Paper Trimmer?

[sfnum8]

Very little experience with paper trimmers but I am going to need to trim/cut Gloss 12 Point Card Stock down to 13". I guess any cutter from 14" to 18" would work fine, I assume I would try to get away with the smallest size possible, simply for the cost.

I tested a rotary cutter today that the local print shop had sitting around and it left the edges rough/frayed. Is this common for Card Stock paper, or was it just a junk blade and/or cutter in general?

I don't really need a $300+ commercial version, I will more than likely only be cutting 1 print at a time and the volume will be very low, probably about 20-30 a month.

Based on the little research I have done, I'm leaning toward a Rotary but would consider Guillotine if that would work better.

Please reply back with recommended cutters and maybe make a case for which type of trimmer would be best!

Amazon has this Carl brand for only $45, any thoughts? http://www.amazon.com/CARL-Professi...=1381356660&sr=1-4&keywords=15"+paper+trimmer

Thanks

 

[SightLine]

The most accurate and clean cutting will always be a true guillotine (often called a stack cutter - where the blade actually moved straight down) in my opinion with a rotary coming in second with the type where a knife comes down hinged at a single point at the far edge (most common type use see in schools, etc) being the least accurate. A proper guillotine stack cutter will have a clamping bar to hold the stack in perfect position as well and while overkill it can cut a single sheet just fine too. However a decent guillotine stack cutter is not cheap. We have a 20" Dahle stack cutter. Bought it used some time back for a couple hundred. The blade had some nicks from abuse - the new blade cost $250.00 by itself but now we have a cutter worth close to a grand.

 

[Gino]

Ingento guillotine cutter.

Ours are 30", 24" 18" and 12". The oldest must be 40 years old while the newest is maybe 25 years old. They never dull. They are self-sharpening and we can cut up to .050 aluminum on any of them. Quite the versatile tool.

 

[sfnum8]

Ingento guillotine cutter.

Ours are 30", 24" 18" and 12". The oldest must be 40 years old while the newest is maybe 25 years old. They never dull. They are self-sharpening and we can cut up to .050 aluminum on any of them. Quite the versatile tool.

I checked out the Stack Cutter that "sightline" mentioned and it's way over the budget.
Looks like amazon has the Ingento 15" for $108. Just curious how the newer models quality compare to you older versions. Budget wasn't mentioned in the original post but would like to keep it under $125.

 

[Gino]

I checked out the Stack Cutter that "sightline" mentioned and it's way over the budget.
Looks like amazon has the Ingento 15" for $108. Just curious how the newer models quality compare to you older versions. Budget wasn't mentioned in the original post but would like to keep it under $125.

Honestly, if you need a certain tool to do a particular job or multiple jobs, you need to get the right tool or don't do the job at all..... or don't buy the tool until you can afford it. If you buy some inferior set up and edges tear or things go wrong and you spend more time fixing little yuxes, then it wasn't a savings at all.

Why make up a budget, if it's a useless number. I like a good whiskey, but I can't set my limit at $15 a bottle or I'll end up with gut rot. Be realistic when setting goals or budgets and you'll be much better off in the long run.

 

[sfnum8]

Honestly, if you need a certain tool to do a particular job or multiple jobs, you need to get the right tool or don't do the job at all..... or don't buy the tool until you can afford it. If you buy some inferior set up and edges tear or things go wrong and you spend more time fixing little yuxes, then it wasn't a savings at all.

Why make up a budget, if it's a useless number. I like a good whiskey, but I can't set my limit at $15 a bottle or I'll end up with gut rot. Be realistic when setting goals or budgets and you'll be much better off in the long run.

I completely understand what you are saying. But you also can't spend $3,000 plus for a cutter that will take 4,5,6 years to recoup your costs, remember very low volume operation here. This is why I am looking for an affordable cutter that will simply cut a clean straight edge one page at a time. Based on the number of cutters I have seen and the price range, I would have assumed $125 would buy a decent(but not top of the line) cutter. Just kinda of looking for a reply like your original that says I have used XXXX and it has cut perfect for years. Also figure some cutters may cut Card Stock different than they do normal paper or photo paper.

Thoughts on this Dahle anyone http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/304540-REG
More recommendations?

 

[SightLine]

That Dahle looks decent. I know there are other brands too - I do know Dahle has been around for many many many years.

 

[mpn]

With you being located in CA, look around the used offset printing supply places for a used manual guillotine. Challenge is one brand name.

Scratch that, I just read the one at a time requirement.

 

[Jester1167]

20 to 30 a month, one at a time, and on a budget, why wouldn't you cut them by hand? A good safety ruler and a sharp knife should do the trick. If you don't think that is feasible, go to your local art store and look for a matte cutter.

