Cutting paper and other materials is pretty easy when you have the right equipment handy. Cutting tools come in a number of different forms and three of the most common ones are scissors, guillotine paper cutters, rotary trimmers, and stack cutters. Here’s an overview of all three of these kinds of tools so you can hopefully learn which one might be right for your needs.

Scissors. Scissors are the most common tools and something that everyone will use at some point. After all, scissors are made for everyone including little kids (remember the safety scissors you used as a youngster?) and professionals. They can be used to cut a variety of materials including paper, fabric, yarn, plastic, and more. There are even some that are strong enough to be used in cooking and other applications.

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Have you been looking for a heavy-duty paper cutter that can withstand a lot of use? If so, there are many devices out there but one of the best is the MBM Triumph 4315. This is a semi-automatic cutter that has a lot of special features and it makes cutting your paper a snap. Check out this machine’s strengths and weaknesses:

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When it comes to choosing paper cutting tools, a lot of people think that rotary trimmers and scissors are all that’s available. While those tools may be helpful in some circumstances, they won’t cut it if you regularly need to cut large stacks of paper. (No pun intended.) If that’s the situation you find yourself in, you need a stack cutter such as the Tamerica GuilloMax Plus. This is a durable, powerful device that has an amazing cutting capacity among other features. Take a look at its strengths and weaknesses:

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Although the world now does most of its communicating and networking via cell phones, e-mail, and social networking websites, the fact of the matter remains that there is still a place for the humble business card. Business cards will never go out of style because you don’t need the latest gadget to share them. You can hand them out at appointments, trade shows, and networking events. Plus, they can be slipped into envelopes when you mail things out the old-fashioned way. If you don’t have a business card or if you need to re-design your old one, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s really quite easy to create and print your own. Just follow these three easy steps:

• Design your cards. The first thing you need to do is design your business cards. This can be a lot of fun to do, especially if you’re artistically inclined. You can design your cards with whatever program you want. Microsoft Word and Adobe Illustrator are always popular choices, especially since you can download business card templates for Word. (If don’t want to use a template, keep in mind that the standard business card size is 3.5” x 2”. Cards be be either horizontal or vertical.) The key thing to remember when creating your cards is to keep it simple. Less is more. You don’t want the card to become so cluttered that the reader can’t locate your name and contact information. Make sure you use a font that’s stylish but also easy to read. Feel free to include your company’s logo for easy brand recognition. Finally, if you don’t have a lot of faith in your artistic abilities, ask one of your graphic designer friends if he/she can help you out. (For a modest fee, of course.) You can also find graphic design help on the Internet via sites like Fiverr.com if you’re on a tight budget.
• Print your cards. Once your cards have been designed, it’s time to print them. You’re better off printing a bunch of them on one page so you can save paper. If you want, you can purchase pre-perforated paper so the cards will be easy to separate after they’ve been printed. Avoid printing the cards on regular printer paper. You will want to use thin cardstock so the cards can withstand a good amount of handling. Before printing your cards, make sure your printer has a new toner/ink cartridge in it so your cards will look great.
• Separate your cards.After you print your cards, you will need to separate them. There are a few ways you can do this. Check them out: Read the rest of this entry »

If you need to cut paper on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to have a rotary trimmer. These devices can help you cut perfectly straight lines so you can make your work look as professional as possible. Lots of manufacturers make these devices including Swingline, Dahle, and Foster KeenCut. One of Foster Keencut’s rotary trimmers is the RotaTrim. Check out this trimmer’s strengths and weaknesses to determine if it’s right for you:

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