paper cutter / paper cutting advice in the darkroom

[caml]

I am having trouble sourcing a paper cutter to cut rolls of RA4 Endura. The local labs unfortunately dont want to allow me to use theirs. Does anyone have either a paper cutter recommendation and any advice they could share on how to best cut large rolls of endura into sheets?

 

[shutterfinger]

Depending on the paper width a roller cutter should work.
https://www.michaels.com/tools-and-adhesives/paper-trimmers/809188604
https://www.officedepot.com/catalog/search.do?Ntt=paper+cutter

 

[MattKing]

A sufficiently large Rotatrim cutter, if you can deal with the cost.
What size rolls?

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Another vote for Rotatrim. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Shop-by-Brand-Rotatrim/ci/4/phd/4291243462/N/4294255798

 

[Don_ih]

I use a finger-chopper paper machete type thing. It is not great for cutting from the roll of colour paper - it's clumsy to use. But I'm not sure there is any small setup that would be good for it.

 

[mshchem]

Another vote for Rotatrim. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Shop-by-Brand-Rotatrim/ci/4/phd/4291243462/N/4294255798

+2

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I had a Rotatrim in my darkroom until it was stolen several years ago. I never replaced it. It was a pleasure to use.

 

[Down Under]

I have an older (bought in 1988) paper cutter I bought from a stationery store - a big, heavy thing, built of metal so to last. It has a flat rod running across the board with springs at either end. When cutting paper, I press down on this rod with one hand and it flattens the paper, so ensuring a perfect cut.

I've not seen these monster cutters being sold new for a long time, but they can be found in secondhand and/or charity shops.

I also have a smaller, much less heavy and newer rototrim cutter which does its work 80%-90% to my satisfaction, but often fails to give a perfectly level slice.

Older is definitely better. So says my partner...

 

[Dirb9]

Another vote for a rotatrim... Keep an eye out on craigslist and ebay, they're expensive new, but print shops do upgrade from time to time, and you can get a real steal sometimes on a used one.
My setup is three pieces, since I don't have the space for a permanent setup: 1. The rotatrim 2. A roll paper holder. I made one out of some 2x4s screwed at a 90 degree angle, and a bit of black iron pipe that fits in a hole in the 2x4s for the paper spool to rest on. Not pretty, but it works. 3. A bench stop for consistent sizing. Rotatrim sells one ($$$), I made one out of some angle aluminum and threaded rod but really any method that you can feel in the dark that will keep a fixed distance between the cutter blade and a stop. I've seen a lab use A Rotatrim mounted vertically into a larger baseboard with pins holding in a vertical board.

 

[Don_ih]

I have a Fiskars rotary cutter that's very similar to the Rotatrim (but probably cheaper - I got mine second-hand). I don't use it in the darkroom, though. I find it too slow compared to the paper guillotine. I often cut 8x10 down to smaller sizes - it's much faster with a chopper.