Crease Stream Ltd Blog

The countdown to Ipex is on...

Wed, 08 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

With it only being 74 days away, the countdown to Ipex has truely begun. Preparation for our stand is well under way and there's a lot of background work going on to make sure we are all as ready as possible for the big event.

We even have a profile page on the Ipex website so that everyone knows who we are and what to expect from us when they visit our stand. Even if you are familiar with us as a company there may be something new about us there for you too?

Even with the greatest strategy possible for this event what makes it a success is the visitors. We are hoping to meet as many people as we can over the course of the show from our top distributors all the way through to new prospects. If you have met or dealt with us before (or even if you haven't) we would love to know if you're attending, please send us an email if you are as we can arrange to provide you with tickets to the event and can also schedule some dedicated time with you whilst you are there.

It truely does promise to be a great show and we look forward to seeing you there!

Christmas 2013 Opening and Delivery Dates

Wed, 11 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Well the tree has gone up in the office, mince pies have started making their way into the canteen and some of us are even wearing big knitted jumpers! It can only mean Christmas is nearly here!

With that in mind we thought we would share with you when we are going to be open over the festive period, if you have those last few cards to crease or some raffle tickets to perforate for that prize hamper you will want your supplies in time!

For anything purchased from us with a destination of the UK or Europe it must be done so by 2pm on 20^thDecember for us to be able to ensure it gets to you before the big day. Any orders placed after that and we can't guarantee its timing. We will however continue taking orders up until 12pm on 24^th December. The office will then close at 2pm the same day and will re-open on 2^nd January.

If you do have a last minute order make sure you call our office before the above dates on 01455 554491

All that remains is for everyone at Tech-ni-Fold and CreaseStream to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very prosperous New Year!

Now available in Hong Kong and China...

Fri, 15 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

We are very pleased to welcome on board our newest distributor, namely True Choice Limited from Hong Kong. Several of our creasing machines from the CreaseStream Mini range have made their way over to Hong Kong already and we are hoping to build on this relationship and send many more in the near future.

If you are a print finisher or you are a printer wanting a high quality in-house crease and your business is based in Hong Kong or China you need to contact True Choice at admin@truechoice.hk and ask about the perfect CreaseStream machine for your needs.

Alternatively if you are based in a country we currently do not have a distributor in and it is an opportunity you would like to get involved in contact us at info@creasestream.com

New packaging and instant-play video technology is launched!

Wed, 06 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Here at CreaseStream we are pleased and excited to be launching some new packaging and technology for our award winning mini range. Each of the three machines will have it's own colour coded box along with an instant-play tutorial video card.

Each card will incorporate a built-in landscape screen which plays video footage as soon as the card is opened. The cards will also include play, pause, fast-forward, rewind and other buttons, pressed through the card, for various videos. This allows us to offer a range of tutorials on installing the machines and as well as trouble shooting advice.

We are the first company to utilise this technology for instructional purposes and we believe it supports the kind of method of business where people look on the web and order something through the post. This adds to this and gives the user that bit more confidence to order it, take it out of the box and gets started as soon as possible.

To view our new promotional video for the machines and their revolutionary new technology click the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqaoJbvRToA&feature=share&list=UULKY7zuZk2p6dR954MLIjRQ

We are we

The CreaseStream mini series has won the International platinum award for design at the 2013 British Inventions Show

Tue, 05 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

My team is thrilled at this new award, considering that such an accolade is usually bestowed upon companies who create solutions on a wider consumer scale. We were delighted to reach the Grand final and to collect such a prestigious award, sharing the lime light with Scientists, Professors and entrepreneurs, some of whom had developed potentially lifesaving and enhancing technologies.

The judges told us that we had 3 to 5 minutes to present our products and to explain why we felt they were inventive and innovative, and they were still with us 15 minutes later. I think they were impressed with how we had evolved our technology to develop a range of machines based on a simple rubber o-ring concept that had already served us so well to crease materials and combat the threat of cracking in the offset market. It helped that we could demonstrate the three mini machines, two of which required no electrical input, and could feed digitally printed sheets without using vacuum pumps, avoiding the problem of marking the sheets during transportation. Both judges seemed to appreciate how we packaged our products and included instant instructional video technology, something of which they hadn’t seen before.

