Mount cutter

'Mount cutters are a necessary tool if you're going to cut stamp mounts. You may have a dead eye to cut perfectly square mounts, but you will find that mount cutters speed up the process considerably. And even when using pre-cut mounts, not every size is available for every format possible like se-ten strips and blocks.

There are two types: guillotines and rotary cutters.

Guillotine
These are chopper-style cutters with a small table in the style of large paper cutters. Stamp guillotine cutters typically have a removable extension with a stop so that mass production of the same size (width) mount is possible. Those extensions are often stored underneath the little table. There are as many brands as there are mount brands. I have no preference here except to say to buy a large size that can accomodate sheetlets and se-ten blocks if you collect those formats. The smallest guillotine cutters are easy to store and much cheaper but you'll eventually run into something that won't fit in it.

Manufacturers seem to assume everyone knows how to use paper cutters, so instructions are lacking. There are bars or pads next to the cutter blade. The mount strip is slid under them to cut, but the bar or pad(s) [u]must[/u] be used to press down on the mount to prevent slippage and a crooked cut. Full size paper cutters often don't have these, and pull paper and fingers into the blade.

Mount from strips are cut one at a time as designed; don't be impatient. If you're feeling lucky, yeah, go ahead and cut the mount with the stamp inside. It'll take just one cut-up stamp mistake (or ten) to make you stop doing this. Measure twice, cut once without the stamp in the mount.

The guillotine cutters will last for quite some time (in my opinion) but will eventually dull and wear out.

Rotary
Rotary cutters have a circular blade that runs along a track. They are much larger capacity and are more expensive than guillotine cutters. The blades are replaceable and so the units will have a much longer lifetime than guillotine types.

Once again, there is a plastic bar next to the table edge and blade that must be pressed down on the mount to prevent slippage and crooked cuts.

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