Dot matrix paper is as dangerous as it is outdated.
In a study entitled Competition between slicing and buckling, which underlies the erratic nature of paper cuts, physicists have determined the type of papers most likely to give you paper cuts.
To test the cutting ability of different types of paper, the researchers used ballistics gelatin as a stand-in for skin. They then attempted to cut the gelatin using multiple types of paper. They noted the sturdiness and thickness of the paper, and the angles that were involved when cutting occurred.
Of particular note is how they produced the paper cuts since, as Ke Huy Quan's Waymond pointed out in the masterpiece Everything Everywhere All At Once, "Paper cuts only happen when you aren't trying."
The researchers also noted that some papers, such as those used in dot-matrix printers, are exceptionally good at cutting. They proved this to be the case by connecting a small piece of it to a scalpel and using the results as a "papermachete." They found their little knife was capable of slicing through vegetable skin and even some meats.
The study determined that there is a "remarkably complex relationship between cutting, geometry, and material properties," but also found that a thickness of 65 microns produced the most effective cuts.
Previously: What can you cut with paper?
