How to Use a Guillotine Paper Trimmer

Below you'll find all of the directions and products I used...

I bought a FISKARS 199130-1001 9 Bypass Paper Trimmer at Joanns and here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/y4npmhuo

X-Acto guillotine trimmer link: http://tinyurl.com/y4pfrbq5

Cricut paper trimmer link: http://tinyurl.com/ycev5wbq  I always recommend that you price shop before buying any tools I mention, as I want you to get the lowest price possible when buying craft supplies

I don't recommend guillotine paper trimmers for people with small children, as it's really easy to cut yourself on them if you aren't careful.

X-acto trimmer---this is a large paper trimmer and it has a lock on the cutting bar, which is a nice feature. This trimmer cuts a lot of paper easily, but doesn't cut one thin piece of copy paper.. I recommend this trimmer for when you want to cut a stack of papers, and only use it for this purpose.  You might be able to make fine cuts with yours, but mine doesn't have a way to hold the paper down the length of the trimmer, so the bottom half of the paper might move.  The bar that you'd think would hold paper in place,  is more for keeping a stack of paper in place, as it doesn't touch the surface of the trimmer.

The Fiskars trimmer works well for cutting smaller pieces of paper...If you use 8 1/2" x 11" paper, you can only put it in the trimmer on the 11" length. If you want to cut your paper on the 8 1/2" length, you can fold it in half first, and then cut it. If you want to make A2 size cards, you'll fold the paper in half, then cut it at 4 1/4" mark. Always make sure your paper buts against the top bar, and hold it in place with your left hand on the paper and the plastic bar, then pull the bar down with your right hand to cut it.
    To cut a 1" square, put your paper so it ends on the 1" mark, and hold it in place, then cut. Turn the paper one turn, and line it up again at the 1" mark, hold the paper, and cut it.
    To cut a sentiment, lay the sentiment under the plastic bar lining it up so it's straight under the plastic bar, then cut. Flip it so the sentiment is upside down and straight in the bar, then cut.
    For uneven sentiments, lay the paper under the bar so the sentiment is straight (when looking through the clear plastic), then cut it. Flip it around so the sentiment is now facing the opposite direction, make sure it's straight under the plastic bar, and cut it. If you have trouble holding onto the paper, put a piece of washi tape on it so you can hold it when you are positioning it.  Make sure to remove most of the stickiness of the washi tape by rubbing it on your skin or clothes before applying it to your cardstock.  This will ensure that it doesn't tear the paper when you remove it.
  To determine where to put paper in the trimmer, you'll want to count the number of dashes between one inch and two inches. Mine has 1/8" marks on top and 1/16th" marks below the black line. If you want to cut your paper at 2 3/8", you'll count three dashes past the two inch mark (toward the three inch mark) and line the left edge of the paper  there and cut it.
To cut 3 5/16, use the dashes below the black line and count five dashes past the three inch mark (toward the four inch mark) and put the left side of your paper on that line and cut.
I hope this video helped you to decide if you want a guillotine trimmer, or, if you have one, how to use it more effectively.

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