Kevin Bowden
Managing Director, Bowden Digitec
We get asked this question at least once a week: "Is a staple sorter actually worth it?" Or "Do we need a booklet maker?" Or "Should we add the tri-fold unit?"
The honest answer is always the same: it depends on whether the cost of the option is less than the cost of paying someone to do it by hand.
The Question Nobody Asks (But Should)
Before you dismiss finishing options as fancy extras, ask this: how much is someone in your office getting paid per hour?
Let's say it's £20 an hour (salary plus on-costs). Now, how much time do they spend hand-collating reports? Hand-folding mail? Hand-punching holes? Two hours a week? Five hours? Ten?
If someone's spending just 2 hours a week hand-collating documents, that's £40 a week, £160 a month, £1,920 a year. A staple sorter adds about £30 to £40 to your copier lease per month. The maths do themselves.
Staple Sorter
If you're producing reports, proposals, meeting packs or multi-page documents that need collating and stapling, this is the obvious one. It sorts automatically and staples sets, which means no more sat-at-desk collating while you could be doing actual work.
Who it's for: Offices with 5+ staff, departments printing regular reports, anyone producing educational materials or proposals. Construction companies producing health and safety packs. Multi-branch estate agents printing property particulars.
The ROI: Someone spending 2+ hours a week collating at £20/hour = £160/month in labour cost. A sorter is roughly £30 to £50/month. If it even saves you 1 hour a week, it's paid for itself.
Hole Punch
Not glamorous, but it works. If you're filing 50+ documents a week, manual hole punching is time you could spend on literally anything else.
Who it's for: Law firms, accountancy practices, HR departments, anywhere with high-volume filing. We see this a lot with academy trust admin offices managing paperwork for multiple schools.
The ROI: Someone spending 3 hours a week punching holes = £240/month in labour. A hole punch adds about £20 to £30/month. No contest.
Booklet Maker (Saddle Stitch)
This one's for offices creating in-house publications. Newsletters, staff handbooks, training materials, product guides. It folds, staples and trims automatically.
Who it's for: Marketing departments, schools, larger businesses producing internal publications. Construction firms printing site induction booklets.
The ROI: Someone spending 10 hours a week making booklets manually (fold, staple, trim, sort) = £200/week = £800/month in labour. A booklet maker runs £60 to £80/month. The payback is instant.
Tri-Fold Unit
For businesses doing bulk mailing. Statements, newsletters, direct mail. A tri-fold unit folds A3 or A4 automatically.
Who it's for: Utilities, financial services, anyone sending high-volume mail campaigns.
The ROI: Someone spending 10 hours a month hand-folding mail for posting = £200/month in labour. A tri-fold adds £20 to £30/month.
The Conversation You Should Have
Most finishing option decisions come down to one conversation: bring us your monthly print volume and tell us where time is being wasted. We'll tell you honestly whether an option makes financial sense.
Some businesses need finishing options. Some don't. What matters is that the decision is based on actual costs, not on assumptions. Ring us and let's have that conversation. 0800 009 6770.
Need Advice on Your Print Setup?
We're happy to chat through your options. No obligation, no hard sell. Just honest advice from people who do this every day.
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