Print Trimmers

[Chuck_P]

Folks,

I'm looking for the "pros" and "cons" of rotary trimmers vs. guillotine trimmers----why should I buy one over the other or does it matter at all?

Thanks in advance.

Chuck

 

[imazursky]

Ive used both of them and for me they both have some cons.
When you bring the knife down on a Guillotine type of cutter, the paper can shift.
If the knife isnt perfectly tight against the cutter, you can get an uneven edge or tear out.

Rotary trimmers are great but only if invest in a good one. If i could afford a roto trim, i would definitely get one.
I had one in my old job and the cuts were beautiful.
This may have been an isolated incident. On the roto trim we had at my old job, the ruler markings on the board where off by a lot.
They were also off left to right. So you had to cut without the aid of the built in ruler. What a pain!
Also, if I needed to trim a print out of a larger size paper. You end up cutting your guides off.

I settled on a large 4x8' prep table with a self healing mat. I use an Xacto blade and some large straight edges.
This is great for very large prints. Not the best solution if you have limited space though.

 

[richard ide]

I use an acrylic strip 1/4" thick and 6" wide. A C clamp holds the opposite end to the table and will not move when you cut. I have used the same strip for thousands of cuts. The 6" width keeps your fingers well away from the blade. Cutting matts are expensive so I use a sheet of Sintra pvc and one sheet will last for years.

 

[KenM]

I have a Roto-Trim, and I'm very happy with it. Yes, it was expensive, but it'll be the last paper cutter I every buy. As Ian mentions above, however, if you do decide to go with a rotary trimmer, make sure you buy a good one - the cheap ones will give you nothing but heartache (and ruined prints).

 

[photobum]

There is Rotatrim and then there are all the rest. Any questions?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I finally bought a Rotatrim when I used one in a workshop that was run in a photo lab. They had a couple of Rotatrims that looked completely beat up with rust spots in places, and they still cut perfectly. I haven't had any regrets a few years later.

 

[Reinhold]

Another nice thing: Rotatrims will slice off an unbelievably tiny sliver of paper with unquestioned precision. I have a 24" and 30" unit, both cut paper with the finesse of a scalpel. For trimming drymount tissue after tacking it to the print there is NO comparison with a Rotatrim.

The 24" unit will trim matboard without batting an eye, but the 30" unit takes some care since the rods are pretty long and can flex upwards if the matboard is extra dense (the blade can "jump" if that happens).

I also have 3 guillotine trimmers, a 12" Premier that I've used continuosly since 1960, a 15" Ingento with a beautiful hard Maple base, and an 18" Premier I picked up at a swap meet (remember those?) a few years ago. I use the two smaller ones routinly for general utility trimming. Guillotine trimmers can be professionally resharpened.

Be aware that both types distort the edge being trimmed off. Both are classified as "shear" slitters, and the unsupported edge will show some distortion because the upper blade must displace the paper as it descends past the bed knife. The thicker the material being slit, the greater the distortion. On a guillotine trimmer, the effect is most pronounced up against the squaring bar, where the "throat angle" is high. If I'm going to use both sides of the cut, I'll lay a 3" wide strip of plexiglass against the squaring arm which keeps the starting cut farther away from the throat.

Which type of trimmer do I prefer?... I use both, I need both, I even use a razor blade against a straight edge now and then.

The best Rotatrim units are the 2-bar "Mastercut" or "Professional" units. The double bar configuration is more robust and cuts matboard too.
For an entry level utility guillotine trimmer, Harbor Freight Tools sells a 15" unit for about $15. Kinda Klunky, but it works...

Have fun.

Reinhold

www.classicBWphoto.com

 

[Trevor Crone]

I use a Rotatrim Pro-M24. I couldn't contemplate anything else only a bigger Rotatrim.

 

[Chuck_P]

Thanks for all the responses, my budget is more in line with the Dahle Rotary trimmer, either the 20 1/8" ($148) or the 28 1/4" ($187). Anyone ever used the Dahle brand?

 

[Dan Williams]

You might take a look on eBay - there are two Rototrims Mastercut II listed now. One is 15" and the other is larger but I don't recall what size. They have a few days to go. At the present time they are each under $100.

I ran into them while searching "Cameras & Photo > Film Processing & Darkroom"

Dan

 

[Ray Heath]

Thanks for all the responses, my budget is more in line with the Dahle Rotary trimmer, either the 20 1/8" ($148) or the 28 1/4" ($187). Anyone ever used the Dahle brand?

g'day Chuck

i have an old Dahle, it works extremely well

i can't imagine how the other more well known brand could do the job any better

Ray

 

[jeroldharter]

I have the Rototrim that is about 34 inches long. Very solid. Cuts great even several years later. Easily trims print plus dry mount tissue to perfectly equal sizes. Cuts 4 ply matboard without any trouble.

downsides:

• The bar on which to brace the material being cut is too short for larger pieces so squaring can be iffy at times. On the other hand, it makes the unit lighter and moveable.
  
• The ruler on the bracing bar is inaccurate but I would measure myself anyway.
  
• Expensive.

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

I have no problem just using the mat cutter. You have to protect the print surface with another strip of mat when you cut, but no biggie. Maybe the only downside: thinnest slice you can take is about 1/8" inch.

 

[Stan160]

Anyone got a Meopta rotary trimmer? If they are built like the enlargers they are probably very solid and durable, and they are quite a bit cheaper than Rotatrim.

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks for all the responses, my budget is more in line with the Dahle Rotary trimmer, either the 20 1/8" ($148) or the 28 1/4" ($187). Anyone ever used the Dahle brand?

It was my first trimmer but as it was much cheaper in £ terms than the $ dollar prices you quote, this may not be comparing like with like. The cheap Dahle is IMHO not up to the job at all.

I now have a 20 inch HSM which is made in Germany. Only slightly more expensive than the Dahle but a much better and more accurate cutter. However the blades need changing quite frequently and its ability to cut several sheets or thicker material is suspect.

It's the old story of getting what you pay for in engineering terms and if I were starting all over again I'd go for the Rotatrim where the cutter runs on parallel runners and has an accurate table with guides.

It's tempting to say "a Rotatrim surely can't be worth maybe 3-4 times what the cheap trimmers are worth" but the answer is, it can.

The problem with well engineered tools is that you pay for things you can't see by looking at the tool. Then you examine the end product( trimmed prints) and it becomes very clear why it cost much more.

pentaxuser