Die-cut full cut
The blade goes through the vinyl and the backing: the sticker comes out loose, in the shape of the design. The border is 3 mm by default and the size you ask for is the maximum.
CutContour: full cut
3mm border
between the art and the cut line on a die-cut sticker; you move it from 0.5 to 15 mm
1line
of cut per sticker, even when the art has loose parts
300DPI
at the exact physical size, with 2 mm of bleed on stickers and labels
24on one sheet
stickers from six designs nested by shape on a Letter sheet; packed in bounding boxes, 14 fit
7templates
stickers, sheets, labels, business cards and flyers, with bleed and safe zone
§ 01Cut line
A cut that follows the shape of the art.
On a die-cut sticker the design sets the edge, not a rectangle. The agent traces the line itself, at the distance you choose, and traces it again every time the art changes.
Kiss-cut half cut
The blade cuts only the vinyl. The rectangular backing, with 3.2 mm corners, is cut all the way through: you peel the sticker off and the backing stays. The border is 2 mm by default.
CutContour: kiss-cut · PerfCutContour: backing
How the line is traced
- 01
The silhouette
The opaque part of the art is the silhouette. Holes are filled in: the line never cuts inside an “O”.
- 02
The border
The outline grows by the distance you choose, with rounded outside corners.
- 03
The corners
Inside corners come out with a 1.5 mm radius, a turn the blade can follow.
- 04
Loose parts
If the art has separate parts, like the mug's steam, they're joined with a rounded bridge of up to 12 mm. Farther apart, the line wraps them in a single shape and the agent lets you know.
2 parts → 1 cut, with a 3 mm bridgeCutContour: full cut
The line measures 1.88 × 2.54 in and fits within 3 × 3 in.
What the PDF carries
- CutContour
Spot color: 100 % magenta as the proof color, overprint and a 0.25 pt stroke. The RIP cuts it; it isn't a print color.
- PerfCutContour
If the file mixes kiss-cut and full cut, the backing goes here and the kiss-cut stays on CutContour.
- TrimBox and BleedBox
Trim and bleed are marked in the PDF, for the RIP and for imposition.
§ 02Sticker sheets
More stickers per sheet: nested by shape.
The agent arranges each copy by the silhouette of its cut line, with 90° turns, and carries the kiss-cut onto the sheet. The sheet's edge is cut all the way through, with 3.2 mm corners.
- CutContour · kiss-cut
- PerfCutContour · full cut
24 stickers · 6 designs · 4 copies of each
- Stickers on the first sheet
- 24In boxes 14 · By shape 24
- Sheets needed
- 1In boxes 2 · By shape 1
- Sheet used
- 47%In boxes 28% · By shape 47%
Letter sheet 8.5 × 11 in · 10 mm margin · 4 mm between lines
- Each copy is arranged by the silhouette of its cut, not its bounding box, and can turn 90°, 180° or 270°.
- Sheet sizes are Letter, A4, A5 and 4 × 6 in. For many copies of one design, the agent fills the sheet with as many as fit.
- Leave 10 mm clear at the edge for your cutter's registration marks; with a Cricut or Silhouette, 15 mm or more.
§ 03Cards and flyers
Bleed and safe zone, sized to each format.
Every template comes with its trim size, bleed and safe zone. Labels carry their cut line; business cards and flyers carry crop marks for the paper cutter.
3.5 in2 in
- Trim
- Bleed
- Safe zone
- Crop marks
Business card
Landscape or portrait, with front and back as two pieces. Bleed and safe zone are 1/8 in on the US size and 3 mm on the other two.
- Trim
- 3.5 × 2 in (88.9 × 50.8 mm)
- Bleed
- 3.2 mm
- Safe zone
- 3.2 mm
- File
- 1,125 × 675 px at 300 DPI
- Pieces
- 2: front and back
With crop marks, the PDF adds 12 mm of margin: the marks sit 3 mm from the trim and are 7 mm long, with a data line at the foot.
My project · Business card · front · 3.5 × 2 in · 300 DPI
8.5 in11 in
- Trim
- Bleed
- Safe zone
- Crop marks
Flyer or poster
Portrait or landscape, one or two sides. Bleed is 1/8 in on the inch sizes and 3 mm on the ISO ones; the safe zone is 1/4 in or 5 mm.
- Trim
- 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm)
- Bleed
- 3.2 mm
- Safe zone
- 6.3 mm
- File
- 2,625 × 3,375 px at 300 DPI
With crop marks, the PDF adds 12 mm of margin: the marks sit 3 mm from the trim and are 7 mm long, with a data line at the foot.
My project · Flyer · 8.5 × 11 in · 300 DPI
2 in2 in
- Trim
- Bleed
- Safe zone
- CutContour
Round label
2 in (Ø 50.8 mm) by default. Kiss-cut for roll or sheet, or full cut for a loose sticker. The cut line is the circle, in CutContour.
- Trim
- 2 × 2 in (50.8 × 50.8 mm)
- Bleed
- 2 mm
- Safe zone
- 2 mm
- File
- 647 × 647 px at 300 DPI
3 in2 in
- Trim
- Bleed
- Safe zone
- CutContour
Rectangular label
3 × 2 in by default, with 3.2 mm corners. Kiss-cut or full cut, in CutContour.
