Mid-States Graphics manages growth by expanding and adding second Colter & Peterson paper cutter

John Miller makes no small plans. The owner of Mid-States Graphics in suburban Chicago has fostered a busy year, opening new space last month after expanding his Hanover Park location from 45,000 to 70,000 square feet. The rush to meet current and future demands began last June when he first installed a rebuilt 112-inch Seybold paper cutter. Miller double-downed on his investment in September by taking delivery on a new 65-inch SABER® paper cutter.

Both machines are from Colter & Peterson, North America's largest independent distributor of paper cutters and paper handling equipment. SABER is a premier paper cutting brand, popular with many industries for its workhorse reputation and ability to cut a wide range of different substrates, in addition to paper. Both of Miller's newest paper cutters are equipped with a Microcut® PLUS electronics system, a nod to his desire to quicken the process in his finishing department.

"Microcut has increased our productivity. Having the ability to convert JDF files is one of the reasons why it is working so well for us," commented Miller, who has run the business since 1984 and employs 30 people.

Miller and his group have made Mid-States Graphics a household name with graphic arts and photo professionals throughout the U.S.; a growing dealer network manages supply in Canada. A wholesale provider of color critical inkjet media and software solutions, they also sell large volumes of paper and films. With multiple substrates and different sizes, the operation requires six paper cutters – at times running two shifts – to satisfy customer demand. The Proof Line™ brand of high quality inkjet paper and media is the top seller.

Miller was not familiar with SABER until the maintenance man who services all of his paper cutters gave him the scoop.

"He gave it a high recommendation and I heard the same thing from several other industry people I spoke with," recalled Miller, who replaced a similar size Seybold with the 65-inch SABER. "I asked Bruce Peterson about the machine and he convinced me it was the right choice for us. I'm impressed with the speed, its ease of use and precision. The back gauge of the knife is very important; everything needs to be very precise because our work is based on being highly accurate."

That's where Microcut makes any paper cutter stand head and shoulders above others in the marketplace. It streamlines the process from make-ready through the cutting sequences, placing the knife in the exact position to make cuts within 1/64th of an inch for single or multiple sheets. Most other paper cutters can only handle one sheet at a time. Instant recalls also can be saved and stored for future use with Microcut.

"The features on this machine also make it very safe to operate," summed up Miller. "The SABER is meeting all our expectations."