CARL Heavy Duty Rotary Paper Trimmer - 12238, Black/Silver, 18inch

The media could not be loaded. I wish I got it on the first day it came out. It is such a time-saver and compared to cutting hundreds of card stock by hand, it is VERY SAFE TO USE. I was so impressed with it that I made a quick video. So here is what I found after doing a couple graphic design projects ‘in house’,, meaning I printed the job on my laser and then cut them myself. No printer was used for any services. We did this to save time and money on a small project.SIZE OF PRODUCT: There are four sizes: 12”, 15”, 18”, and 25”. I purchased the15”. The descriptions may not have the sizes correct so I used a ruler for you to get a pretty good idea of the 15” size. To me, it’s perfect. Any bigger and I might find it too bulky to store anywhere.CUTTING CARD STOCK: So, I had a small project to print 100 sheets that I then had to cut into equal thirds. I used Hammermill 80 lb card stock. What I found was that this little cutter can easily cut card stock. You can either push hard to cut through multiple sheets or do what I found was very helpful and easy. I move the cutter up and down several times till all the paper is cut. Just make sure none of them move into the cutting line/area. In my video, I cut about 6 or 7 sheets of that 80 lbs card stock but when I did my first 100 sheet project, I put about 10 sheets in at a time.CUT QUALITY: The cut is very clean and very straight. One of the reasons is because the gold/yellow piece gets pressed down onto the paper and very firmly holds the paper down while you are cutting. You literally do not have to touch the paper once you’ve locked the cutter in place. Since the paper doesn’t move, your cuts are clean and straight. Also, this baby allows you to change the blade. So, every time you change the blade, it’s like a new cutter. It also comes with one extra regular blade and at least one other specialty blade.SAFEY: If you have EVER used an exact knife/blade on multiple cuts, you know it’s not so safe. Over the years, I’ve cut my fingers and thumb while holding my straight edge firm on whatever I’m cutting. It was so nice to cut 100 sheets of paper and my fingers were completely safe! 👍 -and thumb!COMPARE TO GUILLOTINE TYPE: If you are on the fence and thinking about the guillotine type, read the reviews to some of those. The guillotine pushes the paper down so you get a sort of fan cut while cutting multiple sheets. Also, many of those do not allow you to replace the blade. I read one review on a guillotine type that lasts maybe 6 months but there was no blade replacement s it was no longer usable. That is what sold me on this one. The fact it holds the paper down securely was an awesome surprise.TIPS: Don’t try to cut through all the sheets at one time but glide up and down, especially for card stock. Keep moving the cut pieces out of the way. Create a guide to your cuts on a blank sheet if you are cutting a printed design/layout. For example, you want to cut 10 sheets of regular or card stock in half and it has to be pretty accurate. Instead of marking on one of your printouts, get a blank sheet of that same paper and mark where you want the cut. Place it on top of the sheets and use it as a guide. In my case, I had a project with 100 sheets that had the design I did printed via my laser printer. I needed all those 100 sheets cut in thirds because I laid out 3-up on a page. I took about 10 blank sheets and printed guide marks. I took about 10 or so sheets at a time and placed the blank/marked sheet on top and used it to help get very accurate cuts.This cutter took me seconds to figure out and saves a ton of time in cutting. I delivered the job to my client and he was so happy. We saved a ton of money and it actually saved me time because I didn’t need to run to the printer to drop off or pick up the. Job. For smaller projects, this is perfect.

If you are looking at all the descriptions of cutters and don't know which one to choose, this is the one to buy.It's large in size and works in a sensible way, the cuts are exact and not off by any degree, and when you cut the plastic guide locks down so nothing will slip.This is very much worth the money if you have to do something like cut DVD inserts for cases or other types of covers for publications. I have tried many cutters and they give uneven cuts and were flimsy. This has some weight to it and won't slip around. If you want a cutter that just works right and isn't cheap junk or poorly constructed, this is it.

It's not generally difficult for me to make purchasing decisions, but a paper trimmer became a glaring exception. I needed it primarily to create labels for a product we make by hand, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make the labels by hand that were up to the standard of the product.With their generous one-item coupons in mind, I checked the on-line catalogs of Joann Fabrics and Michael's Crafts, gave eBay the required cursory look just for price comparison, and concentrated on Amazon for reviews & Prime. I was prepared to drop $25 or $30.I bought this trimmer from Amazon, and that was the right decision for me. Here's why. I needed to see the exact place where the cut would be made. I print tiny registration marks in the labels to help me keep them lined up properly as I change the item specifics in each, and also to show me precisely where to cut. For whatever reason, my printers haven't always placed a print in the exact same place on a page from copy to copy. Once I cut that first line, then the rest can be cut in a stack.That brings me to a second point. The old guillotine cutter I bought years ago only manages a few pages of this 32# 100% cotton stock at once. It takes 2 passes of the cutter head, but with this trimmer, I can cut 20 pieces of that paper at once. The cuts are perfectly clean, straight, and square, and effortless to make.The locking mechanism is both brilliant, and the reason this trimmer works so well, cuts such straight lines. If the lever is raised, the mechanism is unlocked, and paper can be moved around under it. Once lowered, it holds the paper absolutely still while you cut.Many of the trimmers in the $25 to $30 range, and well into the hundreds, have some part of the contraption built into the base in such a way that the scale and/or grid is missing which makes cutting a narrow strip from a narrow strip impossible. You can do that with this trimmer, and the entire base is both intact and visible, though the portion directly under the locking mechanism is somewhat obscured by it.The only other trimmers I saw with metal bases like this were made by X-Acto, but they lacked a sophisticated locking device for the paper, and they only cut a few pages at one time. I didn't want plastic.The single con is the magnetic bar that's intended to be used for making multiple cuts of the same size, and the way it relates to the Slimer-green "light-gathering acrylic" guide. First, since my labels are about 1.275" wide and the guide is about 2" wide, the magnetic bar can't be brought close enough to use. Second, the magnet is quite strong, and that's good; it prevents accidental movement. It's also not so good in that the bar doe not have any mechanism to stay square, and must be manually squared each time it's moved. It takes a little effort because you need to fight with the magnet. I solved that by removing the magnet.I like well made tools, and I have some of my grandfather's who passed more than 30 years ago who also invested in good tools during his life. I've skipped meals to buy well crafted tools, and I scrimped to get this one. Quality tools last, and they pay back much more than they cost over their lifetime of service. There weren't any shortcuts taken in the fabrication of this tool so far as I can see. Seams & corners meet perfectly, and the craftsmanship in general is impeccable. I feel comfortable in recommending this trimmer to anyone who's serious about their work. I wish I had another star to give out every hundred reviews. If I did, this would get it.