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Holiday Gifts For Scrapbookers & Hobbyists

If you are like most hobbyists or scrapbookers, you know that low cost equipment, while it saves you money, ultimately breaks. Most of the time, these machines or equipment do not even offer replacement parts. Many go on buying cheap equipment after cheap equipment, and spend sometimes hundreds of extra dollars. Why bother? There are so many machines out there that cost a little more than the average low cost solution, but last longer, and work more efficiently.  

Here are some recommendations that I have when it comes to higher quality hobby equipment. With the holidays coming up, these will serve as excellent gifts for you or your favorite hobbyist. 

1. Professional Grade Rotary Trimmers

Rotary paper trimmers are easy to use, and guarantee a straighter cut than a guillotine cutter. These trimmers can cut in two directions, making them ideal for photo cutting, and scrapbooking. The Dahle Rotary Trimmers offer professional quality for less. These machines are so accurate, that many print shops and advertising agencies use them. They are more expensive then the cutters that you will find Michaels, but with the smallest cutter starting at $42, they are quite a steal. 

2. Professional Pouch Laminators

Anyone who values photographs should invest in a pouch laminator. These affordable machines keep photographs safe from exposure to dust, finger tips, and more. While personal laminators offer an easy lower cost solution, a more professional model will last longer, and will be less likely to jam. This Jam Free Laminatoris priced at $135, and will laminate smaller pouches as well as letter size documents with ease. Professional laminators also heat up and laminate documents faster than personal models. 

3. Wire Binding Machines

While many scrapbookers tend to use comb binding machines, I recommend wire. Wire binding looks a little more professional and keeps it shape longer. Binding machines have many possibilities for projects. Notebooks, recipe books, calendars, scrapbooks, and more can all be done quickly and easily without having to go to the local print shop. This manual Akiles wire binding machine is perfect for low volume use, and is priced around $270.00. It can punch and bind in either 2:1 for low volume projects and 3:1 for higher page volume projects. It uses Double O Wire spines, which are easy to close and look great. 

While these machines may be a little more pricey than your average equipment found at the fabric store, they provide professional quality for the home and make a great gift for anyone who loves creative projects.

Must Have Equipment for Your Office

Not having all the necessary tools in your office can limit your ability to complete a job on time. It’s likely you can think of many of the important elements of your office immediately, like computers, printers, paper, pens and pencils, but what else do you need? Be prepared before you need to complete the project by including a laminator, binding machine, and paper cutter in your office. If you anticipate handling currency or disposing of confidential documents, also consider picking out a money counter and/or paper shredder.

I have chosen these five office products because of the frequency in which they can be used to complete projects, organize documents, maintain security, or be more precise. All of these utilities are important in creating a successful work environment and can be added to your office at a reasonable cost. I have put together a list of very brief buying guides for each of the five categories below.

Laminators
Laminators can be used in conjunction with binding machines to create professional-looking booklets, or by themselves to protect documents and images. The type of laminator you choose will greatly depend on the size of documents you intend to laminate.

There are two main types of laminators: pouch and roll. Pouch laminators are best for smaller documents that require a sturdy laminate, like ID cards. Roll laminators are best suited for wider formats, thin paper, and photographs. Roll laminators are less restricting because a the dimensions of a page are limited only by the length of the roll of film. For a pouch laminator, the page you wish to laminate must fit inside a pouch before you proceed.

For general office use, a moderate sized roll laminator is usually sufficient. Check out the GBC HeatSeal Ultima 65 which is easy to use and perfect for most standard sized documents.

Binding Machines
Binding machines are vital in creating professional presentation and marketing tools for your business. There are a variety of binding styles including: coil and spiral, comb, glue, stitch, and staple. Typically, coil, spiral, and comb binding are used in business settings. These machines are the easiest and least expensive to operate and can be stored in a relatively small space.

Before you decide on a specific binding machine, consider the types of binding that may be common in your office. Determine the necessary maximum specifications in terms of the machine’s punching and binding size capabilities. For instance, if you will be binding legal size documents, the binding capabilities must be 14” or more. Depending on the number of pages you will typically binding, consider machines that are capable of punch more or less sheets at a time.

Finally, investigate the cost of supplies needed for a normal job. How much are covers and coils or spirals for your new booklets? Will you be making hundreds or just a few? Generally, plastic binding options are less expensive and easier to use, but for binding larger documents or to prevent breaking a binding, metal may be a better option. For small to medium size work loads, you can find a sufficient binding machine like the Akiles Coilmac for under $400.

Shredders
Paper shredders are imperative to maintaining the security in your office. When you are dealing with a client’s or your own confidential documents, don’t second guess yourself, use a shredder to ensure the information is safely disposed of. There are many shredders that are capable of providing at least a minimal level of security in an office. Shredders range from desk side models to departmental models. Choosing the right shredder will depend on your business’s shredding scope and size.

Desk side shredders are best for one to three users with minimal shredding needs. Commercial office shredders are intended for use in larger departments with higher shredding demands. Depending on the necessary security level within your office, you may want to consider purchasing a high security paper shredder with a locking waste basket. High security shredders use cross cut technology to cut paper, and other materials, into indecipherable bits.

Paper shredders also come with extras like the ability to shred CDs and DVDs or an automatic shut off feature to prevent paper jams. Consider GBC’s Shredmaster line of shredders to fulfill your office needs.

Paper Cutters
Paper cutters help cut down time for completing large projects or help straighten edges for smaller scale presentation handouts. Either way, paper cutters are an important addition to any office. Decide on the paper cutter that is right for you based on the amount of paper you intend to cut at one time and how wide the documents are that you intend to cut.

