I have lots of paper cutting needs at work…. but always cut unevenly and need to trim the edges. But then the paper cutter won’t cut a small amount! It just bends the paper! I need a signmaker or some other professional to give me some tips, please!!!
answer:
It’s funny you should ask, Heather! I too work for a company which is too cheap to buy me a “real” rotary style paper cutter.
Here is an example of a rotary cutter:
http://www.factory-express.com/Paper_Cut…
This baby or something similar will solve your slicing needs. Hopefully, unlike my own situation, your company is willing to spring the small cost of a good slicer.
Barring that, I have perfected a special technique for cutting those narrow slivers of paper off the edge, which I will now share with you.
First, you should check the blade and make sure it’s snug against the “board”. A loose blade puts you at a severe disadvantage.
If necessary, get out the tools and tighten up that blade.
Next, be sure to hold the paper firmly in place, on top of the board. If the paper slides around, this misguides the blade and contributes to the uneven tearing and paper-bending you’ve been experiencing.
Here’s the special magic trick: instead of swinging the blade down as you normally would, VIBRATE it while moving it downwards. In other words, while swinging downward, hold the handle with a “vibrating” motion. Simultaneously, press the blade towards the board, so that it slides down more snugly against it.
Don’t “shake” the handle. Just “vibrate” it. The difference between the two being that when you vibrate, the oscillations (length of the “side to side” motions) are small and extremely rapid. Obviously this is not easy to pull off, and requires some coordination. With practice it’s not as hard as it sounds.
You primarily only need to vibrate the blade during the initial phases of the slice. Once you’ve penetrated cleanly, chances are you can continue through the slicing motion without vibrating, and still make a clean cut. In some cases however, where the strip is extremely narrow, you may need to vibrate the entire length of the cut.
|