If you’re shopping around for a stack paper cutter, you may have seen the term “cutting sticks.” Cutting sticks are long rectangular-shaped pieces of plastic that vary in length depending on the size of the paper cutter. Cutting sticks are a critical part of a stack cutter, but what are they and what do they do?

Cutting sticks, made of plastic, have a total of 4 sides. These sticks are usually placed in a grove on the bottom of the cutter, where the cutting blade of the stack cutter will ultimately rest after making a cut. These sticks are made from a durable plastic material and are designed to last for several hundred to several thousand cuts before being rotated or replaced.

The cutting stick plays a critical part in the cutting process and even help assist in producing clean cuts. Because the cutting blade rests in the cutting stick, the cut is properly completed, allowing the blade to make it through every sheet, even the last bottom sheet. Without a cutting stick, the blade would have nothing to rest on and the cut couldn’t be completed.

Cutting sticks are designed to help prolong the life of the paper cutter blade and will not dull it. The plastic used in a cutting stick is designed to take the force of the blade’s impact while still maintaining structural integrity. Thanks to this durable design, cutting blades can last through hundreds and even thousands of cuts before being replaced or rotated.

Signs of a worn cutting stick usually results in the last 1 to 2 pages not being cut all the way through. Before replacing your cutting stick, you should be aware that each stick can be rotated a total of 8 times. Because the blade does not rest directly in the center of a cutting stick, each side can be used 2 times. Simply flip the cutting stick a full 180 degrees to use the same side again. Because the cutting stick is square, it can be turned a total of 4 times.

Ultimately, after all sides of the cutting stick have been used and worn, they will need to be replaced. Luckily cutting sticks aren’t expensive and are usually sold in bulk quantities. You can find our entire selection of stack paper cutter cutting sticks here. We sell cutting sticks for Dahle, MBM Triumph, Intelli-Cut, Tamerica, Martin Yale and Standard brand stack cutters.

If you still have questions about cuttings sticks, how to use them or where to find them, please feel free to contact one of our paper cutter experts at 1-800-658-8788. You can find our entire selection of stack paper cutters here.

If you are a scrapbooker, are married to one or have a close friend that loves scrapbooking, you probably know that a paper cutter is their closest friend. These paper cutters are used for trimming down paper, cutting cardstock or re-sizing photographs. Many even include special perforating, scoring or patterned blades. At ABC Office, we offer some excellent cutters that are a hit with our scrapbooking customers.

A diehard scrapbooker will probably use their paper cutter at least a couple of times a week. Because repetitive use is a must, and the fact that the paper cutter will be used often, it is important to get a cutter that can hold up for a long time. We have found that three brands in particular seem to have a great reputation. These brands include Carl, Dahle and Rotatrim.

While there are several styles of paper cutters out there, the rotary style seems to be the best all-round cutter for precision trimming of paper and photos. These types of cutters have a round blade that sits inside a housing that slides along a rail. As the blade moves along the rail, it spins (like a pizza cutter). This design makes paper cutting extremely easy.