We are the first company in our field to be using the instant play video technology to make installation and its use as easy as possible for our customers. The portable video in the card has a three hour battery life and works through magnetic connections, which only plays once this is disconnected through opening the cover. There is a USB lead included that connects the video card to desk top computers for easy recharging.

First Open House event of 2013

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

On 19th & 20th March CreaseStream & Tech-ni-Fold will join together to launch 5 new products, answer your questions and provide opportunities to assist you with your print finishing problems.

There is no charge for this event, which will be held at our showroom in Lutterworth, to register your interest here

We will host three sessions each day starting at 10.30am, 2pm and 6pm.

During the event there will be fantastic discounts for customers wishing to trade in an old device.

Each person that attends will receive Free accessories for their existing equipment.

This event is backed by Konica Minolta, Heidelberg, & Sappi, with representatives on hand to answer your questions.

Three new CreaseStream videos

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

We have produced three new short videos of our latest CreaseStream products, we think that the colour- coding is really effective, please let me know what you think to the red, yellow and blue design, your feedback is crucial, as ever, to our continued innovation and growth.

Standard - this is a simple hand turning creasing/perforating unit that can process over 1,000 sheets per hour, it was designed to replace those push down handle creasers that we feel are so tricky to set and to get any kind of consistency from, see how simple our solution is on this link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcmzVeAmgYg

Quick-feed - We have added a feeder to this version, so now the user can keep loading sheets and churn through over 3,000 sheets per hour. You will notice how consistent the feeding is, this is because we developed a special sheet separator which will easily process stock weights 65-400gsm, without scuffing or marking the substrate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On5V1fLd6FM

Auto-feed - Not only have we added the feeder to this version, we included a motor to make it into a fully automatic solution that produces just over 4,000 sheets per hour. We think that we have broken new ground in being able to offer a product for such a great price, it is revolutionary!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTxdWTqoHjI

Please post your comments below, I would like to know what you think about the three machines, maybe you can let me know if you think there are some more applications we could think about or include?

If you would like to see the brochure which includes all machines, or/and pricing, please let me know, I will arrange it

Thank you for reading my blog and for your support

Graham Harris

Budget creasing & perforating machines at Graph Expo?

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I just came back from Chicago where I spent a few days at the Graph Expo show, just to see our great friends from Technifold USA, Andre and Gina Palko and also to catch up on how we should plan some joint strategies in the year ahead. I really love the enthusiasm of us three getting together as we always come up with something very positive between us, some of this comes through customer feedback after showing new products, and talking about new ideas we have all been discussing over the last year.

I also brought along Vivienne Edwards, she is our new International Business Development Manager, replacing Hannah Woods recently, who had done a great job for us over many years. Vivienne enjoyed meeting Andre, Gina and our Mexican distributor, Rodrigo Castellanos, who contributed to the show using his ever present passion and enthusiasm.

CreaseStream mini sparked interest

Gina (Technifold USA) particularly has had a massive bearing on the success of our new CreaseStream mini machine over the last few months, which she wanted to show her loyal customers and prospects during the show. The neat “mini” is a desk top, hand cranked creasing & micro-perforating machine that increases output over manual versions, three fold. Gina with the help of the marketing excellence of Andre had racked up over 40 sales so far and I wanted to see how visitors reacted to the lively demonstrations, and to get chatting to them. In fact, here is what a customer actually said about the CreaseStream mini when interviewed by Rodrigo as he casually and quite aptly passed by, click here to see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yrBOKrdnFg&feature=youtu.be

I was delighted to hear this interview and it is great that someone is making money from the unit and producing all kinds of work.

“Mini” with a feeder?

Following this feedback I started to ask visitors if they thought we could add on a feeder to the CreaseStream mini as a potential upgrade to quicken up output, and this interested those in the areas of design and copy shop, where they identified a “niche” area at a price that is still acceptable. Imagine piling into the feeder 200 sheets and then cranking the handle to deliver perfectly creased/perforated sheets, this was our idea, and it went down a treat. We can actually do this by utilising some technology from our newly patented “Gravity Flow Feeder” which is part of our 20,000 sheets per hour CreaseStream plus, click here to see this feeder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yshR-7YF3UU

How about “mini” with feeder and motor?

