Understanding Paper Cutter and Trimmer Terminology

If you have begun the search for a paper cutter or trimmer for your home or office, you’ve probably already found that there are a great number of machines out there. In fact, there are dozens of models produced by great manufacturers such as Fellowes and GBC. Of course, it’s also unavoidable that you will run into some terms that you are not familiar with — some of them proprietary, some of them industry wide terms that apply to all paper cutting machines. Here, then is a quick guide some of the words, phrases and terminology that you may encounter on your search for a paper cutter for your office.

1. Trimmer: This refers to the type of paper cutter in which the paper is cut by the means of a round blade that slides, usually with a guide bar. Rotary trimmers usually have a capacity of about ten pages and are meant for smaller projects and lighter duty cutting.
2. Guillotine-type paper cutter: This is exactly what it sounds like, featuring a blade with a handle on the end that is brought down in one motion to cut larger stacks of paper. Able to cut as many as forty pages at once, guillotine-type cutters are designed for high-volume cutting, and bigger projects.
3. Adjustable Back Guide: This is a device that sets a fixed back edge on the surface of the trimmer or cutter, which holds the paper in place and helps greatly in ensuring fast, accurate repeat cutting of documents that are the same size, without the user having to realign the stacks of paper that are to be cut every time.
4. Bi-Directional Push/Pull Trim: A feature of most of the higher end trimmers, like those manufactured by GBC and Fellowes, this phrase simply means that the rotary blades of the trimmer allow it to be used in both directions. This may seem like a small detail but it can really save the user a lot of time and effort on even a small to medium project.
5. Quick Change: This is a system that is featured on Fellowes trimming systems that allows for fast, easy and safe blade cartridge removal and insertion. In this system, the actual blades are never touched by the user, increasing the safety aspect. Many paper trimmers require the use of tools to change the blade making the process somewhat cumbersome and dangerous if you are not careful.
6. SafeCut: This is a trademarked term that relates to safety features included on Fellowes trimmers. The term “SafeCut Blade Cartridge” refers to the enclosed system mentioned above which ensures that the blades can’t be touched by the user when changing. The term “SafeCut Guard” refers to the pre-assembled, foldable guard on Fellowes Guillotine style cutters that keeps users safely away from the blade. This style of blade guard also makes storage of the cutter easier and more safety-minded. Some Fellowes machines also include what they refer to as the SafeCut LED Guide. This is a straight LED, or light emitting diode, line that gives the user a straight cutting line. Fellowes claim is that the LED light is safer than the lasers that some other manufacturers include with their trimmers, because it cannot hurt the user’s eyes.