Scor-It

I've had my Scor-It for a couple of years now. Love the way it not only scores a nice line for folding, but it also can be used to emboss lines. The Scor-It differs from other scoring boards in that the score is made by running a wooden tool which has a groove at its tip along a thin raised metal rail. This produces a ridge, and when it is used as a fold line, it's called a hinge fold. In contrast, most of the other scoring boards produce the score by running the tip of a tool in a groove. The Scor-It also has a textured rubber surface which helps to hold the paper or cardstock in place as it's being scored. I also love the centering ruler at the top of the board, which makes scoring a card fold very easy, and it also stabilizes the paper or cardstock. You can see photos of the Scor-It if you click HERE.

The following are a few tips that I've gathered from various places. I hope this will help folks who might be having issues using the Scor-It for whatever reason.

• make sure that the edges of your paper or cardstock are square because not all cardstock is cut square to begin with
• make sure that you're holding the scoring tool perpendicular to the board
• if the paper or cardstock is slipping when you make your score, try turning the board upside down and pull the scoring tool down toward the ruler--the raised edge will help hold things in place
• if the scoring tool isn't moving smoothly along the paper or cardstock, try scoring some waxed paper that has been folded a few times
• to score, place your cardstock face down; to emboss, place it face up
• make modifications to the stop guide and scoring tool so that they'll be less likely to become lost; click HERE to see what I mean; I've done these and they're very helpful
  
• if you're having trouble placing a score correctly after trying all of the above, check to make sure that the centering ruler is really centered on the rail and/or that your stop guide is still in the correct position
• don't hesitate to contact the Hammonds Group if you can't get things to work properly--their customer service is excellent
• check out some of the artwork on the Scor-It site for inspiration--there is some really lovely work that's been done using this tool

That said, I really like this tool and have both the full-size Scor-It and the Scor-It Mini. I like the Mini. I use it more often than the bigger one, but occasionally I do like to use the full-size Scor-It when I'm working on something larger than the traditional card. Sometimes the Mini is just a tad too small.

I want to add that I'd looked up all of the above information because I was having issues with my Mini. It wasn't until very recently that I realized why my scores were always just a bit off. I'd thought it was just me rushing. Then I noticed that the centering ruler was not centered on the metal track. It was between 1/16" to 1/8" off. I wrote to the HAMMONDSgroup, Inc about it. This was on a Sunday of a three-day holiday weekend, mind you. I'd written mainly so I wouldn't forget. I expected to hear back maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. I heard back that night from the president of the company. He wanted to make things right and asked for my address so that a replacement could be sent out. Just. Like. That. It arrived via Fed Ex and was in my hands on Thursday. Now that's a company that stands behind its product! I was impressed, and so I want to be sure to mention the excellent service that I received. These days it sometimes feels like both customer service and standing behind one's product are commodities that have fallen by the wayside. This was a breath of fresh air! Thanks, Tim. :-)