Creasing Machines: When paper or card is manufactured, the fibres in the material lay in all directions. When folded by hand the fibres fold in various directions which breaks the surface, resulting in a messy unprofessional finish. Moreover, when printing on coloured stock this will also show through the ink. Using a creasing machine prevents these problems from occurring. Creasing machines compress the fibres in the material forming a U-shaped channel. The material can then be folded without cracking.
Perforation Machines: A perforation is a process that creates a line of tiny holes in the paper or card. These holes act to create a join-point in the paper, strong enough to hold the material together but weak enough so that should a deliberate pulling pressure be applied, the material will separate in a clean straight cut. Typical applications for perforating machines include tear off cheques, vouchers etc.
Multi-Function Creaser / Perforators: A machine that does both of the above is called a multi-function creaser / perforator or a 2-in-1 crease and perf machine. Typically the creasing and perforating are created by swapping a crease blade to a perforation blade or vice versa.