Top 10 Best Scrapbooking Paper Cutters for Christmas 2011

1. Carl DC-300N Rotary Paper Trimmer – This trimmer is feature rich, extremely affordable and has an impressive 20 sheet cutting capacity. It can cut cardstock, mat board, paper, photos and more!
2. Carl DC-238N Heavy Duty Rotary Trimmer – This trimmer can cut 36 sheet of paper at a time! It features an impressive 18″ cutting length and is made out of 100% recycled materials.
3. Dahle 507, 508 & 507K Personal Rotary Trimmers – This trimmers are affordable, compact and great for taking from one place to another.
4. Carl RT-200N Professional Rotary Trimmer – This trimmer is available under $50, is made from recycled materials and is excellent for daily use. It replaces the previous bestseller the RT-200.
5. Rotatrim Professional M Series Rotary Paper Cutter – While this trimmer may be on the higher end of the price scale, this British-made cutter will probably also last a good 10 years. This is the cutter professional photographers use.
6. Carl DC-220N Heavy Duty Rotary Trimmer – With a 36 sheet cutting capacity, a luminous cutting clamp and a wide range of cutting patterns on the base, this cutter makes paper trimming easy.
7. Rotatrim Mastercut MC Series Paper Cutter – Once known as the monorail, this Rotatrim paper cutter is sturdy, features a square rail and is excellent for precision cutting.
8. Dahle 550, 552 & 554 Professional Rotary Paper Cutters – These cutters are very popular with photographers, artists and others that need reliable paper cutting. German engineered to perfection, these cutters mean business.
9. Carl DC-100N Personal Rotary Trimmer – This paper cutter is compact, can fit in a purse and is great for the hobbyist. While it isn’t designed for heavy-duty cutting, it is still a high-quality compact trimmer that won’t disappoint you.

These paper cutters all have a proven track record. They are great for scrapbookers and should make an excellent Christmas gift. If you’re not sure which of these fine cutters are best for you, please don’t hesitate to call one of our paper cutting experts at 1-800-658-8788. They will be able to help guide you to the right cutter and answer all your questions.

You can find our entire selection of rotary paper cutters here and our wide selection of paper cutters here.

If you have been shopping around for a manually operated stack paper cutter, you have probably noticed that many of them, especially those by Intelli-Cut, Triumph and Dahle, have massive sheet cutting capacities. Many of these cutters can handle up to 700 sheets in a single pass. So how is it that a manually operated cutter is able to handle so much paper? There are a few factors that make this possible.

I have used many stack paper cutters. I remember years ago shooting a video demo of the now discontinued MBM Triumph 3905 . For fun I placed half ream of paper in the cutter and pulled the handle down using nothing more than my pinky finger. I was able to cut several hundred sheets of paper using nothing more than my pinky finger and a little effort. German stack cutters, like Triumph, are nearly effortless to use.

There are 3 main points that make a stack paper cutter so effective. These points, in my opinion, are all factors that your stack paper cutter should have (especially if you cut paper every day).

• Angle – To begin with, a stack paper cutter should be comfortable to use, especially if you will be making multiple cuts every day. For this reason, the cutting arm on a stack cutter should be reasonably easy to access. Most stack paper cutters have an arm that comes up at an angle, but then turns at about 45 degrees to make the grasping handle easier to access. While this is usually the case, I have used stack cutters that had handles that were awkward and difficult to use.
• Leverage – One of the biggest factors that allow a stack cutter to handle so much paper is leverage. Have you ever noticed how long the handle is on a stack paper cutter? This long handle (or lever) is pivoted on a point that allows you to apply a significant mechanical force on the cutting blade. This leverage allows you to apply little manual force, while applying hundreds of pounds of pressure on the cutting blade. Not to get too technical, but this leverage (by means of a long lever) is expressed by using this mathematical formula: M=Fd. F is the force, d is the perpendicular distance between the force and fulcrum (in this case the lever) and M is the turning force (aka moment or torque).
• Gears - The torque, force and length of the handle are further enhanced by a series of pivoting points, mechanical linkage and gears (depending on the design of the cutter).

This blend of engineering expertise and design allows you to cut hundreds of sheets of paper in a way that you could never do with a pair of scissors or a knife. Stack paper cutters are used to cut down copy paper, report covers, card stock, plastic sheets and much more.

At ABC Office we offer a great selection of paper cutters. You can find our entire selection of stack paper cutters here. This selection includes manual, electric and hydraulic-powered stack cutters.

If you were to ask me which brand of rotary paper cutter is the best, I would have to say that Rotatrim is easily in my top 3 favorite brands. Rotatrim paper cutters, made in the UK, have taken the opposite approach of many other paper cutter manufacturers. While many companies out there are looking for ways to trim costs and replace metal with plastic, Rotatrim has kept their same high-quality process for decades.

