How To Choose Craft Scissors & Paper Cutting Tools

Scissors are one of the most fundamental craft tools, so it's unsurprising that they come in all shapes and sizes. It's important to make the right choice when selecting scissors and cutting tools - but how do you decide on the best type for you and your chosen crafts?

As with any tool, choosing the right scissors and cutting tools like rotary cutters or paper trimmers should be guided by function and the intended end use or outcome. Whether you're looking for craft scissors for scrapbooking or paper punches for card making, our comprehensive buying guide is here to help you find the best cutting tools for your crafts. Read on to discover more about the different types of scissors, paper cutting tools and how to use them across a range of projects!

Quick Links:

• Craft Scissors
• Trimmers & Trimming Boards
• Knives & Blades
• Cutting Mats
• Paper Punches & Hole Punches
• Hardware Cutting Tools & Accessories

Craft Scissors

Scissors are essential for almost all forms of paper craft. When it comes to crafting it can be useful to have a selection of different types of scissors in your toolkit to ensure you have the right pair for any project or material. Featuring plastic handles, craft scissors are designed to be lightweight, easy to manoeuvre and comfortable to hold. If you want to ensure the most comfortable cutting experience, choose a pair of scissors with soft grip handles.

Universal Scissors

A great all-rounder, universal or all-purpose scissors are designed to cut through a range of crafting materials like paper or cardboard. Large scissors with long shanks have increased leveraging power. This makes them ideal for cutting through thick cardboard or multiple sheets of paper, as well as making long, straight cuts through large paper sheets.

With small standard scissors and micro-tip scissors you'll find short shanks and sharp pointed tips that make them perfect for fine, detailed work. If you like creating decoupage or collages, keep a small pair of crafting scissors handy. Medium standard scissors are suited to a range of paper crafting tasks.

Pinking Shears & Specialty Paper Edgers

Pinking shears are a type of scissors that feature a bevelled, shaped blade that creates a uniform zig zig pattern when cutting paper. You can also find other special blades that create rounded scalloped designs, and specialty fringe cutting scissors that take the hard work adding flair to your crafting projects.

Non-Stick Scissors

Some craft scissors feature blades which are coated with a non-stick material such as Teflon. This makes them a great option when cutting through paper that's been layered up with glues, tapes, and adhesives. The non-stick coating prevents the blades from accumulating sticky residues and are perfect for school projects, collages and scrapbooking creations.

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Trimmers & Trimming Boards

If you're wanting to ensure the straightest possible cuts in your paper crafting then it's wise to invest in a trimming board. Also referred to as a paper trimmer, rotary trimmer or guillotine, a trimming board includes a moving blade with integrated ruler grids and paper clamps to ensure crisp, square cuts every time. Some paper trimmers feature a blade with a lever action, and some include a rotary blade that moves along a track guide to cut through your paper or cardboard.

Features To Look For With Paper Trimmers

With so many different trimming boards and rotary trimmers on the market, it can be hard to determine which is the best fit for you. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind as you weigh up your options:

• Board Size: Consider the types of projects you'll be creating and the paper size you'll potentially need to accommodate. If your home studio or crafting den is pressed for room, look for a paper trimmer with a folding design or swing out arms to save on space.
• Material Type: Some paper trimmers are designed for paper only, whereas some can accommodate sturdier craft materials like vinyl, leather and chipboard.
• Longevity & Durability: While it can be tempting to choose the less expensive option, investing in quality crafting tools will not only yield better results but can save you money in the long run. Choose a paper trimmer with self sharpening blades to minimise on replacements, and opt for a heavy duty construction that will withstand prolonged use.

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Knives & Blades

Craft knives can be thought of as precision cutting tools for a range of crafting applications. With a variety of styles to choose from including art scalpels, utility knives and pen cutters you can create a range of differently shaped cuts through a wide range of different craft materials.

Keep in mind that craft knives and single blades lack the lever mechanisms that scissors have, making them suited to different tasks. Small ones can do very delicate work and get into tiny spaces, while heavy duty ones like stanley knives allow you to exert the required pressure for cutting through thick layers or bulky materials such as balsa wood or leather.

Features Of Craft Knives & Pen Cutters

• Craft knives have slim handles with a blade at the end.
• These blades are almost always replaceable, and can be swapped out as they become dulled from use.
• Some craft knives come with safety lids that should always be replaced after use, and others feature retractable blades.
• Variations on the standard pen-shaped craft knives include finger grip knives which literally wrap around the finger. These can come with fixed or swivel blades and are ideal for creating intricate, detailed work.

Features Of Stanley Knives & Utility Knives

• These have thicker, heavier handles, and larger blades than craft knives.
• Their size makes it easier to apply the kind of pressure required to cut thicker materials, but this also makes them less manoeuvrable.
• Ideal for use on thick cardboard, corflute, and even wood veneer, leather, etc.

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Cutting Mats

No crafting space set-up is complete without a specialised cutting mat. Designed to make precision cutting easy, they also perform the important function of protecting your work surface. Cutting mats come in a range of different sizes so you can find the perfect fit for your studio work space.

Important Features Of Cutting Mats

• Composed of sturdy rubber, which offers a resistant yet slightly yielding surface for ease of cutting.
• "Self healing" rubber composition means that the cutting surface remains smooth for repeated cuts.
• Some cutting mat designs feature 2-sided designs so you can maximise its use.
• Foldable designs are common in larger cutting mat sizes so you can easily pack and store them away.
• Grids and angles guidelines for ease of measuring and marking.

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Paper Punches & Hole Punches

Specialty paper punches are a wonderful way to instantly create shaped paper pieces with the push of a lever. Cut out a variety of designs including leaves, flowers, hearts, stars and gift tags, as well as simple geometric shapes like circles, triangles and squares. Larger shapes created with your paper punches are ideal for adding to greeting cards or scrapbooking projects, while smaller paper punches can be used to create DIY confetti for a range of celebrations.

Features & Benefits Of Specialty Paper Punches

• Lever action designs are ergonomic and easy on the hands.
• Instantly cut out a range of shapes.
• Heavy duty designs can accommodate more than one piece of paper at a time.
• Simple to determine the placement of your cut outs, so you can minimise wastage and maximise any special print designs on your chosen paper.

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Hardware Cutting Tools & Accessories

Some craft projects require more specialised cutting tools, whether this be for precision cuts or for working through tougher materials like leather or timber. Carving tools, stanley knives and heavy duty rotary cutters can all be used when a tough approach is required.

Look for cutting tools that indicate "heavy-duty" blades, as these are specially created to withstand the pressure exerted when pushing through dense materials. As the saying goes, "use the right tools for the job" - not only will this make things easier, it's also paramount for your safety. Cutting blades that are not correctly tempered or designed for heavy duty applications could shatter or break and cause injury.

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Find The Right Craft Scissors & Paper Cutting Tools At Spotlight

Equip yourself with the quality craft scissors and precision cutting tools to get the best results for all your paper craft projects. The right craft scissors, paper trimmers and blades will ensure crisp, clean and accurate cuts for professional results each and every time. At Spotlight you can find the best paper craft cutting tools and a huge range of specialist papers and craft glues & adhesives to create beautiful paper based creations. Whether you're scrapbooking, making greeting cards, gift tags or school projects, Spotlight has you covered with quality scissors and cutting tools for all your crafting needs.

Our complete range of paper craft supplies includes coloured paper & cardboard, card making supplies and craft machines from leading brands like Cricut & Siser. Discover the endless papercraft possibilities with our scrapbooking buying guide and cutting machines buying guide. For more creative inspiration, be sure to check out our free card making projects and papercraft & scrapbooking projects online.