We are pleased to present the 10 best paper cutters for teachers because a high-quality paper cutter will save you a lot of time and effort. Regardless of whether crafting is a hobby or you make a living off of it, getting a quality paper cutter is an excellent idea.
But finding the right one from the ocean of options can be challenging. There are a lot of paper cutters and from a variety of brands. Each offers some advantages and has its cons.
Plus, if you don’t know what to look for, there’s a chance you end up wasting your money on the wrong product.
There’s no need to worry, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve done the legwork for you and have summed up the top ten paper cutters out of the hundreds of options there are for you to choose from.
10 Best Paper Cutters for Teachers: The List
#1 Best Paper Cutter For Teachers Overall: Swingline ClassicCut Lite
This guillotine-styled body paper cutter is one of the top products on the list. It requires almost zero maintenance and cuts a maximum of 15 inches of long-side paper.
It can cut ten papers at a time without any problem. It comes with a safety guard, ensuring you do not hurt yourself while working with the paper cutter.
The cutter features a guard lock to ensure that the handle is in place even when the product is not being used. Coming to the price, it is quite affordable for personal use and other multiple projects. It saves a lot of time and provides high efficiency.
It is a very sturdy and long-lasting product that can be used efficiently without any hassle. It also looks quite stylish and attractive.
#2 Runner-up: Fiskars Recycled Bypass Trimmer
Second on our list is the Fiskars Recycled Bypass Trimmer paper cutter. This one is loaded with advantages. It is smaller compared to the Swingline ClassicCut Lite.
But this product does not face any difficulty to cut through papers as long as 12 inches. Compared to the last product, both have the same price range except that the Fiskars Recycled Bypass Trimmer is smaller in size.
The plastic guard feature holds the paper in place to ensure the safety of your fingers and cut the paper accurately. The best feature of this paper cutter is that it comes with a self-sharpening blade attached to it. Customers find the paper cutter’s non-slip rubber texture very useful and safe.
Also, the clamp for keeping the paper in place while cutting is another feature the customers loved. As it comes with a self-sharpening blade, there is no need to change this paper cutter’s blade. It also provides a handle that makes it portable and easy to store. The handle can also be used to hang the paper cutter on the wall.
#3 Best For The Staff Room: X-ACTO 24×24 Commercial Grade Square Guillotine Trimmer
The X-ACTO 24×24 Commercial Grade Square Guillotine Trimmer is the most costly paper cutter on the list but surely worth the price with the longevity it provides. This one is the best paper cutter with a solid wooden base and a self-sharpening blade to add to the features.
It can cut papers of 24 by 24 inches and twenty papers at a time. This feature is so helpful for the fast progress of any job. This paper cutter comes with a self-healing cutting mat and lasts for a very long time.
It provides all safety measures, and the cutting is perfectly straight and neat. The price might seem a little high to some customers, but once purchased, the product would surely not disappoint.
#4 HFS ( R ) Heavy Duty Guillotine Paper Cutter – 12″ Paper Cutter
This one is no doubt one of the best stack paper cutters available in the market. It can trim up to a hundred pages at once without any hassle. It can even cut through a whole book without a problem. This is a truly power-packed paper cutter.
Even though it comes with all the safety measures, it is highly recommended to keep it away from kids who do not know its use and end up hurting themselves. It is a very helpful paper cutter for bundles of paper cutting jobs.
It features a holding gate that keeps the papers to be cut in place and holds them firmly enough to give a perfect and straight cut.
It features a unique and effective hinge system that helps increase the leverage from the handle to the blade, making it possible to cut 400 pages at a time very easily. The grid is made of scratch-proof material and provides longevity since it remains clean even after heavy usage.
#5 CARL Heavy Duty Rotary Paper Trimmer 12 Inches
If you are looking for anything other than a guillotine paper cutter, this unique rotatory paper cutter is the perfect choice for you.
The main difference between a guillotine paper cutter and a rotatory paper cutter is that the swinging blade is replaced by the rolling disk that slides back and forth for cutting paper.
The CARL Heavy Duty Rotary Paper Trimmer is one of the best products in the rotatory paper cutter category. It can cut papers of size 12 inches without a problem. This paper cutter also comes with a built-in measurement board with the help of which you can easily set the marking of your cutting as per your requirements.