While Rotatrim has literally a dozen or more different models of cutters, they are ultimately lumped together into 4 different categories. These are the Rotatrim Mastercut MC Series trimmers, Rotatrim Professional M Series cutters, the Rotatrim Technical T Series and the Rotatrim Powertech PT line of cutters. I will explain what these different lines of cutters are and why they may be what you need.

Rotatrim was founded in 1966 and is currently the largest specialist manufacturer of rotary action cutters in the world. These British paper cutters are internationally renowned for their durability, versatility and safety. Their cutters utilize extremely tough Sheffield tungsten steel and are known for their excellent build quality.

Types of Rotatrim Paper Cutters:

Rotatrim Mastercut MC Series Rotary Cutters – The Rotatrim Mastercut MC series cutters, formerly known as the Monorail series, is Rotatrim’s entry level cutter. A cutting wheel sits in a housing that slides along a single square-shaped bar. The base features a grid of common cutting patterns as well as a ruler for alignment purposes. This paper cutter is ideal for home or small business use. While it is Rotatrim’s entry-level cutter, it is still far superior to other brands when it comes to quality. You can find our Rotatrim Mastercut MC series cutters here.

Rotatrim Professional M Series Rotary Cutters – This is the most popular line of Rotatrim paper cutters. The Professional M series cutters, formerly known as Mastercut, are increadibly popular with photographers, copy centers, graphic artists and other people that require absolute precision when cutting material. This cutter has been around for over 40 years and features a solid laminated MDF gridded baseboard, as well as twin chrome plated steel guide rails and a hand-finished tungsten steel blades.

Because the Professional line of rotary cutters uses 2 rails, precision is about as good as you can get in a rotary blade style cutter. A self-sharpening blade keeps the blade sharp and a grid / ruler pattern on the base makes it easy to line up cuts. You can find our Rotatrim Professional M Series rotary cutters here.

Rotatrim Technical T Series Industrial Rotary Cutters – The Technical T series of Rotatrim paper cutters are designed for heavy-duty use and come in lengths up to 99″ long. These cutters feature a stainless steel 1 ½” square guide rail and a self sharpening Sheffield tungsten steel cutting wheel and counterblade. A built in transparent clampstrip keeps material in place during the cutting process. Most of the Technical cutters can handle up to 4mm of flexible sheet material. This includes pop-ups, posters, vinyls, banners and more. You can find our Rotatrim Technical T Series cutters here.

Rotatrim Powertech PT Electric Rotary Cutters – The Rotatrim Powertech PT electrically driven precision trimmers are some of the most powerful and capable commercial rotary cutters available. These cutters utilize a Sheffield tungsten steel blade that is powered by an electrically driven steel reinforced belt. A pneumatic foot pedal allows for easy hands-free operation. The longest Powertech cutter is 99″, which can be used to cut posters, banners, vinyls, maps, blueprints and much more (up to 4mm thick). You can find our entire selection of Rotatrim Powertech PT Series cutters here.

Regardless of the type of Rotatrim paper cutter you decide to use, you will be happy with it. I personally love it when a customer purchases a Rotatrim paper cutter because I know there won’t be any customer service issues later down the road.

You can find our entire selection of rotary paper cutters here.

I recently had a customer ask me a really good question regarding Lassco corner rounders. They wanted to purchase both a CR-20 and a CR-50B. Their question was this, “Can I use the CR-20 die on the CR-50B and vice versa?” This was a great question and one I didn’t have the answer to, so looked into it.

After doing some research I discovered that the CR line of corner rounding dies will work on the CR-20, CR-50B, CR-50, CR-50P and CR-50XP. For the customer asking the question, this meant that the CR-20 1/8″, ¼”, 3/8″ and ½” dies can work on the CR-50B and vice versa.

The customer was happy because they only needed to purchase 2 sets of dies rather than 4 sets of dies. This ended up saving them money in the long run.

