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This must seem really strange to all of you experienced stampers but I need help figuring out what I am doing wrong!!
I am starting to get ready for my Christmas card blitz and did all the cardstock cutting and scoring today. The problem is that when I folded the cards, the paper at the crease was kind of breaking (looks ragged). This has never happened before and I noticed it more on the burgandy and handsome hunter CS.
Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong? (I am using a Fiskar cutter with attached scorer and then a plastic 'bone' folder to make the crease.). Any suggestions are appreciated - I am so anal that the uneven crease is driving me crazy!!
This must seem really strange to all of you experienced stampers but I need help figuring out what I am doing wrong!!
I am starting to get ready for my Christmas card blitz and did all the cardstock cutting and scoring today. The problem is that when I folded the cards, the paper at the crease was kind of breaking (looks ragged). This has never happened before and I noticed it more on the burgandy and handsome hunter CS.
Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong? (I am using a Fiskar cutter with attached scorer and then a plastic 'bone' folder to make the crease.). Any suggestions are appreciated - I am so anal that the uneven crease is driving me crazy!!
Lynne
Not strange at all! It seems to me that different papers all fold differently, some will fold cleanly without scoring a some look all ragged. Lately I've been scoring down the paper with a pair of scissors and a straight edge to get a clean fold. I don't have the Fiskar scorer, but I'm surprised that it's not working for you. Maybe press down on it a little more?
like wood, every piece of paper has a grain. if you've ever made paper mache or tried to cut something without scissors from newspapers, you might have noticed that newsprint tears really easily and straight the longway and really jaggedy the short way. to a lesser extent, cardstock (and other papers) is the same due to the way commercial paper is made. (handmade and artisanal papers shouldn't have such a pronounced grain effect.)
sounds like you're folding/scoring your paper across the grain, which leads to that annoying breaking you've noticed. maybe you can make your cuts the other way to how you were doing it, along the grain (lengthwise versus crosswise, or vice versa) so your fold lines don't break. usually scoring (which you're already doing) cuts down on that breaking but your paper must be one of those really tough ones that you must accomodate.
In case others run in to this problem, I figured out what I was doing wrong... turns out I was pushing too hard on the scorer and when I just do it lightly and then fold in to the score there are no problems. Paper is fine - thanks for the replies.
This must seem really strange to all of you experienced stampers but I need help figuring out what I am doing wrong!!
I am starting to get ready for my Christmas card blitz and did all the cardstock cutting and scoring today. The problem is that when I folded the cards, the paper at the crease was kind of breaking (looks ragged). This has never happened before and I noticed it more on the burgandy and handsome hunter CS.
Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong? (I am using a Fiskar cutter with attached scorer and then a plastic 'bone' folder to make the crease.). Any suggestions are appreciated - I am so anal that the uneven crease is driving me crazy!!
Lynne
To avoid problems with scoring use a rotary (rolling) scoring blade. Bone tools and other devices drag across the grain of paper. Rotary blades crush the grain and allow a cleaner fold. They also work better on delicate papers like mulberry paper and vellum. It's critical on photographs.
I haven't come across a rotary scoring blade and think I may need one. I occasionally have this problem with creasing too and try other things to score so that it doesn't happen (but it still does). Where can I find one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikewayne
To avoid problems with scoring use a rotary (rolling) scoring blade. Bone tools and other devices drag across the grain of paper. Rotary blades crush the grain and allow a cleaner fold. They also work better on delicate papers like mulberry paper and vellum. It's critical on photographs.
i use the fiskars scoring blade to you can buy it at michaels and they fit the little fiskars cutter. It will leave a nice fold. but i agree grain has a lot to do with it..but scoring helps leave it looking nice.
I haven't come across a rotary scoring blade and think I may need one. I occasionally have this problem with creasing too and try other things to score so that it doesn't happen (but it still does). Where can I find one?
You can call Everafter Arts at 877-853-3168. They sell several different moidels of Carl trimmers. They have several models with rotary blades. Or you can go to www.everafterarts.com.
Read this recently, maybe even here, but if you put a piece of copy paper on top of the card as you are using the bone folder to press your crease you get a nicer crease with no shine.
I talked to someone at SU about the grain issue which is very important. When they cut paper from big pieces we don't get to choose the grain direction so sometimes things fold nicely, and sometimes they don't.
Carl, Fiskars, and CutterBee (EKSuccess) all have rotary blade trimmers. I find the Fiskars and CutterBee is easier to move blades in and out. On my Carl cutter I have to unscrew the one cartridge to put in the next and if I am having a bad carpal tunnel day it is extremely painful to do this. My favorite cutter is the Fiskars (12" Ultimate Rotary Trimmer).
CutterBee also makes a small hand-held scoring blade but you need to use a ruler and I am a little challanged in keeping the darn thing straight through the whole cut/score.
If I am cutting 8 1/2 by 11 I never take the scoring blade off the Fiskars - I have both the cutting and scoring blade on it and it works fine.
At Archivers they have a piece of thicker bristol board (looks like paper that makes cereal boxes) that they have cut to the right size and use that to fold paper in half to make cards for the workshops they have.
__________________ Kyloe
The lesson from Charlie Brown: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
If I am cutting 8 1/2 by 11 I never take the scoring blade off the Fiskars - I have both the cutting and scoring blade on it and it works fine.
