Paper cutters will significantly reduce your time on paper cutting and give you precise cuts. If you're someone who enjoys paper projects, for example, creating cards, you know that an ordinary pair of scissors won't give you the control you need, and the best guillotine paper cutter will come in handy.
Guillotine paper cutters give the accuracy and sharpness you need for cutting papers or cards for your project. If you're having a problem where to begin when it comes to buying a guillotine paper cutter, this guide will hopefully answer your questions.
To get started, we have compiled a review of the best guillotine paper cutter on the market today. Moreover, we have curated several factors you need to consider when buying a guillotine paper cutter for crafts and card making.
1. Swingline Paper Trimmer, Guillotine Paper Cutter
- DURABLE CONSTRUCTION – Ingento guillotine-style trimmer...
- 18” CUTTING LENGTH – Features an 18” cutting length,...
- CUTS 15 SHEETS – Strong trimmer cuts up to 15 sheets of paper...
- ACCURATE CUTTING – Designed for accuracy, with an alignment...
- SAFETY FEATURES – Steel tension spring holds guillotine blade...
The Swingline Guillotine Paper Cutter is a heavy-duty paper trimmer with durable construction and top-notch performance. It features a solid and robust maple base, a self-sharpening steel blade, and a die-cast metal arm.
It comes with a cutting length of 18 inches which is enough to accommodate most of your projects. This guillotine-style cutter can cut up to 15 sheets of paper simultaneously. It can cut almost everything from photos to a heavy mat board and delicate paper materials.
The Swingline paper cutter has an alignment grid and a dual scale ruler to ensure accurate cutting. It also comes with a wide range of safety features, for example, a tension spring to securely hold the cutter's blade arm in place, a blade latch hook to secure the arm when it is not in use, and a protective guard rail to ensure your fingers are safe. If you'd like to learn how to make vinyl stickers, check out this post.
Pros:
Cons:
2. Amazon Basics Guillotine Paper Cutter
- PRECISE CUTTING: The 15-inch self-sharpening steel blade of this...
- SAFE OPERATION: Equipped with a blade guardrail and blade lock...
- VERSATILE USE: This paper cutter guillotine style is able to cut...
- EASY ALIGNMENT: To assist in the precision and consistency of...
- PORTABLE DESIGN: Measuring 23.5 by 13.5 by 2.5 inches and...
One of the most important kitchen appliances that can be useful in offices, classes, and craft works is the Amazon Basics Guillotine Paper Cutter with Blade Lock. Intended for accuracy and safety, this cutter is ideal to be used in so many cutting operations in paper. It has a strong metallic body and a blade to give accurate knife cuts to as many as 10 sheets at once.
The cutter has a blade size of 12 inches, with metal build that give the cutter a long lasting nature. Its blade lock is more friendly on safety, particularly when it is kept near children. The alignment grid, the printed ruler, and the ergonomic handle contribute towards ensuring easy measurements without a lot of strain when making repetitive measurements. The rubberized feet on the base help to provide a firm grip on any type of surface to avoid falling.
Pros:
Cons:
3. Tonic Studios 808 8½-Inch Guillotine Paper Trimmer
- Stainless steel blade
- Perfect for use with vellum paper all the way up to cardstock
- Works well to trim photographs
- Features a measuring grid in inches, a carry handle and a soft...
While most guillotine paper cutters range between 12 inches to 18 inches, this one features an 8½ inch cutting blade and a small cutting surface. Despite this, the Tonic Studios 808 8-1/2-Inch Guillotine Paper Trimmers are pretty effective in giving neat minor trimmer cuts.
The cutting base feature embossed grid lines which come in handy when cutting. If you are constantly moving and need to carry a trimmer, with is the best guillotine cutter in terms of portability as it features a lightweight construction weighing only one pound. Storing is also made easy with this compact equipment.
Furthermore, it is incredibly well priced and uses a durable stainless steel blade to ensure you can easily cut through different types of paper. It comes with a guiding base for accuracy and brilliant results. Check out how to make car decals right here.
Pros:
Cons:
4. ArtAt A4 Paper Cutter Guillotine
- Professional Guillotine:Portable paper trimmer blades are made of...
- Scope Application:Designed for cutting vinyl paper, cardstock,...
- Safe and reliable: hidden blade design,Protect your...
- Accurate Measurement: Angle guide lines to cut angles of 45...
- Light weight:sharp trimming mechanism and ruler,side ruler can be...
