Handy Mailing Service finds Colter & Peterson’s Challenge paper cutter bigger, faster and easier

With 15 employees, Handy Mailing Service in Wichita, KS qualifies as a small shop but takes pride in doing things like a big operation, and they do it well. A full service digital and offset print shop, mail house and fulfillment center for business owners who use direct mail, they know what it takes to handle any size project. It starts with a highly talented workforce and includes the right mix of equipment.

The newest addition on the finishing side is a reconditioned 30” Challenge paper cutter from Colter & Peterson. A first-time customer of C&P, HMS chose to include an air-fed side table to handle heavy loads of paper that need to be trimmed. Since being installed last month, the paper cutting system has made a huge impression on management and employees alike.

“We are very happy with our new cutter. It is much bigger, accurate and faster than our older, 205 Challenge paper cutter,” replied Colby Stull, the operations manager at HMS who has worked at the company for over five years. “It was fairly new and a good price. It took parts of two days to put it in place and get the electric hooked up. We have a smaller size Challenge, so our knowledge base was already set. But it is much simpler and easier to navigate programs with the new machine.”

The rebuilt cutter, a 2015 model with two-year-old electronics, gives HMS an advantage in a marketplace where they’ve had a footprint since 1976. Proving to be adept at innovative scratch off cards and delivering high quality work with fast turnaround times, the business is growing. HMS only had nine employees as recently as 2013, and they doubled the size of their facility to 10,000 square-feet in 2015. With their offset capability, they can manage any size project while using their digital press to handle anything under 1,000 copies.

“We do a lot of digital printing, so we need the Challenge to trim the scratch off cards and self-mailers,” said Stull. “We mostly print on 12” x 18” or 11” x 17” sheets, either card or text stock. Most of our cards are trimmed down to 6” x 11”, 5” x 8-1/2” or 4” x 6. The text stock paper will be trimmed to 11” x 17” or 8-1/2” x 11, and folded for mailing.”

Stull said reliability was another factor for HMS in purchasing the reconditioned Challenge. They made the right call since the paper cutter not only is known for its durability and highly accurate cutting, but for its ability for framing work as well. And the air-fed table that sits alongside the Challenge cutter? That was the icing on the cake.

“We really wanted the air-fed side table. It makes moving the stack of heavy paper much easier,” said Stull. With a built-in blower, it provides a cushion of air that floats the lift of paper so even the heaviest material can be moved without much effort. The blower automatically turns on when the backgauge moves in reverse.