Having the right cutting and trimming tools makes a big difference in the final look of your scrapbooking, rubber stamping, and cardmaking projects. This guide helps explain the differences between tools and what they are best suited for. Your finished stamping or scrapbooking project will look superb when you use the right cutting and trimming tools.
There are many different types of trimmers available for rubber stamping and scrapbooking. Some of the most popular are the guillotine, personal paper, and rotary trimmer.
The guillotine is the paper trimmer that most people think of immediately. It can be purchased at any office supply store. Get a solid, well made trimmer with strong handle fittings. Most guillotine trimmers can cut between ten to twenty pieces of paper at a time. The guillotine handle should be made of metal or strong fiberglass and should not flex at all. Having a good guillotine trimmer on hand makes scissors obsolete and will always result in a much better finished layout since all of your cut surfaces will have clean, straight edges.
Are you cutting small pieces of card stock or photos? The mini paper trimmer is the tool to use because they usually have safety features that make them especially suitable for trimming small items held by hand. Mini personal paper trimmers are not suitable, however, for long straight cuts, since they usually are made of lightweight plastic material. Paper trimmers are a fast solution to have on hand because they can fit in a desk drawer and be ready to use in seconds without clearing any additional work space.
Rotary trimmers are the newest of the bunch and have become favorites for many different reasons. For rubber stamping and scrapbooking projects, the rotary trimmer excels because you can purchase many different styles of artistic cutting blades. Need to make a straight, curvy edge? Want to perforate a homemade envelope? With the rotary trimmer, this is no problem. You'll want to find a model that has easily interchangeable blades. In addition to table top trimmers, many rotary trimmer systems also come with handheld trimmers that use interchangeable blades and allow you to cut shapes like circles and flowers. Handheld rotary trimmers use a self-healing cutting mat. You'll find many different sizes in the craft section of your local department store or fabric store. The unique cutting surface is specifically designed to allow you to cut any shape with your rotary cutter and can be used many times without showing wear.
Shape cutters have quickly become a favorite tool for scrapbooking enthusiasts because they allow you to cut many different sized shapes with one inexpensive tool. The plastic shape templates allow you to cut various shape styles and sizes.
Paper punches are the easiest way to make sure your shape is perfect every time. While they are one of the most expensive tools to use, they are usually very durable and will last many years if taken care of properly. If your paper punch becomes difficult to use, it could be a result of glues or adhesives getting into the die mechanism. Usually a spray of a silicone lubricant will solve this problem.
T-squares and the scoring blades are tools that can be very helpful while stamping and scrapbooking. Durable T-squares that will last many years can be purchased at your local hardware store. Cheaper styles can be purchased at a craft store. Buy a quality T-square that has a tooled edge for making perfectly straight lines and cuts. You will be able to line up corners and make perfect mattes. Scoring blades are used to make straight tears and folds along the corner edges of handmade greeting cards. Designer scoring blades allow you make decorative tears on scrapbooking paper and card stock.
You should get at least one version of each of these cutting tools to enjoy all of the benefits. Having the right trimming and cutting tools saves time and makes your finished paper craft project look much better. Buying high quality tools that will last for many years will insure inexpensive overall costs and usually a much better look. Give them a try today and see how they improve your work!
