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Monday, January 05, 2026
Paper Cutting
Cool Tools: You razor-cut things on this mat, and unlike other materials it won’t accumulate a field of cut marks to misguide your blade. The self-healing rubber keeps the surface uniformly smooth, clean, and firm. And protects your table.
I have honestly never had very much luck with cutting tools like the ones described in this article. Things always seem to not cut very well, or get dull quickly, or just get lost super easily. I have used a lot of mats like the “self-healing” one described as the first item, but I have never been particularly impressed by their self healing ability. They are a nice surface to cut on and the built-in rulers and guides are nice, but they still show plenty of scars from where they have been cut, particularly if you are using something like a box-cutter. I would be curious to spend more time using rotary cutters like the third item described on this page. I have used cutters like this a couple of times when doing sewing projects, but never for paper or other craft projects. They seem cool, but they are so much more expensive than a normal pair of scissors, and I wonder if they are worth it. It also seems like they get too dull to cut well really quickly, and just a new blade is quite expensive.
I didn't know that self sharpening paper cutters existed until I got the opportunity to use the one in the prop shop, and I’ve got to say, they are pretty sweet. I will always have a soft spot for the giant guillotine paper cutters, because it is a hilariously overdramatic way to cut paper, but it sure is fun to slice things with. I think bone folders are a bit of an unnecessary paper accessory when literally any object with a flat edge can be used in its stead, but it does make it look like you know what you're doing if you pull out a bone folder, so it might be worth it just for that. I’m especially curious about the final pair of scissors in this article. It's an interesting idea to create rotating blades that can glide through paper, though I wonder if they stay sharp for any meaningful amount of time as paper has a track record of immediately dulling any blade that touches it.
2 comments:
I have honestly never had very much luck with cutting tools like the ones described in this article. Things always seem to not cut very well, or get dull quickly, or just get lost super easily. I have used a lot of mats like the “self-healing” one described as the first item, but I have never been particularly impressed by their self healing ability. They are a nice surface to cut on and the built-in rulers and guides are nice, but they still show plenty of scars from where they have been cut, particularly if you are using something like a box-cutter.
I would be curious to spend more time using rotary cutters like the third item described on this page. I have used cutters like this a couple of times when doing sewing projects, but never for paper or other craft projects. They seem cool, but they are so much more expensive than a normal pair of scissors, and I wonder if they are worth it. It also seems like they get too dull to cut well really quickly, and just a new blade is quite expensive.
I didn't know that self sharpening paper cutters existed until I got the opportunity to use the one in the prop shop, and I’ve got to say, they are pretty sweet. I will always have a soft spot for the giant guillotine paper cutters, because it is a hilariously overdramatic way to cut paper, but it sure is fun to slice things with. I think bone folders are a bit of an unnecessary paper accessory when literally any object with a flat edge can be used in its stead, but it does make it look like you know what you're doing if you pull out a bone folder, so it might be worth it just for that. I’m especially curious about the final pair of scissors in this article. It's an interesting idea to create rotating blades that can glide through paper, though I wonder if they stay sharp for any meaningful amount of time as paper has a track record of immediately dulling any blade that touches it.
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