A free replacement perforating blade is included in the package. The perforating blade is pretty attractive to the kids as they tear papers apart from the perforations.
This product also comes with an extra set of perforating and straight blades and a pair of free-cutting mats. The design of the paper holder attracts, making positioning and cutting that much easier.
#6 Fiskars 100580-1002 Procision Rotary Bypass Trimmer, 12 Inch
The product’s wide base can be easily folded as per requirement and when it is not in use. The rotatory blade slides swiftly along with the attached rails. The clear plastic base makes it easy to see through while cutting the pages.
It ensures the safety of your fingers while cutting and also keeps them clean. It is an excellent product for left-handed people, and the markings can be shifted from one side to the other. The rubber base is handy as it does not skid while working.
The clamp provided holds the pages in place while cutting. It comes with a self-sharpening blade and hence requires no change of blade at all. The handle with this product is very helpful for portability and easy storage. You can also hang it on the wall with ease.
#7 CARL 12-Inch Green Friendly Professional Rotary Paper Trimmer
This product is one of the most affordable paper cutters available in the market. It is also one of the safest paper cutters, as it comes with a no-touch rotatory wheel.
This paper cutter is also useful for left-handed people as it works the same on both sides. Most rotatory paper cutters are featured with this criteria.
This product comes with a metallic base and can cut up to 10 papers at once. An aligned grid and ruler are provided with this product, making it very easy to make perfect cuts without any hassle.
This paper can cut through various materials like a mat board or a card stock and sometimes even plastic paper. The smooth carbide handle ensures the perfect grip for working on every project. The blades that can fit this product comes in eleven sizes and shapes.
#8 Fiskars 152490-1004 SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer, 12 Inch
This lightweight and compact paper cutter makes cutting small photos, office papers, and other smaller papers like coupons extremely easy. It comes with a cut line to indicate the line along which the blade would cut.
The rail and triple stack system interlocks to produce clean and accurate cuts. This product comes with a lifetime warranty. The grip of this product remains intact while cutting because of the good quality ergonomic cutting carriage.
The customers rated this product high as it is useful and very lightweight. The additional features like the ergonomic grip or the triple stack system and the rail make it one of the best paper cutter for accurate cutting.
#9 Dahle 552
The Dahle 552 paper cutter is the perfect companion for cutting paper, card stock, and photo papers. It comes with a self-sharpening blade.
It is perfect for left-handed people as it is a rolling paper trimmer and can easily be cut from both directions without a hassle.
The safety is top-notch with the protective housing encased ground steel blade that is provided in this product. The unwanted shifting is avoided by the automatic clamp that works securely. The sturdy metal base is built to last and provides a solid foundation.
This German-engineered product supplies perfectly precise cuts. It can cut up to twenty sheets of paper at a time. It offers angle guides and screened inch measurements for easy usage. It also comes with an adjustable alignment guide for repetitive cutting.
#10 Dahle 18E Vantage Series
The Dahle 18E Vintage Series paper cutter is suitable for office professionals, photographers, artists, students, scrapbookers, and crafters. From cutting a single sheet of paper to cutting fifteen of them together, the Dahle Vantage Trimmer is the perfect tool for your needs.
This paper cutter provides accuracy as well as the safety you’d expect out of a premium product. The sturdy metal base foundation is built for absolute durability. It is designed to serve rigorous activities all day. For appropriate measurement, this paper cutter contains an adjustable backdrop and carefully screened guidelines.
The automatic clamps hold the pages in place while cutting, and the nonskid rubber handle prevents slipping. It has a maximum cut length of eighteen inches and cuts up to fifteen pages at a time.
What To Look For In A Paper Cutter
Finger Guard
When getting a guillotine paper cutter, ensuring that it has a finger guard running along the length of the trimmer’s base is a must.
This is important so that you do not end up hurting your finger with the blade while cutting papers. Some cutters even provide finger guards on both sides of the base for increased safety.
Generally, the finger guards provided are made of plastic, but there are metal ones available too. It is recommended never to remove the finger guard. That would turn it into a dangerous tool.
Tension Spring
The tension spring is the component that prevents a guillotine paper cutter from becoming as dangerous as a real guillotine. The tension spring is attached to the blade so that it cannot move until you move it.
