Mini Monday - How To Trim Chipboard

Whew!!  It has been a busy busy fall and things are starting to slow down a bit.  I am back to blogging.  Finally!!

Kim and I have decided to do a blog mini series called Mini Mondays.  We get asked a lot of questions on what the best techniques are to create our mini albums.

We do our best to be as detailed as possible in our tutorials but we thought we can go a little more in depth on the blog.

One of the most common questions we get asked is "How do we trim our chipboard?"

Kim designs all of our mini albums so I consulted with her and she uses a Fiskars 12" Desk Top Rotary Paper Trimmer.

The blade on this trimmer seems to hold up to cutting the chipboard and doesn't dull as fast as the blade in a regular trimmer.  You can also, depending on how thick the chipboard is, cut entirely through without having to flip the chipboard over and cut from the other side.  (I will explain more later)

I use the same trimmer as Kim and the Fiskars Sure Cut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer.

There is one huge down side to using a non-rotary personal trimmer when cutting chipboard.  Once you have used the blade to trim chipboard it can no longer be used to trim paper.

I have a trimmer blade that I use just for trimming chipboard. I just switch out the blades.

The one other down side is the blades in a regular personal trimmer will not cut entirely through the chipboard, you will have to make 2 cuts to get all the way through.

To do this you would make a cut on one side of the chipboard and then flip it over and cut a second time, ensuring you line up the original cut line.

Here I am lining up my chipboard at my cutting mark.  This time it happens to be 7".   Make your first cut.

Flip your chipboard over.

Line up your chipboard at the same measurement as before.  Mine is at 7"

And cut once again.

Easy Peasy!!  :)

If you make a lot of mini albums we would suggest you invest in a rotary trimmer.  They maybe a little more pricey but you will save money in buying blades.

Let us know if you have any other questions.  Leave a comment here or on our Facebook Page.  We would love to hear from you.

Leanne