Guillotine paper cutters can be found in nearly every print shop. While safety and performance have improved in recent years, paper cutters still contain the same basic components— a knife, clamp, table and backgauge—that they’ve had for the past century. As a result, industrial paper cutters normally have a long usable life.

Unlike other equipment, such as pre-press, that have seen radical changes in technology, the most important factors to consider when purchasing a paper cutter are not the brand or computer system. It is more important to consider the following:

What size material will you be cutting?

Which types of material will you be cutting?

How much time will be spent cutting?

Is the machine supported with service and spare parts?

Does it meet current safety standards?

Ignoring these basic considerations can make any paper cutter the wrong cutter for your needs.

No matter what you end up cutting with, we've put together some helpful guides to getting the job done right every time.

1. Size of material to be cut

Size of the material being cut is an important factor when choosing a paper cutter.  ALL paper cutters have a fixed cutting width. If your material fits in the machine, it can be cut.

However, there are other factors to be considered:  

Is there enough room to properly align the material against the side guides?

Is there enough room to reposition and turn the material if necessary?

Sheets have two dimensions, length and width. If the cutter is larger then those dimensions, the material to be cut will fit. But an additional consideration, one that is often missed, is what happens to the material during the cutting process.

2.Type of material to be cut

The second critical factor to consider when purchasing a paper cutter is what type of material you will be cutting. If you are only cutting paper, this is not a large concern.

But if you are cutting more difficult material, a stronger machine may be required. This is especially true if you need to cut laminated board, plastics, printing plates and composite materials. While using special blade angles may help improve cut quality, nothing will replace the need for a heavy-duty cutting machine with the strength to handle cutting these hard materials. In many applications today, especially in the recycling industry where a variety of materials are cut simultaneously, an older mechanical machine may be the best alternative.

3.Quantity of material to be cut

The final important consideration is the amount of time that will be spent operating the paper cutter: Will it be running three shifts per day, seven days a week or will it be used only a few hours per day?

Many paper cutting machines are built to run around the clock, so if you only need to run yours for a few hours a day, you will likely end up buying more machine than you need. While everyone likes a new machine, your work may not justify the additional expense. That’s where reconditioned paper cutters come in.

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