Welcome to my new series of posts called Tools of the Trade. In this series I will be sharing with you must-have tools for your craft room. You’ll be able to find this series here on my blog as well as on Facebook.
The first tool I want to share with you is one that you can’t do without if you are a paper crafter. This must-have tool is a Paper Cutter or Trimmer. You can’t cut your card bases and layers without one. I guess you could use scissors but then your lines may not be too straight…..I know that would be my problem! 🙂
There are three main types of Paper Cutters on the market for paper crafters.
- Rotating Blade Cutters have a small rotating blade that you slide along a track. They allow you to maneuver the paper in multiple positions. They are very light weight and usually have a grid pattern on them to help you line up your paper.
- Sliding Blade Cutters are similar to the rotating blade cutters except instead of rotating blade you have a single blade that slides up and down the track. Most of these type of paper cutters also have a scoring blade.
- Guillotine Cutters have one long blade that you slice down to cut the paper. These type of cutters are great for cutting multiple pieces of paper as well as thicker pieces of paper.
All three of these types of cutters work great for card making and paper crafting. The type you get is dependent on you. As a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator I cut a LOT of cardstock so I prefer a durable cutter that can cut more than one piece of paper. Stampin’ Up! used to have a guillotine cutter that I love and still use today. I do have their sliding blade cutter which is perfect for smaller jobs and great for cutting smaller pieces of paper.
I like to use my sliding blade paper cutter when I have to cut and score things at an angle or when I am working with a small piece of paper.
If you’re a newbie to paper crafting or just looking for a new cutter I would definitely invest in Stampin’ Up!’s Paper Trimmer. At only $25 the price is right. It comes with both a cutting and scoring blade and has an arm that folds out so it can accommodate a 12″ x 12″ piece of paper. The best part is that you don’t lose any of the measurements on the top grid when you fold out the arm which happens on many paper cutters of this type! The ruler and the grid are covered by durable plastic so they don’t wear off.
I hope I’ve given you a little information on Paper Cutters/Trimmers. This item is a definite must for any paper crafter. Click here if you’d like a little more information on Stampin’ Up!’s Paper Trimmer.
Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!