In the article 5 Essential Cutting Tools, the basic cutting tools that every scrapbooker should have were introduced. Once you have added the basic cutting tools to your paper crafting tool box, these additional tools will expand your capabilities.
1. Paper Punches - Paper punches are a quick and easy way to create small shapes. The most used punches are generally the corner rounder, circles, squares, and shapes such as hearts, stars, and snowflakes. Punches are also available in more complex shapes, alphabets, and swirls. A standard 3/16" hole punch is a great addition for making tags and mini albums.
2. Die Cut System - A die cut system consists of a set of metal dies and a mechanism to cut the shapes from paper. Dies are available in different thicknesses to allow you to cut shapes from different thicknesses of material. The die is generally sandwiched with a piece of paper and a spacer into the system, and force is applied. Some systems use a squeeze action, and some have rollers to apply force to the die. The die cuts through the paper, leaving you with both a positive and negative letter or shape. Die sets are available in a wide range of shapes and fonts. With a die cut system, you'll never worry about running out of chipboard or sticker letters again.
3. Hand-held Rotary Cutter - If you are a quilter, you already know the benefits of this tool, but the hand-held rotary cutter may be unknown to the paper crafter. This tool is a rotary blade installed in a handle, and acts like a pizza cutter. It can be used to cut strips of paper, and can be useful when cutting paper that is too large to fit into your desktop trimmer.
4. Scoring Tool - The scoring tool is an often overlooked tool in a scrapbooker's inventory. This tool can help you to create crisp folded edges by gently perforating the fold line prior to folding. Hand-held scoring tools are available, and scoring blades for paper trimmers can be purchased specifically for this purpose.
5. Digital Cutting Systems - The computer has entered the realm of paper scrapbooking! There are several digital cutting systems on the market with a range of prices and capabilities. These systems allow you to generate letters and shapes in a variety of sizes, and to cut shapes from large paper sheets.
Unlike traditional die-cut systems, digital cutting systems use a small blade that cuts out the shape, in a similar action to you using a craft knife to cut out shapes by hand. Some digital systems are stand-alone units: they do not require a computer for operation. These systems generally use font and shape cartridges, and you can select the letters, shapes and sizes you want to cut through a user interface on the unit.
Other systems require a computer interface, but are more flexible in the fonts and shapes that can be cut. These systems can generally cut all True Type Fonts, and some systems can accept imported shapes from Adobe Illustrator. The purchase price of digital cutting systems can be steep, but their range of capability provides a distinct benefit over traditional die -cut systems.
Any or all of these tools will help the paper crafter or scrapbooker create perfectly cut paper pieces for her projects.