Do you have a corner rounder question? Post your question as a comment or feel free to give us a call at 1-800-658-8788.

You can find our entire selection of corner rounders here.

If you’re looking for a no-nonsense guillotine cutter that creates straight and professional cuts, the Dahle 561 premium guillotine might be a great option. This cutter is all metal and features the latest in cutting technology, including many safety features. I had a chance to play around with this cutter a few weeks ago and we shot a video demo.

I have never been a huge fan of the old wood-base guillotine cutters. I have too many memories of trying to cut a school project, which I had spent hours on, only to have it create the most wobbly and crooked cut you ever saw. Guillotine cutters have come a long way since those days. Both Kutrimmer and Dahle manufacture the best guillotines available. Nobody else even comes close.

The Dahle 561 has a 14 ½” cutting length. This is more than enough for most people who are cutting paper and photographs. While the cutter itself isn’t terribly heavy, it is made out of all-metal construction. The only plastic components are the handle, guard shield and guide. The blade, blade, cutting arm and clamp are all metal.

This is a quick video demo of the Dahle 561 Premium Guillotine in use:

I have cut stacks of standard copy paper and card stock with this trimmer. It was all extremely easy to do, the cuts were straight and accurate and I was personally very pleased with the results. It has a 35 sheet cutting capacity (20 lb paper), which is very impressive for a guillotine in this price range.

The Dahle 561 features a German Solingen Steel blade. If you aren’t familiar with Solingen steel, it is considered to be the best steel available for knives and cutting blades. There is no need to think about the clamp. It automatically actuates when you pull down the cutting arm. The extremely sharp blade, combined with a very solid clamp, keeps the cuts where they need to be.

The base on this cutter, which is metal, features a nice printout of common cuts. The top and side of the cutter also features a ruler in inches and centimeters, which really helps square things up.

You can find the Dahle 561 premium guillotine here and our entire selection of Dahle and Kutrimmer guillotine trimmers here.

Stack paper cutters slice through and cut hundreds of sheets of paper at a time. Some are even capable of cutting up to 3″ of paper in a single pass! While not everyone can afford a fully automatic stack cutter, one great alternative is a manual stack cutter like the Intelli-Cut 530D. I recently had a chance to play around with this cutter and this is my review.

To begin with, the Intelli-Cut is a fully manual stack paper cutter. Don’t let that scare you off. While operation is manual, it is extremely easy to use and takes just seconds to operate. In fact, I am able to cut through 100+ sheets of paper simply by using a couple of fingers. I’m pretty sure even a child could operate this thing (although I wouldn’t recommend it).

So what is manual on this machine? To begin with, the clamping mechanism is activated by pulling on one handle where the cutting is done by pulling another handle. The clamp doesn’t require much force and from what I’ve seen it seems to do a great job of keeping paper in place. The blade, as I mentioned earlier, sliced through the paper like butter.

The backstop on the Intelli-Cut 530D is manual, but has some digital assistance. While you do have to turn a hand crank to move the backstop forward and backward, a digital display on the front left of the machine lets you know exactly where the backstop is located. This makes adjustments extremely easy, not to mention extremely accurate.

The cutting blade on the 530D is made from hardened steel and seems to hold up well with repeated use. As the blade cuts through the paper, it ultimately ends up in a cutting stick, which allows you to cut everything right down to the last sheet of paper. The cutting stick is easy to access and simply pulls out of the side of the machine when it needs to be rotated or replaced.

This is a video demo of the Intelli-Cut 530D in use:

Safety was definitely in great consideration when this machine was built. Much like Dahle and Triumph stack cutters, the 530D has a clear safety guard that has to be pulled into place before cutting can begin. This helps keep appendages, such as your fingers, safe from harm.

I have used the 530D to cut standard paper, card stock and laminated material. It seemed to handle all extremely well. The build quality is excellent. Just about everything I touched, prodded and tested seemed to be made out of metal. It seems to hold up well right with the great German stack cutters that I have previously used.

