And one more that can make a huge difference:

Change your blade often enough!

Frankly, this was one of the things I had the hardest time wrapping my ever-so-logical mind around. "But it's only cardstock", it would say, "surely this stainless steel blade isn't going to dull from cutting a few reams of cardstock!"

Face it, if you're going to blow through a good part of a set of ink cartridges, you might as well splurge a little and get another 15-pack of Xacto blades for $5. Your fingers will thank you for it!

(PS: this holds doubly so when you're cutting foamboard or matboard... *always* use a fresh blade for these. If you feel stingy, you can save old blades for scoring.)

Good point on the blades. I change my blades extremely frequently. I buy em in the 100 pack and get good mileage for the price which is about $10.

Another option is to switch to a craft knife with snap-off blades. I was very resistant at first, having used my X-Acto for so long on miniatures. But, I found that the craft knife allows me to snap off a blade section often, without me feeling like I'm wasting anything. Plus, it's quite a bit easier on my fingers.

I second the snap-off blades, this is pure heaven.

btw - slicing cheese with a kitchen knife will dull its blade (common problem in working kitchens) so cardstock would do it soo much faster.


Lord Abaddon of Wormwood

I have found that having both snap off blades and X-Acto type knives to be a good idea - the X-Acto blades are much better for cutting in tight areas, and the snap offs are easier to keep sharp for the majority of everything else. (And a others can attest I fought this idea for quite a while... ) I found a snap off blade knife at Dollar tree that suirs me to a T. Sadly, they have not had it since... otherwise I would by several more. But since I was not expecting to find a good knife at Dollar Tree, so I did not pick them up at the time. It was a short term solution that proved much better than I expected.

The weight of your kinife and hand should do a lot of the cutting for you, but when usin X-Acto type knives you can find some 'pencil grips' that will fit the handle quite well. Again the Dollar Tree has them, as will most office supply shops. The triangular rubber grips will also stop the knife from rolling off of the table...

Have fun!

The Auld Grump

Wow, this is nice. I have a council of experts at my fingertips.

Thanks everyone for your tips!

Speaking of tips...fingertips...et al.

You are not a real cardstock modeller until you slice one off.

...I strongly second all of the comments above... I tend to be a "hard cutter", in that even with new blades, I catch myself applying way too much downforce on my cuts... I think it's a symptom of using basswood too much... Not only does it cause a permanent dent in my index finger, it shortens the life of the cutting surface as well. Anyway, fresh blades regularly, and force yourself to ease up; let the blade do the work (at least that's what I still tell myself over and over...).
Oh, and respect your tools. What I mean is, always be aware of your blade, where your cut-path is, and whether any other fingers are in that cut path. Most finger slices are caused by dull blades, and that sickening moment when all resistance to your cut seems to disappear suddenly, causing the blade to zip across the imaginary "cut path" into whatever body part is in the way.
It sounds obvious, but simply imagine a cut path extending from the point of origin all the way past the intended cut, along the ruler, and back into thin air... and keep fiddly fingers, objects, or other parts out of that path.

My wife has a little rubber tihng that goes over your finger for sewing or something and she uses it to keep her finger from getting tired, dented or numb.

Me, I just take a break to eat a cookie or something when I start to get tired.

One thing you should really be aware of is not to do all your cutting in a badly lit room. All the concentration and staring it takes to do cutting will hurt your eyes and give you headaches if you are not careful and do it in a well-lit area.