 

[John Butto]

Cutting mat, straight edge and this...after you start making some money you can buy the expensive toys.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

The most accurate and clean cutting will always be a true guillotine (often called a stack cutter - where the blade actually moved straight down) in my opinion with a rotary coming in second with the type where a knife comes down hinged at a single point at the far edge (most common type use see in schools, etc) being the least accurate. A proper guillotine stack cutter will have a clamping bar to hold the stack in perfect position as well and while overkill it can cut a single sheet just fine too. However a decent guillotine stack cutter is not cheap. We have a 20" Dahle stack cutter. Bought it used some time back for a couple hundred. The blade had some nicks from abuse - the new blade cost $250.00 by itself but now we have a cutter worth close to a grand.

i have a guilloitne/stack cutter and thought it was overkill for my needs sometimes, so i bought a rotary for the quickie stuff. took it back and bought another thinking i needed to spend a little more and get a bit better quality... took that one back too. i've decided i'm ok with overkill

 

[Guerilla Signs]

Here's one for a little over what you said you want to pay.

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-...8&qid=1381373715&sr=1-9&keywords=Stack+cutter

 

[k_graham]

Are you printing more than 1 up or is it something you could get a print shop to cut a stack for you. Or possibly the paper company you are buying from, If you buy a years supply of paper probably in terms of 250 sheets the cutting of the stack shouldn't be over about $10.00 you may get a decent discount as well if you buy at least a package. A guillotine is good but , a real one has a blade that can be removed and sharpened, it also has to put 100's of pounds pressure on the stack or if a stack or if its manual and stack isn't held down securely, it moves in towards the blade during cutting through the pile, then you have unsquare items with perhaps a 1/8" or more variation in the pile, of course the duller the blade the more likely this is to happen. For this reason a manual one like a Challenge will have a large heavy roughly 18" wheel on the worm screw for spinning the clamp down. Also they actually have the most trouble on single sheet items, it helps to use a magnetic pad under the clamp for cushioning, but in truth if you have a manual one and want to cut one sheet your best to not clamp it as then you can't get clamp marks.


Rotary cutters fall into 2 categories, the "self sharpening rotary blade" one and the consumer garbage that uses a strip under the blade. You will have no trouble with a good self sharpening unit as they self clamp by running along the plastic card holding it and the paper down while cutting but they used to be in the 200.00 range for a 18" unit. I would recommend this over the lever style as too many loose finger tips with the lever style. We had a Dahle rotary unit that we sold off after about 20 years because it would no longer cut plastic well. Be careful of Dahle as well now as they have some consumer units with the strip. Stick with "self sharpening rotary blade"

Ken

 

[Browner]

Thoughts on this Dahle anyone http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/304540-REG

I've got that - but in the 30" version (554 model). Love it. Is limited to about 5 - 6 sheets of backing paper, though.

 

[Gino]

I completely understand what you are saying. But you also can't spend $3,000 plus for a cutter that will take 4,5,6 years to recoup your costs, remember very low volume operation here. This is why I am looking for an affordable cutter that will simply cut a clean straight edge one page at a time. Based on the number of cutters I have seen and the price range, I would have assumed $125 would buy a decent(but not top of the line) cutter. Just kinda of looking for a reply like your original that says I have used XXXX and it has cut perfect for years. Also figure some cutters may cut Card Stock different than they do normal paper or photo paper.

Thoughts on this Dahle anyone http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/304540-REG
More recommendations?

Kinda got that you don't have a $3,000 budget..... not many do for that price range. I was more talking about your capping it at $125. That's kinda at the top of the sh!t level of cutters. Again, I'm not being mean or funny, just business cost effective.

A good straight edge is gonna cost you $50 or so and then a good knife or matte cutter.... another $25 or $35. Now you have tools which will do the job, but you're gonna have much more elbow grease involved. Why not just bite the bullet and raise your budget up to around $300 or so ?? Then, you can get what you need to do the job professionally and efficiently each and every time.

 

[sfnum8]

Just wanted to thank everyone for all the input. I pondered this for a couple of days and decided to splurge a bit on this one! Figured we can use it for non-business projects as well.
Thanks again!

 

[Gino]

Do you realize with that cutter, you are limited to a max of 15" ??

So, if tomorrow you get some 18" posters to do, I believe you're screwed and have to do it by hand once again. At least with some of the cutters which have lifting blades, you can run continuous cuts, thus not limiting yourself to any small size.

Just a suggestion, if you haven't pulled the trigger, yet.

Heck, with our 30" cutter, I've run .040 aluminum 4' x 8' sheets through it without a problem.
​

 

[John Butto]

And you wonder why the Chinese take our business manufacturing away. They would cut everything by hand and take that $250 you "splurged on" and feed the whole factory for a month. And on a side note: that cutter is probably made overseas.

 

[the graphics co]

Just a thought, it costs $1-$2 per cut at most local printers. That is an amount you could easily build into any job that requires cutting.