XD-500 Paper Cutter January 30, 2008
I know that most high volume letterpress printers have Challenge Guillotine Paper Cutters but for those who letterpress as a hobby or have a small invitation business the XD 500 is a good cutter for the price. You can find these cutters online and on ebay for about $140. It has a 12 x 12 base and it capable of cutting 300 sheets of 20lb paper. I find that it makes nice clean cuts on Crane’s Lettra paper. It obviously does not compare to a cast iron Challenge or the like but if you have very little space or on a budget this cutter works well. If I have to be really picky, some negatives are that 1; when you first go to use it be prepared to throw out your first couple of cuts since they load grease up on the blade and 2; since Lettra is so soft when you lock down the paper, the bar leaves a minor dent on the top (or bottom depending on how your looking at it) of the paper. I am a perfectionist so I do notice it but it really is insignificant. Again, I find this only happens with soft cotton papers such as Lettra.
Thanks for the recommendation. You may be able to avoid the impression the clamp makes by placing a piece of chipboard (or scrap paper) on top of the stack. You can even place another below the stack to ensure a clean cut on the bottom sheet.
Comment by Ben Leivian — January 30, 2008 at 6:57 pm
i’ve been looking at one of these on ebay, but i was hesitant to get one without much knowledge. good to know you are happy with it for the price. thanks!
Comment by hannah — February 1, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Thank you so much for the information. I had an old Martin Yale 7000E that needed a new blade. I contacted a local service center and was told that it would cost me over $200 to have it serviced. I read your comment and bought a XD-500 from eBay. I received the package within 3 days. Turns out it works better than my 7000E with the following improvements:
1. The paper clamp plate has a vertical guide that insures the clamp plate won’t shift to the side as my old 7000E does.
2. It is more compact but with similar capacity as that of the 7000E.
3. It has measurement grids on the base.
Ben was right. All the manual stack cutters leave minor dents on the top sheets. All you have to do is to put a piece of scrap paper on top of the stack, as instructed in my 7000E user’s manual. It is so far the best investment I have ever made! I love it.
Comment by linda freeland — February 18, 2008 at 10:35 am
I was looking at this picture of your new cutter, and noticed behind it are some letterpress cabinets. Usually the ones I see are as tall as your chest or shoulder, but it looks like the ones you have are hip or waist high. Would you be able to let me know where you got them? I’m in the process of getting a tabletop press and not having a lot of room in my apartment, it would be a good idea to put the press ontop of one of these cabinets of type. I love the way your furniture rack is set up as well. If I’m wrong and it’s just the angle of the picture makes it look short, then I’m sorry, my bad!
Comment by Ming — February 19, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Personally I like the QCM line of stack cutters. The new 8200M cuts through 360 sheets ( per website) and they have a lifetime warranty. I bought mine here at www.ishoppapercutters.com
Comment by lindsey — April 7, 2008 at 4:14 pm