How often should a guillotine knife be sharpened?

It depends on volume and stock — coated and recycled papers dull a knife faster. The tell is in the cut: drag marks, dust, or sheets welding together mean the edge is done.

What bevel angle will you grind?

The angle your material calls for — softer stocks like a keener angle, abrasive stocks need a more durable one. Tell us what you cut and we'll grind to match.

Can you grind out nicks?

Yes — nicks are ground out as part of sharpening. Each grind removes a little height, so we track when a knife is approaching its minimum.

Guillotine paper knife above stacks of paper in a print shop

Paper Knife Sharpening

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Frank’s Industrial Sharpening sharpens guillotine knives, three-knife trimmer blades, and slitting and sheeter knives for commercial printers, binderies, sign shops, packaging and converting plants.
Mail your knives in from anywhere in the U.S., or use our route pickup and delivery across Florida and South Georgia.

What paper knives do you sharpen?

Cutting Room Knives, All of Them

From the big guillotine down to the three-knife trimmer, we keep the cutting room sharp: guillotine knives of all makes and lengths, three-knife trimmer blades, smaller stack cutter blades, and slitting and sheeter knives for converting lines, in HSS, inlaid, and carbide-edged steel.

Guillotine knife sharpening — all makes and lengths
Three-knife trimmer blades
Paper cutter blade sharpening for smaller stack cutters
Slitting and sheeter knives for converting lines
HSS, inlaid and carbide-edged paper knives
Standing exchange programs — a sharp knife ready when yours goes dull.

Can a nicked paper knife be sharpened?

Nicks and End-of-Life Knives

A nick in a paper knife prints itself onto every cut until it's ground out — routine work for us. Knives ground down near their minimum height are a different story: we'll measure and tell you plainly whether there's another sharpening left in it, or whether it's replacement time.

How is a paper knife sharpened?

The Bevel Is Everything

Paper knife sharpening is precision bevel work. The knife is ground along its full length at the exact bevel angle the material calls for — too steep and the edge folds early; too shallow and it wedges the stack — then finished so the edge is clean, not ragged. A properly ground knife cuts with less pressure, holds up through more lifts, and leaves a period:

Inspect — edge condition, nicks, and remaining blade life checked first
Grind — full-length grind at the correct bevel angle, finished smooth
Final check — the edge is verified by hand before the knife is crated for return.

Who we sharpen for

Printers, Binderies and Converters

Commercial printers, binderies, sign shops, packaging and converting plants keep their knives on rotation with us — most run two knives per cutter, one cutting while the other’s being sharpened, so the cutter never sits idle. Mail-in from anywhere, route pickup, or drop-off: paper knives ship safely with the edge guarded, and the mail-in page shows how to pack them.

See how we work with printing and graphic arts shops.

Frequently asked questions

Paper Knife