Crooked Paper or Crooked Trimmer?

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Permalink Reply by Mary on April 24, 2011 at 6:47pm

Hi Dawn it most definitely is not you.  I currently have five trimmers 2 lge 2 medium and 1 small stacked in my craft room and not one of them gives a straight cut.  Four are rotary trimmers and one has a pointy blade and is horrible as it shreds the cardstock if you dont get it started just right.  I am thinking on checking out Tonic guillotine cutters as I have heard that they are good at making straight cuts.  Im definitely over rotary trimmers.

  The comments on the cardstock being crooked are most interesting, it had never occurred to me to check it out,  Must do so, just automatically blamed myself. :)

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Permalink Reply by karen adams on April 26, 2011 at 3:59am

always thought it was me! thanks for a interesting thread!

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Permalink Reply by Gillian on June 4, 2011 at 10:12am

I don't know when it happened, but I am not too finicky about my paper being perfectly cut. I find my cards stand up better actually if they are just slightly off a perfect edge cut. Lately for my Christmas Cards, I make about ten at a time. I am trying to do ten a month to stay ahead of the crazy time in November and December. But sometimes when I make ten card bases, I do notice a slight edge may have more paper sticking out than the other, and will trim it off. Sometimes I don't because I know it will stand better just cut slightly off! In my opinion, I think paper comes cut slightly off, because they do this is mass production. The machines are accurate but the paper is not. Very slight imperfections in mass can lead to bigger imperfections.

I have a Fiskars Rotary blade cutter. I love this tool! I couldn't cut papers without it. It looks like it cuts very straight every time. The way the user holds the paper or lines up the edges might also allow a slightly imperfect cut. I happen to like my rotary trimmer. It cuts clean after thousands of cuts. I have only replaced the blade twice in about three years. It was hard for me to let go the imperfections sometimes, as it used to bother me soooo much. Then I noticed the slightly off-cut cards stood up a little better to display. Then it didn't bother me as much. No one really notices but the maker! :)

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Permalink Reply by Dawn on June 5, 2011 at 5:35pm

I tried the advice given by others to cut a slight amount off of each edge and start from there. Even doing that, my paper would come out crooked. Finally, yesterday I went ahead and bought the Purple Cow guillotine cutter. I was pessimistic of course but when I got home and tested it I was able to make a PERFECT card! I couldn't believe it! When I lined the paper up at first, it was not even with the lines on the cutter so I trimmed some off of each edge and then made my card, scored it and there it was, absolutely perfect! My hubby tried getting me to buy the Purple Cow trimmer a couple of years ago and I didn't because it seemed awkward, which it is since I'm used to my sliding blade cutters. But for an even and perfect cut I think I can get used to it! Just thought I would update...Thanks for all the great replies! :0)

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Permalink Reply by Margaret Reilly on June 5, 2011 at 8:23pm

After our last discussion I went to our local  MIchaels store and found a wonderful lady there who suggested that instead of a rotary cutter I try a sliding blade cutter, the secret though she said was to make sure the cutter had a firm measuring bed that did not bend when you pushed down on it. She also told me that when you use a rotary cutter depending which you press the rotary blades can bend in or out therefore messing up your cut. I purchased the new Fiskars with the wire in the cutting slot. I have never  been so pleased.Yah Bonnie at Michaels.

 

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Permalink Reply by Dawn on June 5, 2011 at 11:54pm

 

That's really strange because I think that the cutter you are talking about is the same one that I bought before this new one. I didn't have any luck with it either, but I am really glad that you love it! I guess that's what it comes down to is just finding what works for you and maybe that won't be the same for everyone. You're right though, I have noticed that the blades can do some weird things which will cause a bad cut...so strange! Glad you found something you love. :0)

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Permalink Reply by lezzles on June 7, 2011 at 5:45pm

I have the same issue's too..... the friskers trimmer that ruler has a bit of movement in it and that tiny bit is enough to throw it out ... and I have 4 different cutters not found one that is exact

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Permalink Reply by Carole Thomas on June 9, 2011 at 5:40pm

After innumerable tries to have straight cut card I have decided that THIS will be my "trademark" in my card making. : "You can tell it is hand made by me by... the signature at the back... and a crooked line somewhere".

If the base is crooked, everything else after that is crooked. I have finally accepted that anything manufactured by humans will not be "perfect". When I lived in the Middle East (Iran) years ago, I was told by a carpet seller that there will always be deliberate mistakes in a Persian carpet, because: " Nothing is perfect but Allah" I have always liked that theory and I still embrace it now. I also think that if anyone chooses to criticize a card because of its (imagined) defects, I  should  tell them a) that's the way it's supposed to be and b)I'm sure the next card YOU make will be perfect!

 We all work too hard at a craft we enjoy to let minor difficulties slow us down!!

But I still get p!@#ed at those crooked cuts :)

C

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