Paper cutters

Unless you intend to create a book that is 8.5 by 11 inches, then a paper cutter is a necessity. Something rather tricky about cutting your paper is the fact that your document on the computer has to be properly formatted to match the size your going for (formatting will be covered in a later post). What I do is simply cut my pages clean in half, and format everything accordingly. Now the specific type of paper cutter you are using is crucial. I learned all the following information the hard way. As with printers, there are only two types of cutters I concern myself with.

First is the scissor cutter, consisting of one blade that can be pulled up and down in an obvious motion.

This device often comes with some kind of safety guard attached just over the cutting edge. “In all honesty, it’s a useless and aggravating safety precaution. It limits the amount of paper you can feed into it at a time.” Now this was my thinking, to the letter, when I first got my hands on one of these things. Wouldn’t you know it, that guard was there partially so you knew how many pages could be cut at once. In fact, it allowed more room than it shouldn’t have. I nearly destroyed the device by trying to cut upwards of thirty sheets of paper in one go. When it comes to making books, you can’t expect to cut a single copy in three or four different cuts. It wouldn’t come out even. The scissor cutter is no good for cutting a book in half after printing. I use it to make cover pages only. So, I was forced to upgrade.

The guillotine paper cutter, my personal favourite, brings the titanic blade down, thanks to the help of a leaver, easily cutting through 500 sheets of helpless paper.

Not only does it have a marker to allow the perfect measurement, but also it has a clamp to hold the paper in place. It does the job, and with little to no problems. However, finding the one right for you can be difficult.

When I first realized I was going to need a paper cutter, I started throwing phone calls everywhere. You would think the things easy to fine, but that was not the case. Even Staples didn’t have any in stock. Now when I mean paper cutter, I mean the guillotine cutter. Having a scissor cutter is just a luxury. (Mine was listed for $50. I snatched her for $20.) Anyway, my beautiful paper cutter cost me $180, not counting tax. I think it was over priced, but it’s proving its worth. I had to drive to Toronto to get the damned thing (for me, a three hour drive). It was from a small business called All Image Printing (AIP).

http://www.allimageprinting.com/

Like I said, overpriced I thought. If you are going to go to them, be wary. I’m not saying they weren’t nice enough. Just understand that they are running a business, and their goal is to sell a product. When there, they tried selling me a ‘cover folder’ (something easily done with two rulers) and a ‘book-binding machine’. Remember those glorified glue-guns I mentioned earlier? This thing personified just that. I don’t think it would have done that good of a job, the guy selling it had never used it, and it was $360! I could create fifty binding contraptions for that kind of money, as could you. (Trust me, your going to need the money for toner.) So, my final tips are simple. Take your time and find a good guillotine paper cutter for as cheap as you can. If you can get a scissor cutter for dirt cheap, then it may be worth the convenience. I leave it to your judgement