Wayne Pagel

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor The recent, unfortunate death of a worker making repairs to a stacking machine brought to light the recurring theme of 'safety above all else.' We are fortunate to live in an age where automation has made life a lot easier in the printing plant. Much of the grunt work has been eradicated and, in some cases, the need for human intervention has been erased. Manufacturers have made great strides to enhance performance and ensure optimal operator safety. The pressroom is a much safer place than it was 20, 10, even five years ago. But safety doesn't end with the

BY ERIK CAGLE Accessories are to folding machines what cherries are to cheesecake—sweet. Then there's chocolate cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake. On the folder side, there's the need for product/card tipping, product sampling with peelable gluing, plow folding and the like, not to mention old standbys like scoring, slitting and perforating. Make no mistake about it, printers and trade finishers still seek units that are easy to operate, with short setup times, quick makereadies and capable of outstanding production levels. But auxiliary equipment can greatly augment the humble folder. The aforementioned features are among the most requested by customers, according to Wayne Pagel, president