!!!$225 for a paper cutter?
What's wrong with the $9.26 one I got from Amazon?
You do realize that I'm just putting these prints in my family album, right?
If you already have a paper cutter, use it. Upgrade if you feel the need to. A rotary cutter is better than a guillotine cutter, especially if you're going to do paper cutting in total darkness. Rotatrim isn't the only option if you want to upgrade either, e.g. Dahle also makes some good ones. But a better paper cutter isn't going to make you a better photographer or printer. I started with a cheap rotary cutter I bought second hand, and it cut both test strips, prints and even a roll of Fuji RA-4 paper just fine. The main thing it couldn't do was cut stacks of paper, single sheets were never an issue.!!!$225 for a paper cutter?
What's wrong with the $9.26 one I got from Amazon?
You do realize that I'm just putting these prints in my family album, right?
!!!$225 for a paper cutter?
What's wrong with the $9.26 one I got from Amazon?
You do realize that I'm just putting these prints in my family album, right?
There are intermediate priced solutions that work well too.
But trust us, the better cutters are worth spending more money on, and Rotatrim is actually worth it if you are going to use them for years!
My wife and I use the cutters we have (note the plural) for all sorts of tasks, some of which are related to darkrooms and photography.
Can you give me an example of an intermediate cutter and an explanation of what it can do that the cheap one can't do well?
I'm actually surprised you guys even spend a lot of time cutting sheets. I'd imagine that you'd have a stack of papers you like with the sizes you want, right from the factory.
Paper sizes don't always match the crop you want, and for drymounting the print and the mounting tissue is cut together at the same time. A quality cutter is essential to get a crisp sharp edge.I'm actually surprised you guys even spend a lot of time cutting sheets. I'd imagine that you'd have a stack of papers you like with the sizes you want, right from the factory.
Replacing worn out or poorly working cheap tools is costly.
When you ask a pretty open question here....you're going to get a range of answers.
& no....we didn't know you're putting prints in a family album....
Paper sizes don't always match the crop you want, and for drymounting the print and the mounting tissue is cut together at the same time. A quality cutter is essential to get a crisp sharp edge.
The Dahle rotary paper trimmers are worth considering.
Two 5x7 exposures on the same 8x10 sheet. Then trimmed after processing, toning and dried.
One 11x14 sheet gives you four 5.5"x7" prints as well.
4x5 is a great size for tests - four to an 8x10 sheet.
What do you think of this one?:
What do you think of this one?:
This is their "Personal" line for only $56. The next step up is their "Professional" line which starts at $169 for a 14" model.
Not going to buy it now, but I'll put it in my B&H wish list and wait till I feel I've hit the limit of my $9 cutter. At $56, it's easy to justify for hobby work. Incidentally, my $9 cutter is of the rotary type (it's this one). No idea why they're called "rotary". I don't see anything rotating.
This is one of those moments where I feel you're at risk of overthinking things. Sure, it's nice to have a beautiful rotary trimmer. If you happen to have a $10 job, then see how that goes first. Let's not make it more complicated than it really is.
If you want the cleanest cuts.... cut one sheet at a time.
!!!$225 for a paper cutter?
What's wrong with the $9.26 one I got from Amazon?
You do realize that I'm just putting these prints in my family album, right?
Sounds great! Thiourea sepia toner is very flexible. https://tinker.koraks.nl/photography/shades-of-brown-controlling-sepia-toning-hue/
Sometimes I like to take this approach: Buy a cheap tool first. If it wears out, that proves you use it enough to be worth buying the expensive one.
That approach doesn't make sense for everything, but it makes sense for many things.
In my defense, I did not ask any question about cutters. I just said I was going to cut 8x10s so I could buy the small 25-pack.
I'm sorry. I thought I had talked about that a couple of times before. My bad. Here's what I'm doing with my first few prints:
View attachment 402487
I'm pretty happy with this. As you can see, this is a glorified scrapbook. This is what I consider archival storage. I have a nice scrapbook with acid-free paper and I got photo corners so that there is no adhesive on the print and the paper isn't as likely to press against the print. This is a significant upgrade from how I store the prints that I print digitally. Those go into an album with sticky adhesive sheets.
Once I have a larger stack of prints, I will pick some favourites to mount on the wall. I have bookmarked some mat board on Amazon and I will mount the prints on the mat board with hinging tape.
What do you think of this one?:
This is their "Personal" line for only $56. The next step up is their "Professional" line which starts at $169 for a 14" model.
Not going to buy it now, but I'll put it in my B&H wish list and wait till I feel I've hit the limit of my $9 cutter. At $56, it's easy to justify for hobby work. Incidentally, my $9 cutter is of the rotary type (it's this one). No idea why they're called "rotary". I don't see anything rotating.
I have one of these little Dahle cutters that came to me 2nd hand, works great. Also, one 11x14 yields (8) 3 1/2 × 5 1/2 US size postcards
Oh and by the way, while the 18" cut length is great, it requires a fairly deep counter to use it. A 14" cut length is long enough to handle 11"x14" paper.
Postcards!
I should start sending postcards!
My whole family is far away. My dad and brothers are in Toronto + Vancouver and my in-laws are in Germany. Don't see them often. Can't really show them my prints. I should start making postcards and sending them out. I've also been convinced of the value of getting larger sheets and cutting what you need:
- I could start buying 8x10s and churn out 4x5 postcards, 5x7 prints, and 8x10 prints.
- I could start buying 11x14s and churn out 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 postcards, 5x7 prints, and "custom size" 7x10 prints that would actually suit the aspect ratio of my half-frame negatives.
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