Challenge Machinery

Mid-State Litho is an authorized Challenge Machinery dealer. Challenge builds production-tier paper cutters, book trimmers, paper drills, joggers, and padding presses in Norton Shores, Michigan. The company was founded in Chicago more than 100 years ago and relocated after the Great Chicago Fire; today it is a Michigan manufacturer about two hours from our Grand Blanc showroom and service depot. Mid-State Litho has sold, installed, and serviced Challenge equipment for about 30 years, with factory-trained technicians covering Michigan and the Great Lakes.

Our Challenge catalog covers the finishing work a print shop or bindery runs every day. Hydraulic guillotine paper cutters: Champion 305 TC and Champion 370 TC for high-volume production, Titan 265 TC for mid-range hydraulic work, Titan 230 Pro and Titan 200 Pro for 20-inch to 23-inch sheet sizes. Book trimmers: CMT 130 TC single-knife for short-run booklet work, CMT 330 TC compact three-knife for production booklet output. Paper drills: JF single-spindle and MS-5 multi-spindle. Paper joggers: Handy-Jog, iJog, and combination joggers. Padding presses: Paddy Wagon and Mini-Padder. Cornering machines: SCM manual and hydraulic. We also stock Challenge knives, cutting sticks, drilling blocks, drill lubricant, clamp pads, and cornering knives and dies.

The right Challenge cutter depends on sheet size, daily volume, and whether a programmable backgauge earns its keep over a manual spinwheel. We will walk the spec with you, run trade-in numbers on an older Challenge or non-Challenge cutter, and put the machine on the floor with operator training. Financing and leasing is available through Mitsubishi HC Capital and LEAF Commercial Capital. Call 1-800-343-4231.

Challenge Champion and Titan hydraulic paper cutters

The Champion series is Challenge's flagship hydraulic guillotine line. The Champion 305 TC handles 30.5-inch sheet widths with programmable cuts for mid-to-high volume commercial work. The Champion 370 TC steps up to a 37-inch cut for B2 and larger sheet work. Both use hydraulic clamp and knife actuation, programmable backgauge, two-hand safety initiation, and Challenge infrared light-curtain safety.

The Titan series shares the production-tier hydraulic build at narrower cut widths. Titan 265 TC is the 26.5-inch programmable hydraulic for shops that do not need a 30-inch cut. Titan 230 Pro covers 23-inch sheets. Titan 200 Pro is the 20-inch entry into hydraulic Challenge cutters for in-plants and binderies that have outgrown a tabletop electric cutter.

Sheet sizes across the lineup: 20, 23, 26.5, 30.5, and 37 inches. All of these hydraulic models take Challenge factory blades, clamp pads, and cutting sticks; we stock consumables for next-business-day shipping from Grand Blanc when inventory is on the shelf. Browse the full range of hydraulic guillotine paper cutters.

Knife policy: when a Challenge cutter blade dulls past spec, we change the knife. We do not re-sharpen it. Re-sharpening a Challenge guillotine blade can re-temper the steel and shift the edge geometry past factory tolerance, which leads to inconsistent cuts and faster stick wear. A factory-spec knife swap is a short service-call procedure and is covered under most MSL service contracts.

Challenge CMT book trimmers

The CMT 130 TC is a desktop single-knife book trimmer for short-run booklet face trims. The CMT 330 TC is Challenge's compact three-knife trimmer: foot, head, and face in one pass for shops that have outgrown a single-knife trimmer but do not need a high-production three-knife system. Higher-throughput options live in our book trimming collection (Horizon HT-series, Perfecta, and others).

Challenge paper drills, joggers, padding presses, and cornering machines

Paper drills. The JF is the single-spindle workhorse for letter, legal, and standard hole work. The MS-5 multi-spindle drills multi-hole patterns in one stroke for binders and proposals. Browse paper drills. For mechanical-binding prep, see paper punching.

Paper joggers. Handy-Jog, iJog, and combination joggers align stacks ahead of cutting, drilling, and binding. See paper joggers.

Padding presses. Paddy Wagon for production pad gluing; Mini-Padder for desktop pad work.

Cornering machines. SCM manual and hydraulic corner rounders, with factory knives and dies in stock. See corner rounding machines.

