How to Cut Crêpe Paper Cleanly and Safely

This video shows how to cut crêpe paper cleanly and safely. The Slice^® 10544 Small Scissors work well for all crêpe paper cutting situations. The Slice 10548 Craft Knife, especially in combination with a straightedge, creates precise, straight lines. Craft knives work best cutting with the grain of the materials, but will also cut against the grain if needed. In addition to our small scissors, Slice offers the 10545 Large Scissors and the 10546 Pointed-Tip Scissors. Slice offers two craft knife models, the 10548 Craft Knife with removable safety cap that’s shown in the video and the 10589 Craft Knife, with an integrated Never Lost™ safety cap.

You’ll want to learn how to cut crêpe paper cleanly if you’re going to incorporate this popular craft material into your projects. Crêpe paper is a rather delicate material, so it can easily rip. This could be very frustrating, especially if you’ve spent time crafting a specific shape only to ruin it with a tear.

What is Crêpe Paper? How Do You Use It?

Before we explore how to cut crêpe paper, let’s take a moment to clarify what it is and how crafters use it.

Crêpe paper is made of layers of tissue paper that are fused with an adhesive and then creased (the process is more technical than that, but those are the broad strokes). This gives crêpe paper its distinctive wrinkly texture and stretchy property. The creasing also gives crêpe paper a grain, like you find in wood.

Crêpe papers differ in quality, weight, and amount of stretch. Heavier crêpe paper stretches more than lightweight options; it’s also sturdier. Color longevity will vary, albeit any crêpe paper regularly exposed to direct sunlight will fade over time.

Crêpe paper is widely used to make paper flowers and other sculptures, and to decorate costumes. Many crafters use it to add color and texture to two-dimensional projects like cards or scrapbooks. It’s also a popular material for party streamers.

How to Cut Crêpe Paper With Ease

Most crafters recommend using scissors to cut crêpe paper. Scissors allow you to easily cut either with or against the grain of the material, as needed. Many projects, like paper flowers, require you to create shapes with curved edges. Scissors are the best tool for this job.
Bladed tools like craft knives are appropriate for straight cuts. These tools will work great when cutting with the grain. Cutting against the grain is a little more difficult, but it’s still possible.

The primary reason you may want to turn to a craft knife is that it allows you to use a straightedge to guide your cut. When you need exact straight lines, this knife-and-ruler combination will be your best choice.

Whatever tool you use, the blade needs to be in good working order. A dull blade is prone to rip or otherwise damage your paper. Metal dulls relatively quickly, so you’ll need to check metal-bladed tools frequently.

Introduce Safety and Longevity to Your Crêpe Paper Cutting

Most craft cutters feature metal blades. As noted, metal dulls quickly. To help compensate for this, the blades come overly sharp out of the box. The risk for lacerations is highest when blades are razor sharp and when they’re dull. Most crafters are too familiar with the dangers these blades pose.

Slice offers cutters that are safer and longer lasting. Our tools feature safety blades with our patent-pending finger-friendly^® grind: these blades are safe to the touch. In addition, Slice blades have been tested to last up to 11 times longer than their steel counterparts.

Slice ceramic scissors, craft knives, and replaceable-blade scalpel are solid choices for crêpe paper crafts.

Our 10544 Small Scissors are great for adults with smaller hands and children. Slice 10545 Large Scissors are suited to all adults. The larger finger holes also provide more leverage for greater force. And our Pointed-Tip Scissors are great for everyday cutting and for when you need to puncture a material to initiate the cut.

Slice makes the 10548 Craft Knife with removable safety cap and the 10589 Craft Knife with an integrated safety cap: the protective covering slides up the handle and locks in place, out of the way when the tool is in use, and slides back down to safely enclose the blade when you’re finished.

The Precision Knife offers a twist on the more traditional craft knife design: it features a finger-hole handle for great control. Slice’s 10568 Scalpel gets into tight spaces and is easy to maneuver.

There are several blades that fit these four tools, including rounded-tip blades and pointed-tip blades.

All Slice tools embody ergonomic design for comfort and to reduce hand and forearm fatigue. Our handles are made of a highly durable glass-infused nylon, and include gripping surfaces to reduce slippage.

Cut Cleanly, Cut Safely

Crêpe paper is a fun material to use for many different types of craft projects. It’s stretchy and moldable, which makes it suitable for sculptural works. And it lends texture and color to many types of crafts.

Learn how to cut crêpe paper cleanly with Slice tools to make your creative process fun, successful, and safe.