Opinions Wanted Paper Cutter recommendation

Tommy P

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Nov 16, 2003
Posts
870
Loc
Mid North Indiana
My cheapo Harbor Freight cutter got me started. Now my printing business has expanded enough that I need to move up in quality. Need one that I can easily and nicely trim prints after printing. Not really looking for something that can cut twenty plus sheets at a time. Just good heavy duty sharp and well built. I've looked on Ebay and see the old school type (Ingento) and wonder if thats the way to go. Needs to have a good, precise measurement guide.
 
You didn't mention what sizes you will be cutting or if you need to cut exact sizes, square cut, or just trim photos.

I need to square cut mylar sheet to exact sizes so I went with a 30" paper cutter. You can cut something exactly square and cut without marking the mylar on a paper cutter.

If you don't need to square cut or cut to an exact width, the recommended trimmers will be fine.

Depending on the max size that you cut, a paper cutter might be a better value, especially if you need to cut to exact sizes without marking or square cut.

You can find good used paper cutters on eBay although shipping won't be cheap.
 
My cheapo Harbor Freight cutter got me started. Now my printing business has expanded enough that I need to move up in quality. Need one that I can easily and nicely trim prints after printing. Not really looking for something that can cut twenty plus sheets at a time. Just good heavy duty sharp and well built. I've looked on Ebay and see the old school type (Ingento) and wonder if thats the way to go. Needs to have a good, precise measurement guide.

The Rotatrims are real workhorses. I was first introduced to those back in the 90s, and it seemed like almost every professional shop I visited had one. They are pricey, but taken care of will last a lifetime. You can easily slice off a 32nd of an inch with them.

I have a larger dahl cutter (also rotary trimmer style), but with a single rail. It cuts very well but does not have the build quality of the Rotatrim, but also cost about half the price. I generally don't worry too much about squaring arms, as whatever is printed on the paper is square, and I can simply skew the piece a bit if I need to to square it up. Some people use a small light box behind them, and this aids greatly in aligning your edge for cutting.

Troy
 
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