User's Manual

Bevel cutting is done from the back side of the mat with the colored side down. Always use a slip sheet
of scrap mat board beneath the mat you intend to cut in order to provide a crisp edge (Figure 6).
A slip sheet usually measures about 6 inches wide and is at least a few inches longer than the mat you
intend to cut. The bevel blade should extend far enough so that it slices through the mat you are cutting
and then just score into the slip sheet.
After you have cut a few mats, you may wish to move the slip sheet or flip it so that the blade does
not follow the same slip sheet furrows. Having fresh mat board beneath the surface you intend to cut
helps to provide a crisply cut edge.
Line to Line Method
Step 1
Set the mat guide only at desired border size like 2” for this example (Figure 7).
Step 2
Insert a mat board blank, color side down, on top of a slip sheet. Using a pencil, mark lines along the
left side of the cutting bar from end to end of the mat board blank and repeat for all four sides.
Step 3
Slide the cutting head to the top line and position it so the entry point of the blade tip is roughly 3/16” above the
pencil line (Figure 8). Rotate the blade holder to insert the blade, and pull back to cut while applying steady, even
pressure, stopping when the tip of the blade passes the bottom pencil line by roughly 3/16”.
A suggestion to learn where to start and stop with your blade:
Mark out four even size borders on a mat blank. Then set your production stops (see page 4) to cut
that same size even border. Cut the mat using the production stops. While cutting, watch and take
mental note of where the blade enters and exits the mat in relation to the pencil lines while using the
production stops. Seeing where the blade starts and stops using the production stops will teach you
where to manually duplicate these entry and exit points when cutting line to line.
Step 4
Repeat this process for the next side, and stop to inspect the corner. If the corner is hung up and the window is
not dropping out, OR if there is significant overcut in the corners, then adjust where you start and stop.
The mat cutting technique described above (without production stops or stop/start indicators) is used
by professional framers. Although it takes some practice to perfect, the tips provided here combined
with patience and persistance will help you quickly master the technique.
continued on page 4
Logan Graphic Products, Inc. • 1100 Brown Street, Wauconda, IL 60084 USA • Phone [phone] Fax [phone] • www.logangraphic.com
3
Cutting a Beveled Mat
Line to Line Method
Figure 6
slip sheet mat
TIP

Figure 7
TIP

TIP

Figure 8
Blade inserts 3/16”
above pencil line