The tension spring prevents the blade from popping up or coming down unexpectedly. It ensures zero risk of getting injured.
In case the tension spring gets damaged, make sure to either repair it or replace it. Do not use a paper cutter with a broken tension spring.
Blade Latch
When not in use, the blade latch helps in keeping the blade in place. It is like a little wire that hooks to the handle or metal attached to the handle.
The blade is prevented from popping up with the help of the blade latch. It also protects people from cutting their hands while moving the blade.
It is important to keep the blade latched when not in use to prevent any accident of you or anyone around.
Size
It is imperative to know what size you require for the paper cutter. How big or small should it be?
The answer to that depends on how much paper you are planning to cut. With small paper cutters, you can cut a small bunch of paper at a time. For larger volumes of paper needed to be cut at once, you will require a big paper cutter.
The thickness is also a factor that needs to be considered. Bigger paper cutters cut three-inch stacks of paper. While deciding the size of the paper cutter, consider how often you are going to use it. A small one would not be of any use with larger loads of paper.
Blade Material
Titanium and stainless steel are the most common materials that paper cutter blades are made out of. They are most effective too for cutting papers.
Stainless steel blades are cheaper and provide a perfect sharp cut. Titanium, on the other hand, is more durable and has a self-sharpening ability.
Quality Base
There are three options for what type of base you want for your product: a metal base, a plastic one, or wood. Metal, as you can probably tell, is the most durable material of the three. But it is heavy and makes the cutter less portable.
Plastic is a good base since it is lightweight and also safe. Wood bases are also an excellent option because they are not heavy, are durable, do not rust, and do not need any maintenance. Wooden bases work best with rolling trimmers and titanium blades.
If you are planning to stick to just one place with your guillotine paper cutter, it would not be an issue but if you want to move around for work purposes with the paper cutter, make sure you carry a small portable one.
Portability
As we mentioned earlier as well, the most portable paper cutters are the ones made of plastic.
With the guide out of the way, here are the top ten paper cutters for teachers and educators to make their work easier:
Tips For Using A Paper Cutter
- Do not carry the cutter by the blade or the handle. Carry it by the base or if a handle is provided for carrying it around.
- Make sure to latch the blade after every use so that the blade does not pop up unexpectedly and hurt someone.
- Children below 12 years of age might not have the strength to pull the lever and can end up hurting themselves while trying. Do not keep your cutter around children.
- Do not forget to look for a cutter that is stable on a flat surface and does not skid or slip while cutting the papers. Rubber feet are the best safety feature to look for.
- Remember to keep the blades sharpened if you do not wish to have poor and uneven cuts. Titanium blades are generally self-sharpening, but the other types may need to be replaced at regular intervals.
- Oil the pivot and cutter joints for the smooth functioning of the paper trimmer. As the machines get older, they might require some regular oiling to keep them working normally.
- Keep the area around the paper cutter clean if you do not want to stain your papers with unwanted marks and dust.
- It is recommended to memorize the functions and features thoroughly so that you do not have to look into the guidebook every time you use it. This would help reduce the working time a lot and make your work efficient.
- If you’re left-handed, we recommend that you go for a rotatory blade paper cutter since you can change sides with ease.
10 Best Paper Cutters for Teachers FAQs
Which one of these is the best for scrapbook work?
The best one on the list for scrapbooking is the Swingline ClassicCut Lite paper cutter. Though all of the others are good, this is the one that impresses us the most.
What is a rotary paper cutter?
The rotary paper cutters are the ones that come with round blades and plastic heads that provide maximum safety. The blade is attached to the sliding metal bar. The best feature of such paper cutters is that they cut papers perfectly straight.
What is a guillotine paper cutter?
These cutters come with an angled blade that can slice through many sheets in one go with great precision.
It is most prominent in schools, colleges, and offices, but if you have a lot of papers to slice, getting one for your home is an excellent idea.
Which is the best guillotine paper cutter?
We consider the X-ACTO commercial-grade guillotine trimmer the best guillotine paper cutter. It has all the hallmarks of a quality paper cutter.
10 Best Paper Cutters for Teachers Conclusion
Finding a paper cutter that best suits your needs can be more challenging than you’d thought. It only becomes tougher with so many cutters offering different features at different price points.
But with our guide and shortlist of best paper cutters handy, you’ll be able to find the right product in no time.