I spoke to a few people about taking off the crank handle from the “mini” and fixing in a motor, so we could auto feed sheets at a reasonable speed, maybe up to 4,000 sheets per hour. Ok, this is never going to replace the all powerful and high productive CreaseStream plus, but it does offer something, don’t you think? Feedback told me that this step would require CE certification, and of course bump up costs to make it less attractive to designers and copy shops. However, it did pose a great option for digital printing companies who are faced with much higher prices for the same type of results, what are your thoughts?

Into design and production already

We are going to prepare two CreaseStream mini’s with first stage adaptations of which I described above, please let me know if you want to be in the loop for updates, pricing etc?

CreaseStream auto

We had the very first production model of our CreaseStream auto hidden away at the back of the stand; I wanted to test the feedback from some specially invited visitors before launching in the USA. The CreaseStream auto can produce up to 12,000 creased, perforated and trimmed sheets per hour and integrates nicely with 2^ndstation folding machines that most companies have on their factory floor in this market. I think that this machine has a big future, and the time is almost right for a full launch, again any questions, I will be happy to answer them?

Tech-ni-Fold products

Of course, the Tech-ni-Fold product range are the true reason we exhibit at shows like this, they sell in high volumes and the interest is wide-spread, fitting onto most types of folding machines and bindery equipment. Without the help of Technifold USA, CreaseStream solutions would not have made it to the market, Andre, Gina and their great team represent a significant part of our world sales, this drives innovation forward very fast, and I just wanted to end this blog by saying a massive THANK YOU to them.

Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to post your comments below

Graham Harris

Can having a "lazy" nature lead to global success? Yes it can, read why...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

“Ideas inspired by me not wanting to work as hard as before, actually resulted in me working much harder.”

Laziness and bone idleness are words none of us truly want to be associated with, we think of people lying in bed all day or just sitting in a chair watching the television, or plotting how they may get someone else to take on some of their work. This may sound a bit strange to you, but I think that being slightly lazy natured can actually lead to major success, but only if it is harnessed in a positive way –Why, because I am the living proof, you could say that the lazy gene in me inspired my creation of solutions that made my own working life easier, and in turn, others too., the result being, better personal prospects and success beyond what I may have thought possible. Don’t get me wrong, I get up very early every morning and put 100% into my working day, I am driven by what I do, it is like a hobby, I love the challenges. However, ideas inspired by me not wanting to work as hard as before, actually resulted in me working much harder, but in a much more enjoyable and fulfilling way (I hope I am making sense.) Maybe there is less physical effort than before, but the mental challenges I endure are more intense and definitely more exhausting.

Some may think I still have that lazy gene today, in fact my father in law jokes that I just sit in an office and send out a couple of emails a day (more about him later.) I do spend a lot of time dreaming up ideas in my office, about how to develop products that are simple to use, that help our customer’s get things done better and faster than before, and how to market them. The difference is that I act upon such dreams and turn most of them into reality. I know what it is like to operate a folding machine, I have spent hours tweaking pressure settings or adjusting a perf wheel or score, because the quality of finish isn’t how I would have liked it, I just wanted an easier time, but the options of accessories that could have helped improve things for me at the time were limited. I think back to those days and put myself into the shoes of operators today, knowing that their life at work would be so much easier if they had a cutting device that actually didn’t produce rough trims, or a perf wheel that didn’t have teeth breaking off after a couple of job runs. They are no different to me in that they only want their day to be less complicated, and to exert only the energy required to produce a good job on their machine. I take pride in the fact that we at Tech-ni-Fold have solved such issues with our vast product range.

Ok, in general life I admit to taking a short cut if I can achieve the same outcome as I did going the longer route. If I had the choice of either getting my map out to work out the best way to reach a destination by car, or just switch on my Sat Nav, you can guess which one I would go for. I once went to buy a lawn mower, and whilst in the shop, saw a video of a mower robot that could cut my lawn by itself, once a day, every day, there wasn’t any need for a collection box as the grass never grew long enough. I think I only needed to programme it once, but my wife didn’t like the idea of me not actually cutting the lawn myself. I would love to meet the inventor of that robot mower, it is pure genius.

