Posted by Roger E. Edison | Posted in Arts & Crafts | Posted on 28-02-2010
Tags: art, crafts, design, shopping, stamps
How to Purchase the Best Finishing Tools for Stamping
Whether you are just starting in rubber stamping or you’re an avid hobbyist, one thing is for sure, you’ll need an efficient way to cut and trim your paper craft designs. Whether your using card stock or glossy photo paper, having the right tool makes a big difference in the final look of the project. There are many different cutting and trimming tools used in rubber stamping and scrapbooking. We would like to give you a quick guide for these tools and explain the different types. Your finished paper craft project will look wonderful!
Some of the most popular trimming and cutting tools are the guillotine, personal paper, and rotary trimmer. In addition to these tools, paper punches, scoring blades, T-squares, and shape cutters are also important to have on hand before starting your next project.
The first paper trimmer to come to mind is the guillotine, which can be purchased at any office supply store. A straight blade is pulled directly over the paper to make a perfectly straight cut. Get a solid, well made trimmer with tight handle fittings. Most guillotine trimmers can cut between ten to twenty pieces of paper at a time. The guillotine handle should be made of metal or strong fiberglass and should not flex at all.
Rubber stamping and scrapbooking projects often need small, simple cuts to photos, mattes, and card stock. The personal paper trimmer is an excellent choice for the small routine trimming and can fit inside a desk drawer. Many of the smaller paper trimmers have special safety features that make them suitable for fast trimming of objects held by hand close to the cutting blade. This allows you to crop small pieces of card stock, trim photos, and matte scrapbook pages. Personal paper trimmers are not suitable for large paper trims or making long straight cuts.
The rotary trimmer has many advantages for rubber stamping and paper craft projects. The biggest benefit is the availability of many different decorative blades. If you decide to use a handheld rotary trimmer instead of a table top model, you’ll need to purchase a good self-healing cutting mat. The cutting surface of the mat is designed to allow you to cut paper and even fabric without perceived wear.
Cutting a circle or oval shapes with scissors can be very difficult. Shape cutters have quickly become a favorite tool for paper craft artists. Shape cutters come with plastic templates that allow you to cut many different shape sizes.
Paper punches are the simplest way to insure that you have perfect cutout shapes on every scrapbooking layout. You can find many different styles and shapes. The most important thing to consider when purchasing a paper punch is the handle. Getting a paper punch that is easy to press goes a long way when you are making multiple items or many cards. Some of the best paper punches also have holding containers that will keep your work area free from punch scraps.
T-squares and the scoring blades are tools that can be very helpful while stamping and scrapbooking. Durable T-squares that will last many years can be purchased at your local hardware store. Cheaper styles can be purchased at a craft store. Buy a quality T-square that has a tooled edge for making perfectly straight lines and cuts. You will be able to line up corners and make perfect mattes. Scoring blades are used to make straight tears and folds along the corner edges of handmade greeting cards. Designer scoring blades allow you make decorative tears on scrapbooking paper and card stock.
Whether you’re scrapbooking, cardmaking, or rubber stamp project is large or small having the proper cutting and trimming tools is very necessary. Having the right trimming and cutting tools helps make your paper craft project look its best. Having these simple cutting tools on hand will allow you to dive into those projects and come out with straight edges, crops, and trims every time. Always keep your tools sharp and out of the reach of small children. You’re going to love each of the different cutting and trimming tools, and I suggest you get one of each to see the benefits clearly.
About the Author
Kathy Williams started in rubber stamping as a hobby and now runs Rubber Stamping Fun, a great online store filled with unique rubber stamps.
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