I have a studio, with lots of strip cutters. Often the dies are offered in 2 widths, the narrower one cuts fewer strips, but I always get that one. This way, I don't sub cut my fabric first. The narrower die allows the excess fabric to ride along in the tray. I don't have any more waste than when I cut with a ruler. See if you can position the fabric so that you don't need to sub cut it first, with the excess fabric laying over the edge of the die.