My father in law often reminds me that he used to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and still had time to plant vegetables and tend to his garden after every shift. This type of comment is usually made when he catches me in my own garden looking a little bemused and lost, trying hard to muster up some enthusiasm to get started on “working the land.” He definitely measures a man’s worth by the amount of dirt found under their finger nails and how rough their hands are (the rougher, the better.) I don’t exactly know how this get’s to me, but it does, I can easily find myself feeling guilty, firstly for actually being at home on a Sunday at 2pm,(instead of being at work) and secondly for owning a business that requires less physical effort than what he used up.

It pains me to say this, but I respect my father in law for his work ethic and I believe, deep down that there is no substitute for hard work, however, I also believe that it doesn’t always have to be physical. It is essential for me, in my situation, to continually push the boundaries of technology and this is something that requires relentless efforts of its own kind. Believe me, it is sometimes tiring to dream(mostly exhilarating) and exhausting when such dreams don’t turn out, and in a business sense it can be debilitating and harmful to the company. Not all dreams come true and this means that not every idea that we have turns into a world-beating product, but if you are brave and well practiced at trying then the odds are always stacked in your favour.

If it serves as encouragement to you, I believe that anyone can fulfil their dreams, as long as they are realistic and are prepared to work hard, but it has to be fuelled by passion and determination. I am always available to offer advice to anyone who has an idea to start their own business or to develop a solution etc, I have mentored quite a few people over the years, let me know if you need a sounding board.

The good news is that a business that is based on someone being slightly “lazy” can end up driving that person into a world where words like “innovator” takes over. I am not a great fan of the word “entrepreneur” as it is a self satisfying term, but it is cool to be an innovator. So that lazy gene in me is one of the ingredients that drive me, and I am thankful, but I would hope that I do a good job of hiding it

Thank you for reading my blog

Graham Harris

How the CreaseStream plus won over a "traditionalist impact creasing operative."

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Peter Vernazza, the Finishing Manager for Adco Products Limited, in Glossop, Derbyshire was faced with a potential dilemma in choosing the right type of creasing equipment for his company, here he explains the situation in his own words;

"We are a printing company that produces Paper & Plastic Desk Top Accessories

Our business had grown quite considerably on our cover work, and our existing creasing machine was too slow and antiquated to cope with our demands.

We set about reviewing what machinery was out in the market and identified the Crease Stream Rotary Creasing & Perforating Machine as something that stood out.

Our initial thoughts were to look for an impact creasing machine because we had previously experienced that rotary creasing had a tendency to crack the spine of folded items, in fact we have always had problems in this area on varying substrates and printing methods.

We tend to crease on art paper between 200gms to 350gms printing process Litho, Screen Print & Digital, but we needed to shift much higher volumes of work than before. After seeing the CreaseStream plus in action and putting it through rigorous trials we were convinced and decided to purchase the machine.

Setting up of the crease & perforating wheels is quick and simple, the rubber creasing bands are easily exchangeable and cost effective not like the old steel systems that virtually destroyed the surface of the stock and were expensive to replace.

We have been delighted with the speed at which you can change the machine to different size Media & Stock, and the quality of crease and perforation is very good.

We found the team at CreaseStream very proactive in dealing with our individual request and specification, understanding what we required of the machine and re adapting to suit our needs.

I would not hesitate to recommend any potential buyer to purchase a machine as it has won over a traditionalist impact creasing operative."

CreaseStream owner, Graham Harris commented;

"We know of the mindset of those that seek traditional methods of creasing and finishing, it is natural for them to source technologies that have been extremely reliable and available, almost since the invention of print. However, the tide of innovation in this industry can turn, and we have contributed, simply by capitalizing on our patent, bringing faster and more versatile solutions to the areas of offset and digital. Peter Vernazza needed to be convinced that the CreaseStream plus could do a good job for his company, particularly after his previous experiences in using rotary methods of scoring, we are happy to have made this possible. We will continue to stay close to Adco, their business is interesting and we can also learn a lot from them in moving forward."

Harris is dedicated to creating a range of innovative finishing solutions, and stated that most of the profits made are reinvested into development, so he can fulfill his goal of making CreaseStream as successful as his first company, Tech-ni-Fold Ltd.

