Nemia Posted May 15 Posted May 15 I have trimmed a number of decks, and I have had very good results with tailor's scissors. They're very sharp and large enough to trim the whole length of the card in one go. All you need is a steady hand. It's not for perfectionists, though.
Raggydoll Posted May 16 Posted May 16 I have successfully trimmed several decks with scissors too. The one downside - it takes a very long time and is really hard on your hands.
Ferrea Posted May 16 Posted May 16 6 hours ago, Nemia said: I have trimmed a number of decks, and I have had very good results with tailor's scissors. They're very sharp and large enough to trim the whole length of the card in one go. All you need is a steady hand. It's not for perfectionists, though. Ja, I can imagine how nicely these scissors cut the paper. It's just that my right hand feels quickly strained when working with scissors—unfortunately, because I like them as a tool. 2 hours ago, Raggydoll said: I have successfully trimmed several decks with scissors too. The one downside - it takes a very long time and is really hard on your hands. Before I got a corner cutter I rounded the corner of three decks (The Minoan Tarot by Laura Perry, the Noblet by Flornoy and l'Oracle de Belline) with scissors. That's when you can feel how much 78 is, lol.
Raggydoll Posted May 16 Posted May 16 1 hour ago, Ferrea said: Ja, I can imagine how nicely these scissors cut the paper. It's just that my right hand feels quickly strained when working with scissors—unfortunately, because I like them as a tool. The reason why I stopped using scissors for cutting cardstock is because my mother ruined her hands that way (osteoarthritis). She did not trim decks (believe it or not 🤪) but she did a whole lot of paper crafting with kids. Today she cannot fit her fingers into a regular pair of scissors anymore, because of distorted and swollen joints. Given that I share her genetics, I am not taking any chances. My mantra is - if it hurts my hands (either during or after), I find another solution!
Marina Posted May 17 Posted May 17 (edited) I trimmed a few decks back in the day, including a Mythic Tarot (the one with the original art by Tricia Newell), and I would usually buy a brand new pair of big scissors just to do it. Sadly, my trimmed Mythic was lost in a trip. I have replaced it, because it's one of my all-time favourites, but I didn't bother to trim it this time, event though it's a tad big for my hands. I also trimmed an Enchanted Tarot and a Druidcraft, but ended up passing them on. I have small a corner rounder punch a kind soul from late AT sent me, but after all these years it's cut cannot be trusted anymore lol. So I pretty much stopped trimming decks. Edited May 17 by Marina
Ferrea Posted Monday at 08:34 PM Posted Monday at 08:34 PM I'm venturing into the trimming business! I bought this machine second hand but ”as new” and my first project was a cartomancy deck by Modiano. Also second hand and supposedly ”as new” which turned out not to be true. So I trimmed the wear away. The result turned out quite well, though. Before and after: My second project was the Lover's Path Tarot. The result is OK, apart from the back. Currently under the knife: The Dalí Tarot (of course not the one with the gold edges, lol) and I'm looking forward to finishing it.
Tanga Posted Monday at 09:04 PM Posted Monday at 09:04 PM On 5/16/2026 at 9:18 AM, Raggydoll said: The reason why I stopped using scissors for cutting cardstock is because my mother ruined her hands that way (osteoarthritis). She did not trim decks (believe it or not 🤪) but she did a whole lot of paper crafting with kids. Today she cannot fit her fingers into a regular pair of scissors anymore, because of distorted and swollen joints. Given that I share her genetics, I am not taking any chances. My mantra is - if it hurts my hands (either during or after), I find another solution! OMGs - I wish! I love my job too much. Lol. There isn't a history of that in my family though - but an astrologist warned me that I had that in my chart aeons ago. 26 minutes ago, Ferrea said: I'm venturing into the trimming business! I bought this machine second hand but ”as new” and my first project was a cartomancy deck by Modiano. Also second hand and supposedly ”as new” which turned out not to be true. So I trimmed the wear away. The result turned out quite well, though. Before and after: My second project was the Lover's Path Tarot. The result is OK, apart from the back. Currently under the knife: The Dalí Tarot (of course not the one with the gold edges, lol) and I'm looking forward to finishing it. That looks cool 😎
Rose Lalonde Posted 22 hours ago Posted 22 hours ago It's been a while since I've trimmed. I used scissors for mine. And I rounded the corners of my Flournoy 1st ed. Noblet - sacrilege! 😅 But I've never regretted it, since it feels great to shuffle. I used that same corner rounder everyone always recommends. Here's a (non-Amazon) link to it on fujinote. My favorite trimming transformation was the Mary-el 2012 ed. 🙂 (removed massive borders) I also added some distress ink edging.
Chariot Posted 15 hours ago Posted 15 hours ago (edited) I don't hesitate to scissor-trim (and use a corner punch to finish) ANY deck that I like—but don't use because it's too big to shuffle well. I find trimming is quite a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, and the results are always worth it. Get a cheapo deck of some kind and practice, if you're not sure of your technique. But unless you have trouble with your hands or can't exert steady control of your scissors, trimming by hand will work! And so worth it, if you can then use the deck. I do honestly wish that card designers and publishers would stop making huge cards—certainly with wide, elaborate borders. In fact, I'd like to see more 'mini' cards made available. So much easier to use. But hey.... Edited 15 hours ago by Chariot
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