I personally used the 530D with the optional stand (which I love), however, you can use this cutter on a table or desk. Just be aware that it does weigh 115 pounds shipped.

Overall I highly recommend this cutter. If the digital display isn’t exactly a necessity for you, you can order this cutter as the Intelli-Cut 530M without the digital display (found here). This machine is perfect for small print shops, copy centers and others that need to quickly cut down up to 1.5″ of paper at a time.

You can find the Intelli-Cut 530D stack paper cutter here and our entire selection of stack paper cutters here.

If your business is making repeated cuts in excess of a few hundred sheets of paper at a time, throughout the day, you probably need what’s known as heavy-duty stack paper cutters. These are the stack paper cutters that practically run themselves. At ABC Office, we offer a wide variety of different models designed to cut and trim card stock, prints, cards, laminated material and much more.

Not every stack paper cutter can be categorized as heavy duty. While some of our manually operated stack paper cutters can cut a large volume of paper, they aren’t designed for repetitive cuts throughout the day. For something repetitive, you probably need something that is powered by something other than manual force. There are three types of stack paper cutters you may want to use for you heavy-duty operations:

• Manual Electric Stack Paper Cutters – These types of stack paper cutters, sometimes referred to as semi-automatic, usually have either an electric clamp, an electric cutting knife or both. The thing that makes these “manual” is that some element needs to be manually operated. This may be the clamp, the backstop or another component. Manual electric stack cutters are more affordable than automated or hydraulic machines, but they are also a little slower (depending on the job). A good example of a manual electric stack cutter is the Intelli-cut 550MS.
• Automatic Electric Stack Cutters – Automatic stack cutters are fully electric and typically include some sort of automated backstop, programmable memory features and much more. These cutters are designed for repeated cuts and multiple paper sizes throughout the day. Simply select the cut you want to create, push a button and let the machine do the rest. The Triumph 6550EP and Intelli-Cut 680EP are good examples of automatic electric stack paper cutters.
• Hydraulic Stack Paper Cutters – These are considered to be the toughest and heaviest-duty stack paper cutters available. Hydraulic stack cutters use hydraulic pressure to quickly and effortlessly cut through material. These types of paper cutters are typically fully automated, are programmable and are designed for repeated cuts without the need to “cool down.” A good example of a solid hydraulic stack paper cutter is the Triumph 721LT.

This is a video demo of the MBM Triumph 5551EP and 721LT hydraulic stack cutters:

These types of paper cutters are often found in paper manufacturing plants, in-plant printing shops and professional binderies. They are designed for continuous-duty cutting. While the size and capacity of the cutter may vary, the additions of electric motors or hydraulic pumps make these cutters extremely tough.

It has been asked which of these stack paper cutters is best. In my own personal experience, I would have to say that MBM Triumph and Intelli-Cut are probably the most popular. You can find our Triumph stack paper cutters here and our Intelli-Cut stack paper cutters here.

For additional information, or for answers to your questions, please feel free to contact one of our stack paper cutter experts by calling 1-800-658-8788. You can find our entire selection of stack paper cutters here.

When people ask me what paper trimmer I recommend for scrapbook operations, I almost always recommend a Carl paper trimmer. This isn’t because Fiskars, Purple Cows and other brands are necessarily bad, it is because Carl goes above and beyond what you would expect in a paper trimmer. One recent addition to our site, which will probably be a huge hit with the scrabookers, is the Carl DC-300N premium 12″ rotary paper trimmer. This is my review.

Carl manufactures a wide variety of paper trimmers. This varies from handheld pizza-cutter-like trimmers to high-end professional trimmers for photographers. Carl paper trimmers are affordable. A few years back I purchased an RT-200 for my wife and she absolutely loves it.

