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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 favorites for scrapbooking enthusiasts because you can purchase different styles of blades. Want to make a curvy edge or a perforated, stamped envelope? The rotary trimmer makes these tasks simple. Many rotary trimmer systems also come with handheld trimmers that use interchangeable blades. You'll need to purchase a good self-healing cutting mat for your handheld rotary trimmer. The self-healing cutting surface is designed to allow you to use your rotary cutter many times without perceived wear.
Cutting a circle, flower, or oval shapes by hand can be very difficult; therefore shape cutters quickly became a favorite tool for scrapbooking enthusiasts. Usually you will find a plastic shape template that will allow you to cut various shape sizes. The shape cutting system you use should have replaceable cutting blades.
Paper punches are the simplest way to insure that you have perfect cutout shapes on every scrapbooking layout. You can find many different styles and shapes. The most important thing to consider when purchasing a paper punch is the handle. Getting a paper punch that is easy to press goes a long way when you are making multiple items or many cards. Some of the best paper punches also have holding containers that will keep your work area free from punch scraps.
Two simple tools that are often overlooked are the T-square and the scoring blade. You will find a durable, accurate T-square at your local hardware store. Smaller versions can also be purchased at your local craft or hobby store. Make sure to purchase a durable T-square that has a perfectly straight edge. A T-square allows you to perfectly line up corners and crops and also makes a perfect scoring and marking tool. The scoring blade can be used to make straight tears along the bottom of your matte paper or handmade card. Recently, decorative scoring blades have become popular. Some of them allow you make decorative tears on card stock and scrapbook paper.
Cardmaking, scrapbooking, and rubber stamping project all benefit from having the proper cutting and trimming tools. Having these simple cutting tools on hand will allow you to dive into those projects and come out with straight edges, crops, and trims every time. Always keep your tools sharp and out of the reach of small children. I suggest you get at least one version of each of these cutting tools to enjoy all of the benefits.
