Guidance on what to look for in a paper cutter/trimmer I have been drawing and painting for a while now on smaller paper sizes, i.e. up to 11&quot; x 14&quot;. I am looking to &quot;go bigger&quot; upwards to 18&quot; x 24&quot; possibly even 24&quot; x 36&quot;.
I am looking at purchasing a paper cutter/trimmer with the possibility of cutting matboard as well. I have seen some of the mat cutters by Logan on dickblick.com. I have used both rotary and guillotine cutters and I prefer the rotary type.
Would it be better to get one tool that does both paper and matboard? Or would it be better to get two different cutters? Also, what kinds of features would I need to look for in the cutter/trimmer?
A finger guard
Finger guards should go along the trimmer's base. It's a safety feature that prevents your fingers from being chopped.
A Tension Spring
This prevents a guillotine paper cutter from acting like an actual guillotine. The tension spring is attached to the blade so it won't move by itself.
A Blade Latch
It holds the blade in place when you aren't using the paper guillotine. It's usually a wire that hooks over the handle. Sometimes, it's a piece of metal attached at the bottom of the handle. Now, you may ask: Why do I need this? This prevents the blade from popping up.
Watch out for the size
Consider the thickness of the paper you'll be using. Bigger ones can usually cut through a 3-inch stack of paper.
Portability
Consider whether you're going to take it to other locations; if so, make sure it's appropriate for traveling.
One tool that does both paper and mat board vs. two different cutters?
 I think that's opinion based, because it will cost more to buy two separate tools, but putting that aside:
- Economically [option 2 wins]
- The sharpness of the blade shouldn't be affected by cutting a mat board (maybe over time)
 I would recommend (if you're going to use it often) to buy only one that does the cutting you're looking for... it has to be a high-quality cutter (because I suppose you probably won't want to replace it every time something happens to it).


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