5 Tips for a Perfect Cut on Your Pop-up Cards

5 Cutting Tips to Enhance Your Pop-up Cards to a Professional Level

Hello! I'm Julia Yus, also known as @paperjulia, and today, I want to share five tips to improve your cutting skills and achieve professional-level results.

One feature distinguishing pop-up works made by beginners from those crafted by professionals lies in the finishes, particularly in the precision of the cuts. Do you want your cards to look like they were trimmed by a true master in paper engineering? Let me share my secrets!

1. Quality Tools

First and foremost, let's talk about tools! Ensure you have a sharp and precise cutting tool. Your best ally is a good cutter with replaceable blades or a scalpel. If you use them, your blades must always be sharp, reducing the chance of the paper tearing, getting damaged, or the edge getting stuck and causing a cut.

Make cuts on a flat, stable surface that you don't mind getting scratched. You can also use scissors of different sizes depending on the amount you're making: I like to use tiny scissors when cutting smaller pieces.

2. Mark and Measure

Before making any cut, mark and measure carefully; I recommend using hard graphite pencils to finalize your sketches. What is stiff graphite? Indeed, you've noticed that sometimes pencils have letters and numbers printed on them: 2H, 7B, HB... These refer to the hardness of the lead.

✹ H (Hardness): Hard lead leaves a light mark on the drawing surface but is also harder to erase. It stays sharp.
✹ B (Blackness): Soft lead, with less pressure, you get intense blacks, but it smudges more easily. It's challenging to keep it sharp.
✹ HB: Mid-level hardness between H and B; it's the most common among pencils.
✹ F (Firm): Lead hardness is in between H and HB.

These letters can be accompanied by numbers from 2 to 9. The higher the number, the more intense the characteristic of the accompanying note will be. For instance, a 7B pencil (blackness x 7) will be a soft, dark lead that smudges effortlessly; a mechanical pencil with 2H lead (hardness x 2) will allow you to create gentle sketches that can still be erased.

You can use HB or B pencils to sketch your pop-up mock-ups, but finalizing them with the same hardness won't look as neat as using harder lead pencils. Still, it's a matter of personal preference!
Furthermore, precision in measurements is critical for all pieces to fit together like a perfect puzzle. Use rulers, compasses, and protractors as needed. And remember this tip you've undoubtedly heard: Measure twice, cut once.

3. Patience in Cutting

I know you're eager to finish cutting, but patience is bitter, yet its fruit is sweet! Take the time you need for each cut, especially when dealing with curves.

For complex projects where you must make many cuts, don't hesitate to take breaks and cut bit by bit; your wrist will thank you. Patience helps avoid those mistakes that give us grey hairs and ensures a controlled and polished cut.

4. Practice with Templates

Undoubtedly, the best way to improve your cuts is to practice, practice, and practice some more. So... ta-da! I've prepared a free template, especially for my students embarking on this beautiful journey in paper engineering. Download it and practice with simple and complex patterns to become a true master of cutting.

5. Proper Lighting

Never underestimate the power of good lighting. Working in a well-lit space is advisable to prevent eye strain and ensure that every cut line is clear.

When working late into the night, I sometimes forget to follow this advice, but taking care of our eyes' health and fingers is crucial. So, turn on the desk lamp above your workspace, get closer to a window, or even use your phone's flashlight if necessary.

Cutting precision is critical to making your pop-up cards delightful. Follow these tips, download the practice template, and delve deeper into creating pop-up cards; check out my course, "Making Pop-Up Cards for Beginners." Dive into pop-up cards with me, from parallel structures to digitalizing mock-ups.

Make every cut count on your creative journey! See you in the beautiful and magical world of paper!