Oct 11, 2026
Guillotine Paper Cutting Knives: Bevel Angles, Steel and Regrinding
Guillotine paper knives explained: bevel angle selection by paper type, steel grades from SKD-11 to carbide, cutting sticks and regrinding economics.
The guillotine knife is the workhorse of print finishing. Its bevel, steel and cutting stick decide whether the stack comes out square and dust-free or wavy and compressed.
Bevel Angles by Paper Type
Single-bevel guillotine knives are ground between about 18 and 23 degrees. Soft stocks such as tissue and uncoated paper cut best at the sharper end; abrasive coated and laminated stacks hold up better with a slightly steeper edge that resists chipping.
Steel Choices
• SKD-11 / D2 — the standard for print shops, good edge life and toughness
• HSS — for high-volume plants cutting abrasive recycled stocks
• Carbide inlay — maximum regrind intervals on continuous guillotines, higher price
Match steel to stack height and cuts per day rather than defaulting to the hardest option — brittle edges chip on metal-clip contamination.
Cutting Sticks and Clamp Pressure
The knife shears against a plastic cutting stick; rotate sticks regularly so the groove never reaches the last layer. Clamp pressure compresses the stack for a square cut — too little gives fanned edges, too much marks soft stock.
Regrinding Economics
Track cuts per knife. Regrind removes about 0.2-0.3 mm per cycle, and a well-managed knife yields many cycles before minimum size. For rotary alternatives in the same plant, see tissue paper slitter blades.
Why Choose zhongjian
zhongjian (ZHONGJIAN TECH) grinds guillotine knives to your machine model with bevel matched to your paper mix, and supplies matched cutting sticks. Reorders ship with the same geometry on file.
