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Steve Edwards, reprographics business manager at the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, says demand for booklets has increased since buying the DocuMaster

What does the machine do?
The DocuMaster is a multi-functional finishing system, but essentially it makes booklets from pre-collated sets produced on a digital print engine. It does this in a single pass and halves the time it would take to do the job using separate creasing and bookletmaking units.

Why did you choose this particular machine?
It cost much less than anything else that would do the job and had a much smaller footprint.

Did you look at any other similar machines?
Yes, we also looked at a Duplo system.

Why did you make the purchase?
We needed to update our digital finishing capability and this met our needs in the bookletmaking area.

What features do you particularly like?
Its multi-functional capability – as well as producing quality booklets, it can be used as a standalone creaser and we can bypass the stitching unit for simple 4pp folding.

Is there anything that you dislike?
Not really. We have encountered slight problems feeding very light stocks, but that’s not a normal application for us.

Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn’t?
No, it does everything we expected of it.

How fast is it?
It produces up to 1,000 A4 booklets per hour.

How reliable is it?
Very – we’ve had no breakdowns so far.

What’s the quality like?
We’re very pleased with it. We opted for a unit that incorporated a ‘square back’ system that gives a perfect bound appearance to thicker books.

How easy is it to use?
It’s basically easy to use but the more we use it the more we learn how to exploit its full potential.

How much time or money has it saved?
It takes only half as long as it previously took to do a job, so it must save money too.

Has it won you new work?
Yes. Since we showed it at a departmental open day, we have a lot more demand for booklets of various kinds.

Would you say that it offers value for money?
Definitely.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
None.

What about the pre and after-sale service?
We have been pleased with both.

Who do you think the machine is right for?
Anyone wanting to make quality booklets from digital output in relatively short runs.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?
We are a bit limited for space, but if the demand for booklets continues to grow we would certainly consider a second unit.

CONCLUSION
User’s verdict
Speed 4
Quality 5
Reliability 5
Value for money 5

Supplier’s response
John Clason, national sales manager at Morgana Systems, says: "We have found that digital printers appreciate that the DocuMaster provides an easy and economical way to produce quality booklets. The extra functionality that comes from being able to use the unit as a stand-alone creaser is a bonus that enhances its appeal."

Price
£39,120 with square back unit

Contact
Morgana Systems 01908 608888