- Trim
- 3 × 2 in (76.2 × 50.8 mm)
- Bleed
- 2 mm
- Safe zone
- 2 mm
- File
- 947 × 647 px at 300 DPI
§ 04Print rules
The agent applies the shop's rules before it delivers.
Every piece goes through a prepress check before export. This is what it verifies, with the same limits the studio applies.
- warn · error
Resolution
300 DPI at final size. It warns below 250 DPI and flags an error below 165.
- warn
Bleed
The background runs to the edge of the bleed: 2 mm on stickers and labels, 1/8 in on US cards and flyers, 3 mm on metric ones.
- warn
Safe zone
Text and logos stay inside, away from the cut. If anything crosses into it, the agent tells you and can center it.
- warn
Minimum text size
Capitals 1.2 mm tall or more, which is text of 6 pt or larger.
- warn
Thin lines
Strokes of 0.15 mm or more; anything thinner is lost in printing.
- warn
Cut line up to date
If the art changes, the cut line is traced again. If that wasn't possible, the check flags it before export.
- warn
Cut within the size
The line never runs past the size you asked for, past the backing on a kiss-cut, or off the sheet.
- warn
Parts too far apart
If no bridge can join them, the line wraps all of them and the agent tells you.
- note
Parts joined
When parts do join with a rounded bridge, the check notes it and says how many millimeters.
No mirroring: for print, the file comes out reading the right way round.
§ 05Templates
7 print formats, at the exact size.
Die-cut and kiss-cut stickers, sheets, labels, business cards and flyers: each with its own size, bleed and safe zone.
- Die-cut sticker3 × 3 in
- Kiss-cut sticker3 × 3 in
- Sticker sheet8.5 × 11 in
- Round label2 × 2 in
- Rectangular label3 × 2 in
- Business card3.5 × 2 in
- Flyer or poster8.5 × 11 in
§ 06Who it's for
For anyone who prints and cuts.
- 01
Print shops and sticker makers
An order comes in as a loose logo and goes out as a PDF with the cut line in CutContour, with no tracing the outline by hand in the RIP.
- 02
Small brands with labels
Round and rectangular labels for jars, bags and shipping, with kiss-cut or full cut and the bleed already built in.
- 03
Anyone cutting with a Cricut or Silhouette
The cut line is generated for you here too, as an SVG at the exact size of the file, for your cutter's software; the sheet leaves a margin for its registration marks.
- 04
Copy centers and stationery designers
Business cards at 3.5 × 2 in, 85 × 55 or 90 × 50 mm, and flyers from A5 to Tabloid, with bleed, safe zone and crop marks for the paper cutter.
§ 07FAQ
What print shops ask.
What happens with CMYK at the print shop?
Files come out in RGB (sRGB, and PNG and JPG files with their profile), and your RIP or your print shop converts to CMYK with the profile of their press and paper, which is where it comes out right. If you ask for CMYK, the agent explains it and warns you about highly saturated blues, greens and oranges, which come out duller on paper.
Which RIP or plotter reads the cut line?
The PDF carries the line as a spot color named “CutContour”, the name Roland VersaWorks, Onyx and Caldera look for. If the file mixes kiss-cut and full cut, the backing goes on “PerfCutContour”. Other RIPs may need you to map the name in their cutting settings. We haven't tested it on a real machine yet: run a test sticker first.
What's the difference between die-cut and kiss-cut?
With die-cut the blade goes through vinyl and backing and the sticker comes out loose, in the shape of the design. With kiss-cut it cuts only the vinyl: the rectangular backing, with 3.2 mm corners, is cut all the way through and you peel the sticker off it. Both templates trace the line around the art on their own.
What if the art has loose parts?
The sticker comes out in one piece. Separate parts, like the steam of a mug, are joined with a rounded bridge of up to 12 mm. If they're farther apart, the line wraps all of them in a convex shape and the agent tells you so you can move them closer, raise the border or put a shape behind them. The border runs from 0.5 to 15 mm and the line is traced again every time the art changes.
How many stickers fit on a sheet?
It depends on the shapes, and the agent nests them by the silhouette of their cut, with 90° turns. On a Letter sheet, 24 stickers from 6 designs fit on one sheet; packed in bounding boxes, in rows, they need 2. Sheets can be Letter, A4, A5 or 4 × 6 in, with the kiss-cut around each sticker and the sheet's edge cut all the way through.
What file does the blade need to cut?
A PDF: it's the one that carries the cut line, as a vector, next to the art. A PNG or a JPG doesn't carry a cut. If your cutter imports the cut separately, as a Silhouette or a Cricut does, the agent also exports the line on its own as an SVG, at the exact size of the printed file.
Does it work for business cards and flyers?
Yes. Business cards come in 3.5 × 2 in, 85 × 55 mm and 90 × 50 mm, and flyers in Letter, Tabloid, A5, A4 and A3, with bleed, safe zone and front and back. The PDF can carry crop marks for the paper cutter and marks trim and bleed for your print shop.
What are the minimum resolution and type size?
300 DPI at final size. The check warns below 250 DPI and flags an error below 165. Text runs from 6 pt up (capitals 1.2 mm tall) and lines are 0.15 mm or more.
Your next stickeralready has its cut.
Upload the logo exactly as it arrived. The agent traces the cut line and hands you the PDF with the CutContour spot color.
Start your first project
Trial: $4, 100 credits that never expireSee pricingAlready have an account? Log in