New Cutter in Santa Cruz Brings Multiple Improvements

At the University of California, Santa Cruz Copy Center, Cary Coleman runs the shop’s new Logic Master Pro X cutter.

A paper cutter is one of those in-plant tools no one thinks too much about — until it goes down. That’s what happened early this year at the University of California, Santa Cruz Copy Center when the shop’s 12-year-old Triumph 4850 died.

“We just beat it up,” admits Manager Bill Kasper.

In his quest to find a replacement, Kasper took a liking to the Logic Master Pro Touch Screen Paper Cutter from Elite Business Machines and placed his order. But thanks to a delivery delay, a newer model became available, and he was given the opportunity to upgrade. Kasper jumped at the chance. In August, a 19.3" Logic Master Pro X cutter was delivered, bringing numerous improvements over the told Triumph.

“The thing that attracted me was that it seemed to be slightly heavier built,” says Kasper. “It had the larger casters. We’re in a tight space. We have to move things sometimes. Not having to struggle to move it makes a big difference.”

He also liked the larger back gauge screw on this cutter. “The strength of the screw means that we can get more back and forths on it over the lifetime of the thing with less wear,” he says. Not only will it last longer, this will produce more accurate cuts, he says. The clamping pressure is also better, he says, preventing slipping on synthetic or semi-gloss stocks.

The biggest advantage though is the programing capabilities. The operator can program a sequence of cuts, and the machine will move into place after each cut. Then he can store it and call it up next time.

“The programing itself, and the fact it … just worked pretty much straight out of the box has meant that we’re able to do all the cutting we used to do faster,” Kasper remarks. “And the cuts are cleaner.”

This makes a big difference in a small four-employee shop that does a lot of cutting.

“We do a lot of varied small jobs,” Kasper says. The in-plant’s two Ricoh 8110 SE digital presses and Ricoh MPC 6503 churn out postcards, table cards, flyers, brochures, and plenty of course readers.

“Every professor wants printed readers,” says Kasper. The COVID-inspired experiment with digital course packs brought a decrease in learning outcomes, he says, and professors noticed.

The in-plant also prints a lot of wide-format work on its Xanté X-33, he adds, such as aluminum parking signs, and uses a Xanté En/Press to print business cards and envelopes. But at the moment, the new cutter is what has Kasper most excited.

“If it works as well as it has,” he says, “then I’ll be a very, very happy man.”