I do the same thing! sometimes I have to swap the order of the blades but it pretty much stays on there unless I have to go 12x12 for some project. I always use the bone folder to make a sharp crease after scoring too. I also like how the folder will make a good crease even if I happen to score a bit crookedly. sometimes the paper will float away from the edge but even that is a good guide for the top layer of fibers to break.
if you're getting uneven breaking, check to make sure you're folding it the right way after scoring. sounds kind of elemental but when I first got my scoring blade I didn't really know how to use it and folded the paper upside down (with the score on the underside) for a while until I realized the problem. just goes to show there's a learning curve for everything. :p
I do the same thing! sometimes I have to swap the order of the blades but it pretty much stays on there unless I have to go 12x12 for some project. I always use the bone folder to make a sharp crease after scoring too. I also like how the folder will make a good crease even if I happen to score a bit crookedly. sometimes the paper will float away from the edge but even that is a good guide for the top layer of fibers to break.
if you're getting uneven breaking, check to make sure you're folding it the right way after scoring. sounds kind of elemental but when I first got my scoring blade I didn't really know how to use it and folded the paper upside down (with the score on the underside) for a while until I realized the problem. just goes to show there's a learning curve for everything. :p
I always thought that there might be a right and wrong way, but I never knew for sure until now.
I need help. So, my paper is on the cutter. I score it. I keep the same side up and fold forward? I'm just not sure.
In case others run in to this problem, I figured out what I was doing wrong... turns out I was pushing too hard on the scorer and when I just do it lightly and then fold in to the score there are no problems. Paper is fine - thanks for the replies.
Lynne
BTDT! Had I read this thread earlier, that's exactly what I would have said! Glad you figured it out!
according to some crafting (origami and calligraphy) articles I have read, scoring facilitates paper folding because it actually breaks the top layer of paper fibers in an organized way (straight line vs jaggedy). so when you crease, it knows what way you want it to go. it's harder to see this point with normal straight line folding but if you have a curved fold you want to make, scoring really shows off its advantages.
in other words: the part you press down on should be the outside of the card.
HTH!
You can also use a styllus. My friend and I recently made christmas invitations to our work party and a lot of the cards were scored too hard and they ripped. You can press down lighter or I used my 12x12 person trimmer but used my styllus doen the channel and I could control the pressure more.
Well this may sound strange and it does take a little practice-I use an exacto-knife to score my cards. The crease looks really sharp-sorry the pun was intended. :-(
Use a clear ruler with a metal edge and take the exacto knife (once you have determined where you want the fold) with light pressure, so you don't cut through the paper, down the length of you card. It is crisp and and clean looking. The edge is the same as alot of store bought cards.
I do have a wonderful tool that I love that helps with the measuring. It's the Scoreboard that Mostly Animals manufactured. I love it! Mostly Animals had a video that showed exactly how to do it and how scoring a large amount of cards can be done quickly. I'm so glad I learned how to do this way!
There are also a couple of smaller versions by another company (I can't remember their name) that you score each card size separately. For example, standard A2 would be one and then for an A6 you would have to use the another that corresponds with that dimension.
Try using a wallpaper seam roller instead of a bone folder to make the crease.
After scoring butt one side of the paper against the end of the cutter - the same place you butt the top of the paper before cutting - butt the other end of the card against the cutter, line up the corners and edges and crease.
I am still unsure about mountain vs valley fold on the outside/inside of the card.
Grain not too much of a problem w/ 8 1/2 x 11 because there is not much choice. How can one figure the grain on a 12 x 12??!!
Folding the paper over another object seems a better way to go. Must try it.
SU printed the reason why you get ragged fold edges in the January 2006 Stampin Success, p16 & 17 - they claim it is because card stock can sort of dry out if you don't have much humidity in your home or space, etc. I don't think it has anything to do with your scoring blade.
In another thread someone had a similar problem and the solution was to fold the paper in the direction the paper naturally curls. You put the paper in you had and see what direction the paper edge is curiling and then you fold the paper in that direction. Hopefully this makes sense. I tried doing that and it ended the crease cracking problem for me.
I've never had any trouble with scoring and folding. Every time I have a ball point pen that has run out of ink, I label it a "scoring pen" and scribble on scrap paper to make sure that it really has absolutely no ink left in it. The inkless ball point with a good ruler makes a beautiful score. I have a good pair of scissors whose handle serves nicely as a bone folder. I hope this is useful to some of you. Thanks to all of you who have shared your excellent ideas!
I recently purchased the most amazing scoring tool - it is called the Scor-it - the creases are absolutely and totally professional looking and there are no frayed edges, etc. The other tool I have purchased that makes scoring cardstock much more professional looking is a teflon bone folder. These two tools are AMAZING!!! You can see pics of them as well as reviews on my blog. You may have to dig into the history to find all the details, but hopefully this can help anyone out there that is looking for some fantastic scoring tools.
For nice, neat folds I use a regular table knife (not the serrated side)to score along a ruler on the inside of the card. Then I use the same kitchen knife, only this time on the side or flat part, to press down carefully along the crease to keep it flat. I press on both sides.
The only cardstock I can fold neatly without scoring is the Whisper white. Then I still press down along the crease on both sides with the side of the knife.
The ruler must be very clean or you'll mark your card. You can't have used it for underlining with pen or marker. I have a special ruler I use just for scoring.
Some paper that is very textured still has a more jagged edge when folded. I won't buy that kind of paper again.
I like crisp, neat looking cards and also like to use what I have.
Help - My card creases are not working!!
