Cutting
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Cutting with cutting knife & ruler
If you often work with paper, you definitely need a cutting knife, a metal ruler and, if possible, a cutting mat. This is part of the basic equipment. Why? Unlike scissors, you can use a knife to cut perfectly straight edges. I'll show you how.
You can find accessories for cutting here. For beginners, I recommend this cutting set with cutting knife + replacement blades, ruler and cutting mat.
There are different types of cutting knives. It is important that you can replace the blade and do so regularly. Blades have to be changed regularly because the knife becomes dull over time and then the paper no longer cuts but tears.
Be sure to use a metal ruler or at least one with a metal edge. Cutting knives are very sharp and will quickly cut blemishes into a plastic ruler. Then it's not just the ruler that's broken. Above all, your cuts will no longer be straight with the broken ruler.
A cutting mat is a stable surface that - unlike newspapers or cardboard - is not cut by a knife - which is why it is also called "self-healing cutting mats". So you can use the cutting mat again and again as a base for cutting.
How to cut
My example: The light edges should be cut off from this printed sheet.
To cut, place the ruler on the line to be cut.
Important! The ruler is always on the part of the paper that is to be cut out (in this case the print). If you accidentally slip the knife, only the edge - i.e. the excess paper - will be cut.
Hold the ruler firmly with one hand. Then, with the knife in your other hand, cut sharply along the ruler.
Tip: When cutting out, the lines to be cut are often clearly defined and you only have to place the ruler on these edges. Sometimes - like here with my print - it's not so clear where I have to cut to get proper 90 degree angles. Then you can work with a set square. There are extra set squares with steel edges for cutting. But you can also simply combine a set square and a ruler:
Cut off all unnecessary edges.
My print is now neatly trimmed and ready to be applied to a card.
Cutting with cutting machines
Paper cutting machines are available in large and small sizes, as rotary cutters or lever cutters. With a cutting machine you can cut precise edges and - thanks to the integrated rulers - you can easily cut paper to the right size. For anyone who does a lot of projects with paper, a machine like this is a real asset.
A special type of cutting machine is the circle cutter. This allows you to easily cut out circles of different sizes.
> Here you can find this paper cutting and folding machine from Paper Fuel.
> Here you can find the circle cutter from Vaessen Creative.