If you’re thinking about buying a paper cutter, you’ll want to know which one is right for you. A good place to start is to consider the two basic kinds of cutters.
The first is the Guillotine paper cutter, which contains a large blade that can cut many sheets of paper at once. They can also be used to cut cardboard, textiles, and other materials and are available in a variety of sizes to meet your needs. Guillotine cutters generally have a guide, a ruler, and a grid pattern to help ensure that your cuts are straight.
The second kind is a Rotary cutter. Rotary paper cutters use a round cutting blade, which slides along a rail. If you’re a graphic designer or photographer you are likely to prefer these, because they provide a very clean, accurate cut. Rotary trimmers work well for paper, photographs, and other materials. The rotary trimmer blades are able to cut in either direction. Electric rotary trimmers are also available.
So having said that, if you’re in the market for a cutter, you’ll want to ask yourself some questions to help determine what kind of cutter will be ideal for you.
What will I be cutting? Remember, different materials require different types of cutters/trimmers. Some materials like photographs, cardstock, thin plastic, foam board, cardboard, particle board and standard copy paper are common needs of someone looking for a cutter.
How often will I use my cutter? Many cutters come in a manual or automatic format. The former requires one to two free hands to complete the cutting process successfully, while the latter are motor powered and some high-end guillotine cutters even adjust themselves according to the cut needed. If you will be cutting documents in large volumes, or simply don’t want to overexert yourself, you’ll want to use an automatic cutter.
How many sheets do you need to cut at a time? Some smaller paper trimmers will only cut one to two sheets of paper at a time. Larger, guillotine cutters cut up to a three-inch stack of paper. Make sure your cutter meets your present and future cutting needs.
What size paper do you need to cut? Paper cutters come is a wide variety of sizes. You might want a cutter that cuts various sizes of paper. Paper cutters generally get more expensive as you increase the paper cutting size.
Is space/mobility an issue? Paper cutters can be heavy and generally take up space. Some larger guillotine cutters take up a lot of space and are not mobile, whereas some lighter cutters can easily be moved from one location to another. Workstations with wheels are available to make transportation easy.
Lastly, remember when you’re scouting out your paper cutter to check for the maximum paper length accepted as well as the maximum paper thickness accepted. These last two aspects of paper cutting processes have be to your advantage when you go to buy your paper cutter. It’s a good idea to try to find a machine that in many ways will benefit your business. Choose a cutter that will do the most for you. They are a real investment, and you’ll want to make sure that it pays off later on down the road.
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