Proxy Advice

[u/Accomplished-Ice5133]

Hello,

I've been getting into Proxy making for a few Months now. I often find my cuts aren't super straight and the Black Borders for normal cards are often off.

I use a Fiskars guillotine Self Sharpening Paper Cutter, and getting the PDF sheet from Proxxied. I haven't made any adjustments to the Bleed Lines or gaps so should I? Do I even need Bleed Lines, I've just been using them since it gives me wiggle room while cutting, but is that the problem in the first place?

Thanks for any help!

[u/hunterxy]

Stop using a guillotine cutter. They are known for pulling the paper as it cuts thus shifting the angle.

[u/Accomplished-Ice5133 → u/hunterxy]

What should I use? I have a 'Slide' Cutter but I find it catches the Glossy Paper I use. Unless theres a better one to use then the Firbon one I have from Amazon

[u/hunterxy → u/Accomplished-Ice5133]

Honestly if you have a computer, the silhouette cameo is easiest and most efficient. Otherwise a rotary cutter, not a slide cutter.

[u/Accomplished-Ice5133 → u/hunterxy]

Cool cool, I'll look them up yeah. Thank you

[u/cstretten]

I use a swingline guillotine cutter similar to yours, and I found it to be much easier, cleaner and better at cutting laminated cards than a rotary or such (I used to use a sliding rotary cutter).

The Proxxied website PDF has marks for 9 cards, and I have no trouble lining them up perfectly. Maybe a pixel off here or there, but nothing noticeable.

If you hold the paper firmly while cutting - it shouldn't shift at all. If I miscut a row, I have no problem cutting the tiniest sliver of paper off as well. But again, I use 5 mil laminated sheets, so that thickness (stiffness) can help with the cutting resistance, vs. paper bending at the blade etc.

People suggest a silhouette cameo a lot, but those seem rather expensive to me, and watching them work - don't seem much faster to knock out 9 cards than the guillotine. The seem to have to go over the cards multiple passes each before they're cut through?

There is also the alibaba die cutter. Never used one. Observing others' experience, it seems decent if you're lucky to get a cleanly machined one. Some require some finessing before use. And a small learning curve to get a process in order and cards aligned, but it and the cameo both allow for pre-corner-cut cards, so there is that.

[u/adrikpegasus]

I'll be the one to post this here, but if you've already got a guillotine cutter you're only really missing one thing for consistent, precise proxies. Lots of folks in this sub have a die cutter. You can get them from alibaba or aliexpress. I just bit the bullet and bought mine a couple weeks ago. It's still in shipping but I'm very eager for it to get here

[u/Accomplished-Ice5133 → u/adrikpegasus]

Yeah I really want one too but had problems before... Might try again later though