Aside from scissors, you may also want to invest in a cutting knife. There are two brands out there that I like - Xacto and Excel Blades. I highly recommend getting a cutting knife that has some kind of cushion or grip on it.
A super important aspect of the cutting knife is its cap! Excel Blades has a really great cap for their blades that doesn’t fall off. Sometimes the Xacto one will and it’s a bit dangerous.
Storage Tips
Always Keep your blade capped, even before you put it on the table. (I’ve seen mine roll off the table and almost stab me in the foot.)
I suggest storing the blade (capped) upside down in a cup or organizer. That way when you reach for it, the blade is always down. Same for anything else sharp.
If you loose your cap, always remove the blade before storing it. Or at least turn the blade and slot it in upside down into the handle (so the tip is inserted into the opening). Slightly more risky but better than an exposed knife.
Changing your blade frequently is going to be a life saver! One of my teachers once said that you should be changing your blade out every 10 ft you cut. While I admittedly don’t change it that frequently, I do change it when the tip is dull. Sometimes this is more than 10 ft of cutting and sometimes it’s right after I change it and make a cut! If you insert the blade into a piece of paper or any surface, you might hear a snap sound. That means you’ve just broke your blade tip, so it needs to be changed again.
In the illustration above, I point out where the tip of the blade is and when it’s dull / flat, that’s what you need to change it out. It can get annoying to change out a blade frequently, but it will provide a much smoother cutting experience than waiting to do so.
Once you finish removing the blade, please do not throw it directly into a trashcan. It’s still sharp and can cut a hole and possibly injure you or someone else dealing with the trash. I suggest you keep it in a thick plastic jar or thick cardboard box. Don’t use something thin like a milk gallon jug. The blades can still poke through.
Xacto has this really cool package that safely dispenses blades and has a place for used blades. The only drawback is that they come in small quantities.
Some folks have asked about using a surgeon’s blade. I know some paper crafters use these but I’ve always felt like there was a bit of a learning curve and I never took to it. I find that the simpler the tool, the better.