Collators The Options Are Open

"It's helped us out a whole lot," says Free.

His in-plant is not the only one that has discovered the benefits of adding a modern collator. In-plants everywhere are finding them necessary for handling the productivity demands of customers.

"In today's competitive market, printers must be equipped with collating solutions that will allow them fast turnaround without compromising productivity," says José Alvarez, marketing coordinator for Duplo USA—and it helps, he adds, that modern collators are much easier to use than older models: "Unskilled workers with minimal training are capable of operating the equipment."