The next paper trimmer we'll review is the ArtAt A4 Professional Guillotine Paper Trimmer. It's a portable option that features a steel blade that won't quickly lose its sharp edge any time soon, allowing you to cut paper for years without replacing it. This trimmer comes with a transparent ruler so that you can see where to cut for a smooth and accurate cutting session.
You can use it to cut different paper materials without hassle since it's designed for vinyl paper, cardboard, film bags, and card stock. It has a cutting capacity of 12 sheets at a time to facilitate the easy cutting of large paper batches. The hidden blade design allows you to use your fingers safely with minimal risk of cuts or other injuries.
This paper trimmer is lightweight thanks to the plastic base making it a travel-friendly pick to carry to the office, school, or any other location. Plus, with the angle guidelines, you can set the ideal cutting length and angle to ensure the paper looks just as you intend.
Pros:
Cons:
5. X-ACTO Heavy Duty Wood Guillotine Trimmer
- Heavy-duty paper trimmer cuts up to 15 sheets at once
- Solid wood base and rubber feet provide stable platform for...
- Oversized rubber grip offers comfort and control
- Perpetual Edge self-sharpening system keeps blade sharp for every...
- Safety guard and latch.Adjustable Paper Guide
The X-ACTO Heavy Duty Wood Guillotine Trimmer is one of the best paper trimmers that provide accuracy and longevity. Built for use in higher volume environments it provides high level of cutting of paper, photographs, and laminated items. A solid wood base provides support to this device and a hardened steel blade easily and effectively cuts up to 15 sheets at a time. The safety guard and latch give it an added security, making it perfect for office spaces, or learning institutions that are shared.
With a wooden housing and a ruler integrated into the device, a user is guaranteed to receive a highly-accurate trim. It has rubber feet on the bottom that reduces slippage and therefore remains firmly positioned when in use. The self-sharpening feature is located at the blade to ensure that the user does not have to sharpen it constantly. The handle is also well designed to ensure that the user does not tire while using it during large projects. Also, a cutting surface of 12” x 12” also provides enough space for various projects to fit on it.
Pros:
Cons:
Factors to Consider Before Buying the Best Guillotine Paper Cutter
Buying the best guillotine paper cutter isn't an easy task, especially with the hundreds of options available. Fortunately, there are some essential considerations that can help you make an ideal choice. Let's cover them below.
1. Types of Paper Cutters
Guillotine is one of the four main types of paper cutters that include rotary, stack, and electric paper cutters. Understanding the differences, uses, and applications of the different types is essential.
- Rotary paper cutter- They have a sliding blade that will help cut through a few sheets of paper at a time.
- Guillotine- Comes in handy in schools or offices where there is a need to cut large amounts of paper. It features a long arm that is pulled down to slice the papers.
- Stack Paper Cutter- They tend to have the largest cutting capacities and work similarly to the guillotine.
- Electric paper cutters- They are the priciest and most advanced option. They feature an automatic motor that powers the paper cutting.
2. Size
Since paper cutters come in a wide range of sizes, you want to choose one that perfectly matches your needs. The options range from a few inches wide to long and larger models designed to cut through long sheets of paper.
When deciding the right paper cutter for you, consider how you plan to use it, the sizes and types of materials, and also how much space you have to use and store the paper cutter.
3. Extendable Arm
For guillotine or stack paper cutters, you need to be careful when it comes to the arms design of the model. This is because you need to pull the arms to slice through the paper, and quality arms will make it easier for you. An extendable or adjustable arm will also help you cut into different sizes and shapes.
Some models feature a tension mechanism that will prevent the arm from coming down before you get ready to cut. This is a handy feature because when the arm comes down while you're positioning the paper, the blade may cut on the wrong spot or injure you.
4. Safety
Papers can be quite risky to use because of the sharp blades that may cause severe injuries while using them. You want to choose the best paper cutter that comes with various features to ensure you're safe and prevent injuries to yourself and others.
There are different features that guillotine models have when it comes to safety, for example, a locking latch for the arm to keep people from touching the blade, a tension spring, or a safety spring that prevents its blade from coming down unless it has been pulled.
The grip handle should also be comfortable and large enough to accommodate your hand. A finger guard will also prevent you from placing your fingers where the cutting blade will make pas through while slicing a stack of paper. The non-slip feet will also ensure the cutter doesn't slide down.
5. Hardened Steel Blade
Another crucial feature you should look at is the blade. It would help if you found a paper cutter with a sharp guillotine blade that can cut at least ten sheets of paper with ease. Some dull blades in cheaply manufactured cutters may bend or break during the process. For this reason, you want to ensure that the guillotine-style trimmer has good quality blades, and the blades can cut a decent number of sheets of paper with ease.
