Paper Guillotine Cutters are a must in every print shop. They are able to save you money on click charges by cutting down large sheets of paper; plus you can make a wide variety of products using them like business cards, invites, as well as finish perfect bound books using them. However, we frequently get asked about maintenance on these machines, especially when it comes to how often you should replace the cutter knife.
If you are using your cutter every day, you should have your blade or cutting knife changed every month. It is very important to get an experienced Service Technician to change out the knife as every machine is different and therefore requires different steps to change out the knife. To avoid any downtime, always purchase two knives per Paper Cutter. That way you always have one knife that is sharp and ready to be switched out for the dull one.
Southwest has an extensive Blade Change Program where our Service Tech comes to your business to perform the blade change. Once it is done, we take the dull knife back with us to get it professionally sharpened (usually takes 1-2 weeks). Then we ship it back to you to keep on hand for the next blade change. You can choose between one-time, quarterly or monthly blade changes with this program. To learn more, please click here to view our flyer.
Another question we get is how often you should change your cutter sticks. Cutter sticks have four sides, so that means once one side is worn out, you can just rotate the stick to a fresh side. You will know when to change your cutter stick once all sides are worn through and it is starting to affect your cut quality. These can easily be replaced by the operator by following the instructions on the machine manual. Cutter sticks are sold individually or in packages of 6. Different machines require different sticks, so always make sure to get the right one for your brand of machine and the correct size. You should also have extra on hand for when they need to be replaced to avoid any downtime with your machine.
To learn more about Paper Cutters, Knife Changes and Cutting Sticks, visit our website or give us a call and we would be happy to help.