Tech-ni-Fold have successfully developed over 400 retro-fit creasing, micro-perforating and cutting devices that greatly enhance the quality of finishing that is produced on equipment such as folding machines, saddle stitchers, binders and web presses, they sell through global distributors. Tech-ni-Fold’s flagship product, the Tri-Creaser (60,000 already sold world-wide) uses a specially developed rubber creasing application that stretches and manipulates the fibres of substrates so that folding can be carried out without cracking, in a much faster rotary fashion. This patented device has encouraged Harris to evolve into other markets, and utilize this technology to its full potential; CreaseStream is testament to the success of this.

To learn more about Tech-ni-Fold and CreaseStream and to see demonstrations of each product, go to www.technifold.com and www.creasestream.com

CreaseStream LLP
Unit 2 St Johns Business Park
Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4HB UK
Tel +44 (0) 1455 554491
Email info@creasestream.com

Website www.creasestream.com

ADCO Products Ltd
Dale House
Peakdale Road
Brookfield Industrial Estate
Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 6LQ UK
Tel +44 (0) 1457 855350 Email sales@adcoproducts.co.uk

Website www.adcoproducts.co.uk

Breakthrough in EnduraCrease technology opens up Morgana folder market for Tech-ni-Fold

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Tech-ni-Fold Ltd have successfully developed a special Tri-Creaser Fast Fit that gives optimum results on Morgana folding machines, thanks to their EnduraCrease technology that produces a softer and more gentle result on sensitively printed digital materials. The UK creasing specialists had previously found it difficult to retro-fit the Morgana range and guarantee maximum crease efficiency, due to the smaller size of the output shafts on which the Tri-Creaser tools are mounted. Not only did the shafts have a tendency to flex when processing heavier stocks, they rotated much faster than other versions, which sometimes led to front edge ripping on certain substrates.

Managing Director of Tech-ni-Fold, Graham Harris explained;

“We have produced over 400 types of Tri-Creaser to fit many of the most popular folding machines world-wide, and until recently we couldn’t move forward in equipping those versions with output shafts less than 20mm in diameter, the Morgana series uses 15mm. Due to the high demand coming from Morgana customers over the last few years, for us to produce some type of creasing solution, we compromised by offering a basic creaser that gave good results, and those that purchased were told of the limitations. Now we can offer all Morgana customers the same crease quality as those that use MBO or Stahl folders etc. Two breakthrough’s have made this all possible, firstly the development of a new rubber crease formula (EnduraCrease) and secondly, the inclusion of stabilising collars to the kit, that help guide and support the creased sheet through the shafts.

Morgana folding machines are clearly very popular in the UK, we know this by the vast amount of calls we receive, so it is good to at last be able to offer our very best Tri-Creaser Fast Fit to satisfy such demand. I also want to emphasise that existing scoring systems that manufacturing companies supply with their folding machines, do exactly the job that was intended, to score folded paper and weaken an area so the right angle fold is made easier. Our focus is on bringing letterpress quality creasing as an option to as many owners of folding equipment as we can, so they can keep items like book covers, greetings cards and leaflets that are prone to cracking, in-house, rather than spending money on outsourcing.”

Prestige Printing is the latest company to benefit from the new Tri-Creaser Fast Fit version for use on their Morgana UFO. Mark Hinton, MD is delighted with the product, these are his comments;

“We received a flyer through the post, offering a free demonstration for a creasing attachment that was guaranteed to solve cracking problems on our folding machine, all a bit unbelievable we thought. However, we decided to book in the demo, simply because we had nothing to lose, the hand operated creaser and platen we often used, were very slow and couldn’t keep up with production levels.

True to their promise, Tech-ni-Fold sent over a technician to fit a Tri-Creaser Fast Fit to our Morgana UFO, and it wasn’t long before we witnessed the fantastic results, we were truly amazed and rather surprised that this simple retro-fit creasing attachment replicated the result we were used to seeing come from our platen, the difference being is that now we can run at 10,000 sheets per hour instead of 2,500.

I have to admit, none of us here expected the crease to be so good, the device has not let us down since we purchased it two months ago, and we have put a lot of different types of work through our folder in that time, we certainly couldn’t imagine being without it.”

Mark Hinton
Managing Director

Prestige Printing
Irchester

Tech-ni-Fold is offering a free in-house demonstration of their creasing, micro-perforating and cutting tools throughout the UK, and is confident of continuing to change the mindset of those that are used to the more traditional methods offered through flatbed or letterpress applications

Video footage of all solutions can be viewed on www.technifold.com