Choosing A Guillotine Paper Cutter
If you are considering buying a guillotine style paper cutter you have most likely discovered that there are literally hundreds of options available on the market. However, not all paper cutters are created equal. This article is designed to give you a set of guidelines that will help in deciding what paper cutter is the best fit for your needs. Here are four things to consider when buying a guillotine style paper cutter...
1. Size: The first thing to consider when choosing a paper trimmer to fit your needs is size. Trimmers are available with blades as short as 4" and as long as 36". A quick survey of the items that you need to cut will help to narrow the selection of cutters that will best fit your needs. In addition to the length of the blade, it is also important to consider the size of the cutting table. If you are going to cut larger items it is extremely helpful to have a cutting table that is large enough to support the entire document.
2. Cutting Capacity: The second thing to consider when choosing a paper cutter is the capacity of paper that you need to cut. Higher quality paper cutters will have sharper blades and will be capable of cutting larger amounts of paper. Keep in mind that even if you aren't going to need to cut larger stacks of paper, cutters with higher capacities will generally be more efficient at cutting individual sheets of paper. It is also important to remember that you will get a much higher cut quality if you don't cut the full rated capacity of the trimmer.
3. Safety Features: Depending on the environment where you intend to use your cutter, safety may be the most important thing to consider when choosing your trimmer. In order to protect users, guillotine cutters should have several safety features. If the cutter you are considering doesn't include these features you might think twice before buying it. All guillotine cutters should include a tension spring to prevent the blade from falling when in the raised position. Cutters without this tension spring are not safe and should not be used. You should also look to make sure that the cutter you are considering includes a blade lock that allows you to secure the blade in the closed position when it is not in use. Guillotine trimmers should also include some type of blade guard. At a minimum, a small metal bar should prevent users from sliding fingers under the blade. However, paper cutters with ultra sharp blades and large cutting capacities should have plastic blade guards that make it impossible (or virtually impossible to slide your fingers under the blade). Keep in mind; even with these safety features it is essential to be extremely careful when using your paper cutter.
4. Other Features: After considering size, capacity and safety there are several other features that are useful to look for in a guillotine paper cutter. Cutters with larger cutting capacities should have clamps to hold the paper in place while the stack is being cut. Without these clamps larger stacks can slip when being cut keeping the finished product from being square. Another thing to keep in mind is that most guillotine cutters will have measurement markings to help you align your documents. It is extremely helpful if these markings run the entire length of the cutting table to help ensure that you get your documents square before cutting them. Finally, cutters that have an adjustable paper stop make cutting large volumes of paper simpler than ever. However, it is important to ensure that the paper stop is solid and square or else it won't be helpful.
If you consider these four features when choosing a guillotine paper trimmer, you will be able to find a cutter that will best fit your needs. Keep in mind that you may not need all of these features in your cutter and guillotine cutters that include all of the best features will certainly be more expensive than cutters without these features. Thus, it is up to you to find the best possible balance between cost and features to best meet your needs.
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for www.MyBinding.com. He has written hundreds of articles on topics related to Binding Machines, Guillotine Cutters,Binding Supplies,laminating Supplies,laminators, Binding Covers,and more
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