed via telephone technical support to get you back up in a very short time.