The letterpress industry has boomed with talented amateurs learning to print and professionals who have purchased old table top presses, large presses and everything in between, and you would think that any type of binding equipment to support that industry would have a market . In the past, to find a perforator was like finding a needle in a haystack - It takes dedication and a lot of phone calls and emails.
As Mail artists we need to remember that perforators are binding equipment used by the printing industry and in the last 5 years, hundreds of print shops across the country have gone out of business. I was able to pick up a Rosback perforator in my small town and find a mail artist for it.
Now is the time to make phone calls. There are a few things you should know about the printing industry and the pressman and printers that own the perforators we want- They don't remember they have them most of the time and if they do liquidate their machines, they don't think those old machines are worth listing online- so call every print shop liquidation listing you can find- don't rely on lists of equipment
available. When I found mine, it was 3 phone calls to the same old guy in Chicago before I could get him to look in his old shop for the perforator he thought he might have.,I even offered to send him a batch of his favorite cookies - Seriously. After all I was asking him to find it, pack it up and ship it across the country- In the end I got my perforator and it's my pride and joy- and totally worth the hassle and time to find. If you want one, you have to do the leg work. One the biggest problems is shipping it to you from where ever you find it- It can cost as much or more than the perforator -And if you live is a small town, don't assume they don't exist there. Be bold, and good luck, may the force be with you.
