Home bookbinder's dream
While it can't quite take the place of larger, professional paper and board trimmers, this little tabletop cutter is pretty amazing. So far, I have used it to cut thick book board, and signatures for my handmade journals, and it seems to handle both lighter paper and thicker board very well. Two issues if you do regular bookbinding: the cutting area is technically 15" x 7" (that's the limit of the pull-out paper guide, but it can be removed to do wider sheets) so you have to cut big pieces of book board way down (the hardest part for me, which is why I bought this cutter) so they fit in the cutting area of the Zutter Cutter. And the cutting blade actually lowers at around 13" which is a waste of cutting space! I have emailed the company to see if there's something I can do to get them back :) It's also a bit difficult to shave small pieces off one side of cardstock and board; I'm not sure why, as the tension bar holds the pieces down quite firmly, but cuts of 1/4" or less were tricky to make cleanly and super straight. That said, I'm thrilled to be able to cut book board, chipboard (and I'm looking forward to cutting leather and plastic) right at my craft table. Hope the blade holds up because I'm going to give this cutter a workout (my other new favorite bookmaking tool is the Crop a Dile Big Bite, which can punch 1/8" sewing holes right into book board-- so much better than an awl!)