[FozzFoster]

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Hey all,

I've been looking for an affordable paper cutter (prefer rotary over guillotine) that can at least cut up to 19 inches.
I see so many at 18 inch, but my max print size is A3+ (13x19).
I'm hoping to keep the budget less than $100 CAD maybe but would be interested to hear if anyone has any input?

There's $400 cutters available at my local camera shop, but those are a outta my range right now.
I'm seeing this one on Amazon, maybe there are other cheaper/better options someone knows about:
INTBUYING Rotary Paper Cutter Portable Trimmer Manual Guillotine Paper Cutting Machine with One Blade (24IN#120088): Amazon.ca: Office Products

Thanks in advance!

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Last edited by FozzFoster; 03-30-2021 at 10:42 AM.

[kmarceau]

I've been using the Rotatrim Professional M Series 24 for a few years.
It was ~$300 US new but I'm sure you could find a used one on ebay.
It is worth the price - it cuts so precisely! I would never buy another brand.

[FozzFoster]

I would never buy another brand.

I really appreciate this suggestion! I will definitely be looking into the brand.

[JohnMc]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1553480-REG/dahle_00552_15001_552_pro...981&

[FozzFoster]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1553480-REG/dahle_00552_15001_552_pro...981&?

Very close to what I'm looking for! Thank you

[cpk]

If at all possible get a rotary cutter with two rails. The single-rail cutters as shown in the Amazon link can tend to wobble from what I hear, especially the less expensive ones. Years ago when I was doing Cibachrome printing I had to be able to cut 16x20 paper into smaller 8x10 sizes in total darkness to create test prints for checking colour balance and exposure. I couldn't use 8x10 paper because that would mean a change in batch number and possible inconsistent results. My solution was a professional Dahle guillotine cutter with clamp. The cuts had to be 100% accurate 8x10 cuts to fit into the processing drums I was using. The cutter was around $400 back then.

---------- Post added 2021-03-30 at 04:10 PM ----------

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1553480-REG/dahle_00552_15001_552_pro...981&

That Dahle cutter looks very good for the price. The wobble I was referring to in my earlier post comes from the single round rail so many of these cutters have. The Dahle design should fix that issue.

On closer look at the B&H posting, that single bar (as it appears in the overall image of the cutter) is really two joined as one.

[JohnMc]

If at all possible get a rotary cutter with two rails. The single-rail cutters as shown in the Amazon link can tend to wobble from what I hear, especially the less expensive ones....


That Dahle cutter looks very good for the price. The wobble I was referring to in my earlier post comes from the single round rail so many of these cutters have. The Dahle design should fix that issue.

On closer look at the B&H posting, that single bar (as it appears in the overall image of the cutter) is really two joined as one.

Ciba and 6ply rag board are the testing grounds. What's a 'test strip'?

[MadBill]

I have the Dahle 508 18” cutter which I supplement with an x-acto knife or Logan matte cutter for longer cuts and it works pretty well for me. I bought the 508 mostly for it’s compact size. But it is not super precise (some people mention adjusting it, I have not attempted that.) Some of it’s lack of precision may be due to it’s shorter paper guide, but that comes with the compact size. If you can manage the larger size and higher cost, I think you will be happier with something like the Dahle 552 long term.

[cpk]

Ciba and 6ply rag board are the testing grounds. What's a 'test strip'?

I'm not sure of what you mean here. Cibachrome was a plastic/paper material on which one printed colour slides. A test print was a portion of the final print used to prove the colour balance and exposure before committing to an expensive full size print.

Added: Cibachrome was an Ilford product, now known as Ilfochrome. It was for slides/positives only.

[JohnMc]

I'm not sure of what you mean here. Cibachrome was a plastic/paper material on which one printed primarily colour slides. A test print was a portion of the final print used to prove the colour balance and exposure.

Added: Cibachrome was an Ilford product, now known as Ilfochrome. It was for slides/positives only.

Poor attempt at humor. My bad. Well versed in Ciba, the point was it and 6ply rag board were good tests for a rotary cutter.

[cpk]

Poor attempt at humor. My bad. Well versed in Ciba, the point was it and 6ply rag board were good tests for a rotary cutter.

Ah, now I get it. Actually it was a good attempt at humour (I can accept a good number of American spellings but not the missing "u"). I was just reading your statement the wrong way, and that to some extent is how humour works.

[Wheatfield]

I really appreciate this suggestion! I will definitely be looking into the brand.

+1 on the Rototrim stuff. I'm using the same Rototrim cutter that I bought in the late 1980s. It has had very heavy use. It will still cut tissue weight paper with no tear outs. They are a bit pricey, but they are a buy once in a lifetime item.