folder needed for bifold - then trifold?

What is the least expensive folder that will do a decent job of first bifolding an 11 x 17 sheet (into 8 1/2 x 11) and then trifolding the piece for mailing? (is this the same as a baronial fold?)

Will a Martain Yale 1217A folder handle this with relative ease in two steps (one to bifold, then load the bifolded sheets to trifold) or will this be too little machine to handle this without jams or misfolds?

 

No, a Martin Yale 1217a autofolder will not trifold a previously bifolded piece because it has only a single feed wheel in the center for paper pickup from the top while a lower fixed rubber non-rotating "wheel" via friction performs separation. Thus unless you hand feed the already-bifolded pieces, the automatic feed will make the already folded pieces go askew. It can double fold smaller pieces ok (e.g. take a small sheet into 4 for announcement cards) as both side rails of the input rail slide from side by side to move the feed wheel to one side right over the fold, but this only works for pieces half the size or smaller as the total input width is ~11". Hope this helps.
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Is there a tabletop air folder that will do the job, or is a two part floor + right angle folder the only machine that will do a bifold + trifold job?

 

ideally you are looking for a right angle unit for the work but if you have small runs you could stick with a single machine. the issue will be feeding on the second fold. you would be better off with a bottom air feed unit such as the baum 714 or morgana major folder. These would make it easier to feed the sheets through a second time. In table top you will struggle with the skew pulling the top sheet over, with patience and short runs you might manage but it will become very annoying after some time.