This reference describes the fields on a guillotine row under Estimate Setup → Finishing Machines → Cut, and the Perimeter pretrim strategy options that change the cut count on every quote routed through the guillotine. Folding, creasing, laminating, spot finishing, and folder-gluer fields are documented in Finishing machines reference. Binder fields are documented in Binding machines reference.
Fields on a guillotine row
Field | What it controls | When to change this | What depends on it |
Name | The display name for the guillotine on routes and on the Cut line of the price breakdown. | When the shop runs two guillotines that resolve to similar names. Suffix the model number or floor location so operators can tell them apart on the breakdown. | The Cut line on the price breakdown and the route comparison view. |
Tags | The compatibility filter that pairs the guillotine with upstream presses and substrate groups. | When the shop adds a press stream (for example, a litho line) that needs a dedicated guillotine, or when retagging an existing guillotine to a new substrate group. | Which guillotine Estimator considers eligible for a quote's press output. An untagged guillotine is eligible for everything; a tagged one is filtered to matching upstream work. |
Sheet sizes | The press sheet sizes the guillotine can accept. Populated from your configured substrates. | When the shop adds a new substrate size that this guillotine can run. The size becomes selectable here once the substrate exists. | Eligibility: a press sheet outside the listed sizes is not routed through this guillotine. |
Max substrate thickness | The upper caliper limit the guillotine can cut cleanly, in millimetres (or inches for imperial shops). | When the shop adjusts the blade or moves a board cut from this guillotine to a heavier one. | Eligibility: substrates above the threshold are filtered to a different guillotine. |
Cuts per hour | The guillotine throughput in cuts per hour. The cut step's running time is the cut count divided by this rate. | When the shop's operational rate diverges from the catalogue rate by ≥10% based on the operator's log. | The Cut line's running time and cost on every quote routed through the guillotine. |
Make-ready minutes | The fixed setup time in minutes added once per run before cutting begins. | When the operator's actual setup time differs from the default by ≥2 minutes (verify with the operator log). | The Make-ready portion of the Cut line on the price breakdown. |
Make-ready labor cost | The fixed labour cost added once per run at make-ready. | When the labour rate changes, or when the shop standardises make-ready labour at a different number. | The make-ready cost portion on every cut-routed quote. |
Machine rate per hour | The hourly running cost (amortisation, blade life, electricity, consumables) in tenant currency. | When the cost-accounting team revises the machine rate, or when the guillotine moves between cost centres. | The running portion of the Cut line on every cut-routed quote. |
Labor rate per hour | The operator hourly cost. Set as a fraction of full rate if the operator can do other work while the guillotine runs. | When the wage rate changes, or when the shop changes its operator-supervision model. | The labour portion of the Cut line on every cut-routed quote. |
Running spoils % | The percentage of extra sheets spoiled during the run, as a fraction of necessary sheets. | When the shop's measured spoilage diverges from the default by ≥1 percentage point. | The spoiled-sheet count on every cut-routed quote. Drives the substrate line indirectly because more sheets enter the press. |
Overs per section | The fixed extra sheet count produced per section on top of the ordered quantity. | When the shop's standard overs policy changes (for example, moving from 100 overs on a high-volume run to 50). | The total sheet count on every cut-routed quote. |
Perimeter pretrim strategy | The rule that decides how many perimeter trim cuts Estimator counts before separation cuts. Options: Separate only, Trim 3 edges, Trim 4 edges, Auto by margin. | When the shop standardises a bleed-handling policy, or when this guillotine moves to a press stream that produces a different bleed pattern. | The cut count on every cut-routed quote, which feeds the Cut line's running time and cost. |
Auto-by-margin threshold | The waste-margin percentage above which Auto by margin triggers a perimeter trim. Only set when Perimeter pretrim strategy is Auto by margin. | When the shop changes its waste-tolerance policy. | The decision the Auto by margin strategy makes on each quote. |
Included steps | Operations performed in the same pass on the guillotine that share its make-ready (rare on guillotines). | When the guillotine is part of an inline line with a feeder or stacker step that should share the cut make-ready. | The make-ready double-count avoidance on quotes that route both inline steps through this row. |
Perimeter pretrim strategy options
The Perimeter pretrim strategy field controls how many extra perimeter cuts Estimator counts before the separation cuts on a press sheet. The customer-facing options in the drop-down are:
Option | Effect on the cut count |
Separate only | Estimator counts only the separation cuts implied by the imposition layout. No perimeter trim is added. |
Trim 3 edges | Estimator adds three perimeter cuts before the separation cuts. Use when the press sheet has bleed on three edges of the layout. |
Trim 4 edges | Estimator adds four perimeter cuts. Use when the press sheet has bleed on all four edges. |
Auto by margin | Estimator inspects the margin waste on the press sheet and adds a perimeter trim only when the margin exceeds the Auto-by-margin threshold. |
Perimeter pretrim strategy on the guillotine is not the same as a Perimeter + Unit price model on a Custom step. The guillotine field prices built-in separation cutting; a Perimeter + Unit price model prices custom add-ons such as hemming or counted holes. See How price models work.