Choosing the Right Electric Paper Cutter

If you need to cut large volumes of paper on a regular basis, you should consider getting an electric paper cutter. There are a lot of these machines available, so picking the right one can be challenging. However, you should be able to find your perfect cutter by considering the following things:

• Width. The width of the cutting blade is one of the most important things to consider. You need to know what sizes of paper you'll be dealing with, so you can choose a machine with a blade that's large enough. If you plan on using digital-sized sheets (12” x 18”), a shorter blade will work. However, you'll need a wide blade if you want to work with parent-sized sheets (23” x 35” and up).
• Depth. You need to consider the cutter's depth. The depth refers to how much room there is behind the blade. There should be enough room to accommodate your paper. It makes cutting it a lot easier.
• Cutting capacity. One of the great things about electric cutters is that they can cut a lot of paper at once. There are even machines that can slice through entire reams of paper. You need to choose a machine with a good cutting capacity so you can finish your work as quickly as possible and meet deadlines.
• Safety features. Any cutting tool can be dangerous to use and that's especially true of electric cutters. There are some specific safety features you should look for such as a safety shield to keep your hands away from the blade. The machine should also have double push-button activation. Some high-quality cutters even have optical eyes that cause the cutter to freeze up if they sense that your hands are near the blade.
• Adjustability and accuracy. Many electric cutters have backstops that can be programmed. These backstops are extremely accurate (often within the nearest 100th of an inch) and they're helpful when doing repeated cuts. The downside is that machines with this feature can be a bit pricey. The more affordable machines' backstops need to be adjusted by hand, so they're not as accurate. Thus, you'll need to look at your budget and determine what you can afford.
• Odds and ends. Finally, you'll want to check out the machine's warranty and the availability of replacement parts. (The cost of these parts should also be considered.) You should also find a local technician to help you out if anything goes wrong.

Those are the things you need to consider in order to get the right electric paper cutter. There are a lot of cutters available, so you should be able to find one that's perfect for your needs, no matter how specific they may be. If you need help deciding which cutter to get, be sure to call us at 1-800-944-4573. We will be happy to help you out.

If you have any other questions or comments about this article please feel free to
email us at sales@mybinding.com or call us at 1-800-944-4573

Written by Jeff McRitchie
©2011 www.MyBinding.com