The Carl DC-300N has a lot going for it. To begin with, it is made from 100 percent recycled materials. This is pretty cool in my book, and if you’re trying to be more green, an environmentally-friendly paper trimmer like the DC-300N is a great option. Both the metal and plastic components are made from recycled materials.

One feature everyone expects to have in a scrapbook-capable paper cutter is portability. While portability may not be a feature you need in a rotary paper trimmer, this cutter includes a built-in handle. Just grab the cutter and go! It also features several storage compartments where you can place extra blades.  You can see more pictures of the Carl DC-300N here.

Blades on the DC-300N are extremely easy to swap out. Not special tools are required. The cutting head itself keeps the blade safely covered during the entire cutting process, making the DC-300N extremely safe. The cutting head is also ergonomically designed to fit in the palm of your hand, making the trimming operation seamless. The blade itself is a premium carbide blade.

While you would expect a paper trimmer to cut only paper, the DC-300N can also be used to trim card stock, photographs, laminated material and more. It has a 20 sheet cutting capacity (with 20lb paper), so it is a pretty robust little cutter, especially considering the low price.

Accuracy may be one of the DC-300N’s highest selling points. The cutting blade is designed to stay true, stable and accurate during the entire cutting process. A built-in clamp helps to keep paper in place, eliminating the dreaded crooked cut. Specially patented Carl cutting rails also help keep things sturdy. This cutter is also pre-calibrated prior to shipping, ensuring accuracy.

One cool feature that I really like, which also helps contribute to accuracy, is the luminous paper holder. This is the green/yellow looking plastic piece you see in the picture. This holder is designed to gather light and highlight the item being trimmed. This puts you in control of the cutting process and makes it extremely easy to see what’s going on.

As you would expect with any rotary paper trimmer, the Carl DC-300N has a series of graphics, grids and rulers printed right on the base of the cutter. This makes it easy to align material for cutting. An adjustable paper clamp also helps you line up your cut.

Overall I have to say that this is a solid little cutter. While it isn’t designed for high-volume cutting, it is perfect for scrabooking, hobby cutting, photo trimming and much more.

You can find the Carl DC-300N premium 12″ rotary paper trimmer here and our entire line of rotary paper cutters here.

Carl rotary paper trimmers are some of the most popular trimmers we offer. There are many reasons for this. To begin with, Carl paper cutters are extremely affordable. There are a variety of different designs to choose from and many of them are available with interchangeable blades. Car trimmers are a huge hit with scrapbookers, photographers, hobbyists and others that need precision cutting. We are proud to announce that we have just added 7 new models to our site.

Carl has made many changes to their new lineup of rotary paper trimmers. These changes, in my opinion, are for the better. To begin with, their new paper trimmers are made from recycled materials. This is environmentally friendly and a rarity among paper trimmer manufacturers.

I’m also a big fan of the new color scheme. Carl trimmers used to have a blue and gray look, but now have a metal gray and black look. The new look is very modern and looks excellent sitting on a desk or table. Most of the new Carl trimmers are extremely portable and many even include a built-in handle.

One of the biggest changes is the addition of a luminous paper holder. This holder has a fluorescent yellow/green look to it. It is designed to gather ambient light; focusing the light on the item you are cutting. Because it is easier to see what you are trimming, cuts turn out better.

Here are the new Carl trimmers we just added to our site:

• Carl DC-95N Personal Rotary Trimmer
• Carl RBT-12 Personal Rotary Trimmer
• Carl RT-200N Professional Rotary Trimmer
• Carl DC-300N Premium Rotary Trimmer
• Carl DC-238N Heavy-Duty Rotary Trimmer
• Carl DC-210N Personal Rotary Trimmer
• Carl DC-220N Heavy Duty Rotary Trimmer

We are excited to have these new trimmers on our site. We have always had great luck with Carl. A few years ago I purchased an RT-200 for my wife and she loves it. I am certain you will love these new rotary paper trimmers. You can find our entire selection of rotary paper cutters here.