A converting machine used to convert sheet material into packaging templates for assembly into boxes or other packaging, the converting machine comprising: a converting assembly configured to perform one or more transverse conversion functions and one or more longitudinal conversion functions on the sheet material as the sheet material moves through the converting machine in a feed direction, the one or more transverse conversion functions and the one or more longitudinal conversion functions being selected from the group consisting of creasing, bending, folding, perforating, cutting, and scoring, to create the packaging templates; a fanfold crease sensing mechanism configured to detect the presence and location of fanfold creases in the sheet material, the fanfold crease sensing mechanism comprising: a first sensor and a second sensor that are offset from one another in the feed direction; and a control system configured to: cause the converting assembly to cut off a leading end of the sheet material if the fanfold crease sensing mechanism detects the presence of a fanfold crease within a predetermined or user configurable range of a leading edge of the packaging template; or cause the converting assembly to cut off a leading end of the sheet material if the control system predicts that a fanfold crease will be within a predetermined or user configurable range of a trailing edge of a packaging template formed from the sheet material; and compare a reading from the first sensor to a reading from the second sensor to determine the presence and location of a fanfold crease in the sheet material. a converting assembly configured to perform one or more transverse conversion functions and one or more longitudinal conversion functions on the sheet material as the sheet material moves through the converting machine in a feed direction, the one or more transverse conversion functions and the one or more longitudinal conversion functions being selected from the group consisting of creasing, bending, folding, perforating, cutting, and scoring, to create the packaging templates; a fanfold crease sensing mechanism configured to detect the presence and location of fanfold creases in the sheet material, the fanfold crease sensing mechanism comprising: a first sensor and a second sensor that are offset from one another in the feed direction; and a control system configured to: cause the converting assembly to cut off a leading end of the sheet material if the fanfold crease sensing mechanism detects the presence of a fanfold crease within a predetermined or user configurable range of a leading edge of the packaging template; or cause the converting assembly to cut off a leading end of the sheet material if the control system predicts that a fanfold crease will be within a predetermined or user configurable range of a trailing edge of a packaging template formed from the sheet material; and compare a reading from the first sensor to a reading from the second sensor to determine the presence and location of a fanfold crease in the sheet material. cause the converting assembly to cut off a leading end of the sheet material if the fanfold crease sensing mechanism detects the presence of a fanfold crease within a predetermined or user configurable range of a leading edge of the packaging template; or cause the converting assembly to cut off a leading end of the sheet material if the control system predicts that a fanfold crease will be within a predetermined or user configurable range of a trailing edge of a packaging template formed from the sheet material; and compare a reading from the first sensor to a reading from the second sensor to determine the presence and location of a fanfold crease in the sheet material.