The most common type of paper cutter is the guillotine cutter. The guillotine cutter uses a large swinging arm to cut through paper laying flat beneath it. These cutters come in various sizes and cutting capabilities that are perfect for small to medium work loads. Guillotine cutting blades are replaceable in most cases and if not, they a removable to enable sharpening.

If you intend to cut large amounts of paper frequently, electric and hydraulic powered paper cutters are capable of making identical cuts repeatedly with little to no manual operation. Also, these models typically have LCD displays so the user always knows what the machine is doing. Check out the Duplo 490 Hydraulic cutter for large scale precision cutting.

Money Counters
Money counters are vital to the success of any business that accepts currency, particularly cash, especially in large amounts. Money counters increase precision and productivity, and reduce the time needed to count bills. Counters are available with counterfeit detection capabilities that can cut down on fraudulent activities and reduce potential losses as well. Don’t continue to count and recount when you can make a small investment in ensuring you’re always right!

Currency counters are available with a variety of individual specifications and features including: a certain number of bills per minute, UV/MG counterfeit detection, LED displays, and variable counting speeds. Additional features will increase the price of the unit, but may greatly increase your business’s productivity. Consider the Industria MX-2000 Dual currency counter with counterfeit detection for your office or business.

I hope this list was helpful in clarifying the reasons why your office may benefit from the addition of one or all of these tools. If you have any other items that you have found made your life easier in the office, let us know with a comment below!

Finding the Right Paper Cutter

You’ve got a lot of options for replacement or beginner paper cutters, and it can be confusing to sift through all the features to find the perfect trimmer. This guide is meant as an overview of the different trimmers available and my favorite machine in each category.

Manual Guillotine Paper Trimmers

Guillotine paper trimmers come in either wood or metal base. The base will either have its own clamp to secure the paper, or you will hold the paper in place while cutting. They also have an arm with a blade underneath and handle that you operate to cut the paper. This type of paper cutter is meant for occasional or low volume paper cutting- usually they can handle between 10 and 30 sheets of paper at a time.

A good choice for a smaller guillotine paper trimmer is the Dahle 212 Professional Cutter. Unlike some other low-volume hand trimmers, the blade arm stays open until you make a cut. It prevents injuries and unwanted cuts that can happen with a loose, falling arm. The maximum length of paper you can cut with the Dahle 212 is 12 inches.
This is the easiest to use and least expensive type of paper cutter, and the 212 is only about $80.

Martin Yale also has a line of high-quality guillotine trimmers ranging from small, tabletop models to larger floor models. At the same price and style as the Dahle 212, the Martin Yale W12 will cut up to 20 sheets at a time and features a plastic blade cover for extra-safe cutting.

Going into large floor model paper cutters, you can cut up to 30 sheets of paper at a time, thicker papers, and card stock. Floor models are also well-suited to cutting large drawings, art board, and other materials.

Dahle, again, has a high-quality floor model trimmer for about $1600. The Dahle 585 Guillotine has a maximum cutting length of up to 43 inches, and a foot operated clamp makes it ideal for large format work.

GBC’s Ingento CL570m Classic Maple Series is another option for large floor models. It will only handle paper up to 36 inches wide at 15 sheets a time. However, it is more versatile than the Dahle 585 in that its stand can be removed to convert it to a tabletop model, and less expensive at only about $560.

All manual guillotine trimmers have a maximum length of paper they can cut. If you need to cut larger or varying lengths of paper, a rotary trimmer might be a better option.

Rotary Trimmers

Rotary trimmers are distinct from other trimmers in that they can cut greater lengths of paper and newer models offer a variety of cuts other than just straight lines. You have more control with a rotary trimmer because you slide a small, two sided blade up and down the length of paper to make cuts. High-quality rotary trimmers typically make cleaner cuts than guillotine trimmers, and come in manual or electric models for large volumes of preset cuts.

Keencut makes a sturdy, economical manual rotary model - the 18 inch Keencut Technic Advanced Rotary Cutter. It boasts a well-built aluminum and silver anodized base, but is only good for paper up to .08 inches and not thicker materials. But for just over $200, it’s an economical option.

If you’re looking into electric rotary cutters, Keencut also has some solid offerings, but Kobra, Rotatrim, or Neolt are also good choices. Neolt carries the Electric Trim Series 200 - a good high volume electric rotary cutter. It will cut up to 79 inches wide, and includes a self-sharpening blade. It is foot or switch operated, and a reliable electric drive.

Stack Paper Cutters

Stack paper cutters can cut large stacks of paper or card stock - up to 750 sheets. They are similar to guillotines in that they have an arm that operates to cut the paper. With a manual stack cutter, the arm has a spring mechanism that provides the force to make cuts when you operate it. There are also electric stack paper cutters, which are made for higher volume use. They come either semi-automatic (with manual back gauge and clamp) or fully programmable.

The QCM 8200M Heavy Duty Cutter is a quality manual stack cutter that only costs you about $300. It has a cutting capacity of up to 360 sheets and blade length (the max width of paper it will cut) is 12-3/8 inches. The QCM 8200M is close in price to many guillotine cutters and can handle about 10 times as much paper at once. QCM also has the 8700M, which has the same 1.5 inch capacity as the 8200M, but a blade length of 17 inches. Both are superior stack cutters, and QCM offers lifetime warranties to the original purchaser on all their stack cutters.

As far as electric stack cutters, my choice for automatics is the Standard PC45 Paper Cutter. This cutter is about $6000 and is made for print shops or other offices that need to cut many large piles of paper or card stock every day. Back gauge operation and paper clamp are manual.

If you’re looking into programmable electric stack cutters, they are more expensive than automatic, but can be programmed to save many cutting sequences and save much time and work for the operator. The Standard APC-45 Paper Cutter is about $9500. It can save up to 30 programs of 99 steps each, so you can set it and have it do your bleed trim work and basic cutting for digitally imprinted stocks.