Triumph Paper cutter good for Letterpress Paper?
I’ve been waiting and hunting around town for about a year trying to find a stack cutter locally - meanwhile I’ve been paying a local place to cut my paper which is starting to add up so I’m thinking of giving in an ordering one. I really wanted a nice cast iron table top model, but I can’t seem to find one locally. I’m used to using manual cutters like this.
I’ve seen some Triumph Paper cutters online and some called Dahle (which seem to be a sort of cheaper version of the Triumphs which are blue). Of course, with letterpress we are sometimes required to use cotton papers (more often when you’re typically printing wedding suites like myself). Will these sorts of cutters do ok with this type of paper? Does anyone have one of these cutters and find it’s accurate and does the job well? Can you sharpen the blades or do you have to replace them with this brand?
I’m specifically looking into a 15” manual unit - Triumph 3905
Thanks for any help!
I have a 19” C&P cast iron cutter. Personally, I would stay away from any new cutter. Wait for an old cast iron one to come along. I wouldn’t go less than 19” either….it is much easier to cut paper with a bigger cutter having a longer handle (my opinion).
Do you watch Kijiji? Where are you located? Maybe one of us can point you toward a source for a cutter in your area. Or, maybe there is a person on this site, who is local to you, and who would do your cutting until you can find a cutter. Not all of us (including me) do commercial work any more, so you wouldn’t be a competitor.
Hello
I have several bench top cutters for sale.
Both C&P and Challenge. Two 19” one 23”.
Ready to work…Guaranteed to cut square, clean & consistent, includes extra knife/knifes, extra sticks.
Price $200 to $250
Located in Cincinnati area, however I will be traveling the eastern US this spring and summer, possible help with delivery.
James
513-560-0882
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I’m down in Virginia Beach on the east coast - very, very few letterpress people here. I’ve only met three others - one who only has a tabletop and is exclusively a hobby printer, one who has the machines, but only numbers and does a little die cutting, and another who sold me my press but only prints offset and does die-cutting now. (It’s lonesome out here)
I’m certain there are others somewhere, but I have yet to meet them. Plenty up in DC and Alexandria, but I can’t transport anything heavier than a small tabletop model myself IF that. I have found that the commercial printers around here don’t take the time to cut my work down with the care and precision I do - even though they have those big electric cutters (or maybe because of that) and I give carefully marked cutting samples to align to.
James, that cutter looks beautiful. I might be interested if you are passing through and can get it here.
FYI one problem - my studio is located down a narrow hallway with a sharp left hand turn to get in the door (the actual building has a big slide door and garage space). I BARELY got my 7x11” C&P in and it took 45 minutes and I scraped all paint off the doorway which had to have the door taken off the hinges, so I may not be able to get a 19” or a 24” into it depending on the width, weight, and shape. It’s very difficult to get a palette jack in through the door and you have to do it at an angle.
For now I’m just going to buy the triumph - there is someone willing it ship it boxed down with the stand, with a newly sharpened blade and having it recently serviced for about 400. I can make due with it for now since its much cheaper than the 1,200 it normally runs, and if I find one of those cast iron beauties maybe I can try and sell the triumph for a few bucks to offset the cost .