Challenge knives, cutting sticks, drilling blocks, and wear parts

We stock factory-spec replacement knives for Champion, Titan, CMT, and SCM models in the lineup, plus cutting sticks (Titan 200 20-inch, Titan 230/265 26.5-inch, Champion 305 30.5-inch packs), drilling blocks, drill lubricant, drill bits, cornering knives and dies, and clamp pads. Running an older Challenge cutter (Champion MC, MCPB, CRT, MPC, older Diamond, Model 193, and peers)? Call 1-800-343-4231 with model and serial number and we will confirm knife and stick fit before you order. See also paper cutter knives and blades.

We stock knives and cutting sticks for Challenge cutters going back well before the current Titan and Champion lines, including the Champion 305, 305X, and 306, the Spartan 150 and 185, and the Challenge 193 and Diamond series. High speed steel and inlaid carbon alloy knives are both available for most of these, and we sharpen knives in house rather than sending them out, so turnaround on a resharpen is measured in days. Tell us the machine and the knife length and we will confirm the part number off the machine plate.

How to choose a Challenge cutter

Four decisions settle most quotes.

Sheet size. Letter and legal work often fits a Titan 200 Pro (20-inch) or Titan 230 Pro (23-inch). SRA3, B3, or 12×18 digital usually wants Titan 265 TC (26.5-inch) at minimum. Wide-sheet shops move to Champion 305 TC (30.5-inch) or Champion 370 TC (37-inch).

Daily volume. Low lift counts can stay on manual or electric cutters. High daily lift counts need hydraulic clamp and knife (Titan 265 TC, Champion 305 TC, Champion 370 TC).

Programmable vs manual backgauge. Programmable stores cut sequences and reruns them. Manual requires spinning the backgauge to each position. Programmable pays for itself on shops with frequent job changeovers.

Trade-in vs new. MSL takes trade-ins on older Challenge and non-Challenge cutters toward a new Challenge purchase, with on-site inspection and a written value on the quote. Useful machines may also move through our used equipment channel.

Why buy Challenge equipment from Mid-State Litho

Challenge is based in Norton Shores, Michigan. Mid-State Litho is in Grand Blanc, about two hours away. That is not a marketing line: it is same-state manufacturing, same-state dealer inventory, and same-state service trucks. We have been an authorized Challenge dealer for about 30 years. Mid-State Litho itself has been a family-owned print-finishing dealer since 1984.

Factory-trained service. Install, operator training, preventive maintenance, knife changes, and emergency repair across Michigan and the Great Lakes. See service and support.

Parts in stock. Knives, sticks, drilling blocks, bits, lubricant, clamp pads, and cornering tooling ship from Grand Blanc when we have them on the shelf.

Trade-ins and financing. Written trade-in values and equipment financing and leasing through Mitsubishi HC Capital and LEAF Commercial Capital.

Read more about Mid-State Litho, or contact us before you talk to a catalog-only seller who cannot put a tech on your floor.

Challenge Machinery FAQ

Where is Challenge Machinery based?

Challenge Machinery is based in Norton Shores, Michigan. The company was founded in Chicago more than 100 years ago and moved after the Great Chicago Fire. Mid-State Litho in Grand Blanc is about a two-hour drive from Challenge, which helps with parts, demos, and service coordination inside Michigan.

How long has Mid-State Litho been a Challenge dealer?

About 30 years. Mid-State Litho has been in business since 1984; the Challenge authorized-dealer relationship spans roughly three decades of sales, install, and service.

What knives fit older Challenge cutters like the Champion 305 and Spartan series?

The Champion 305 takes 30.5-inch HSS and carbon-alloy knives; older 30.5-inch Champion-series cutters take Old Style 30.5-inch inlaid knives. Spartan uses 15.75-inch knives for the 150M and 150SA/A and 18.5-inch for the 185. Call 1-800-343-4231 with model and serial number to confirm fit.

Do you stock cutting sticks for the Titan 230 and Titan 265?

Yes. We stock 26.5-inch sticks for Titan 230 and Titan 265, 20-inch for Titan 200, and 30.5-inch for Champion 305. Sticks rotate four times before replacement; rotate at every knife change.

What is the difference between Titan 200, 230, and 265?

Cut width. Titan 200 Pro is 20-inch, Titan 230 Pro is 23-inch, Titan 265 TC is 26.5-inch. All three are hydraulic Challenge cutters; pick the width that matches your largest sheet.

Does Mid-State Litho install and service Challenge equipment?

Yes. Factory-trained technicians install, train operators, and service Challenge cutters, trimmers, drills, joggers, and padding presses across Michigan and the Great Lakes. Call 1-800-343-4231.