Overview:
The Renz TC-20 is designed to allow users to quickly and easily punch a half moon or thumb cut punch along the edge of their calendars in preparation for binding them with twin loop wire and a calendar hanger.
Using this machine you can easily create a notch in calendars so that you can add a preformed calendar hanger that you can use to hang a calendar on the wall. You still need to use a wire binding machine to bind the document together. This just allows you to prepare the documents for punching.
This is one of the only machines available on the market that allows users to punch a half moon out of their paper.
Strengths and Features:
Looking at a photo of the TC20 you might think that it is actually a very small hand held unit. However, when I took it out of the box I was shocked to find that it was actually a very heavy duty unit measuring almost nine inches in length and six and a half inches high. It is designed to sit on your desk during punching (not held in your hand). It weighs between three and four pounds and is a lot more substantial than I thought it would be.
The TC20 is actually made completely of heavy duty steel and is designed for production use. I was actually quite impressed with the construction of this machine. It has a wide punching handle that allows you to get leverage for punching your documents and can punch up to 20 sheets of 20lb paper at a time.
The bottom of the TC20 is covered with a plastic cover that holds in the chips that are produced when calendars are punched. The chip tray seems to be large enough to hold a moderate amount of chips and the plastic base helps to keep the TC20 from moving during punching and prevents it from scratching your work surface.
The TC20 has a convenient locking mechanism that allows you to lock the handle in the down position for quick and convenient storage when it is not being used. It also includes a depth guide and an edge guide to help you align your documents for punching.
Waterproof Twin Mattress
Weaknesses / Limitations:
The Renz TC-20 can punch approximately 20 sheets of 20lb paper. A typical calendar is 12 pages so you would think that this would be adequate. However, if you use a heavier stock it is almost impossible to punch an entire calendar at one time using this device. You will need to split your calendar into two sections for punching.
The fact that the TC-20 is manual makes it less than ideal for a print shop or company that needs to produce hundreds or thousands of calendars. Unfortunately, the only electric alternative for organizations such as this is a modular binding punch with a thumb cut die built in.
Recommendation:
If you want to make calendars with preformed calendar hangers then the TC20 is one of only two low cost options that you have for putting a thumb cut in your documents (the other is the Akiles Diamond 1 with the half moon die and a half moon depth of punch guide). Overall, this is an excellent choice for low to moderate volume applications. Just know that it might be a little bit tedious if you plan on creating hundreds or thousands of calendars.