6. Durability
The durability of the paper cutter should be among your prime considerations. You want to ensure the cutter is stable enough and does not move around when adjusting the angles or taking the measurements. Paper cutters come in different materials, including wood, metal, and plastic, where wood and metal are considered better quality.
7. Price
Different paper cutters come at different prices. You want to find a cheap or affordable option without compromising the quality or the performance. Luckily, there are paper cutters for every budget. Find one within your budget but also ensure that it offers good value for money as well as good quality and performance.
8. Cutting Length
Something else to consider is the length of paper the trimmer can cut. This will vary with every model you find, which is why you'll want to determine the length of the paper you want to cut before purchasing a paper trimmer.
If you take a paper trimmer with a shorter cutting length than the size of your papers, you'll have trouble getting the results you desire. That's why you should go with a paper cutter with the largest cutting length you can find if you aren't sure the ideal cutting length for your project.
9. Alignment Grid
It can be challenging to cut papers at the correct angle without assistance. That's why you should choose a trimmer that comes with a ruler that allows you to measure the length of the paper you want to cut. A dual scale ruler could be more effective since it'll provide two different metrics for measuring your paper.
Additionally, you'll want a paper trimmer with an alignment grid. This grid will help you align the papers properly to ensure you get a clean straight cut. Without an alignment grid, you can tilt your sheets to different angles without knowing, and this will affect the final appearance of the paper.
Benefits of the Best Paper Guillotine Cutters
Paper guillotine cutters are the most precise tools for cutting paper into different sizes or shapes. Here are some of the benefits of getting yourself a great guillotine paper cutter.
1. Portability
Other than the steel blade, most trimmers don't have other metallic parts. It's easy to find cutters that are made from durable plastic and wood. These materials are considerably light and ensure the paper cutter isn't a hassle to carry.
As such, you can take a lightweight paper trimmer if you want a tool you can use at home, the office, or in school. It'll be easy to carry them since they even come with a blade latch hook which you can use to secure the trimmer arm while transporting it to avoid accidental cuts.
2. Accurate Cuts
Cutting papers to fit specific dimensions isn't an easy task. It's easy to cut into photos and sheets without even knowing since it's hard to maintain accuracy when using only your eyes.
That's why paper trimmers are essential; they can help you make the most accurate paper cuts ensuring your sheets are the size you want them to be. This makes it easier to fit your sheets into envelopes and files since you can customize their sizes.
3. Finger Safety
While cutting and shaping papers might sound like a standard task, it's still possible for cutting accidents to occur. This is because a blade that's sharp enough to cut through 10 pounds of paper can easily cut through your finger if you don't take proper precautions.
Luckily, the best paper cutter will probably come with a finger guard to protect your fingers from accidental injury. This helps you work fast without compromising your safety, making paper trimmers excellent for bulky paper cutting jobs.
4. Large Cutting Capacity
If you are making numerous office products, you'll probably want to clear your bulk within the least time possible. There isn't a better tool to help you cut large batches of paper than a guillotine paper cutter. Most cutters have a capacity of at least 10 sheets at a time, allowing you to cut and shape numerous papers within minimal time. If you had to cut the papers one by one, it would take too long to finish your batch.
5. Reliable Performance
The last reason to get a paper cutter is that it can cut a wide variety of materials, including plastic, laminate, card stock, and more. You won't need to buy different tools to cut the different materials when you have guillotine paper lying around. So, if you are handling a project that requires the use of diverse materials which you need to cut, you should get a paper trimmer to help you with your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Guillotine Paper Cutters
1. How do you easily sharpen a paper cutter blade?
Sharpening a guillotine blade can be a challenging process for many people. An easy trick to ensure that your blades remain sharp after use is to cut several sheets of aluminum foil. Get a sizeable aluminum foil, put it on the guillotine equipment and slice it ten times into tiny pieces to achieve a sharp blade. However, it is good to note that this simple trick won't work if the blades have extremely become worn out.
2. How do you cut straight with a paper cutter?
To achieve straight cuts with your paper cutter, you need to use the gridlines on the cutting surface of most models to line up the paper. Using the ledge at the top or bottom of the paper cutter to line your paper is essential. This is because it prevents the paper from sliding out of place while cutting it. Once the paper is well lined, you can either pull the arm down or slide the trimmer blade to cut, depending on the type of paper cutter you're using.
