Die Cut Stickers

What die cutting actually is

Die cutting is cutting the sticker to a shape rather than to a rectangle. There are two methods, and the difference matters commercially:

• Steel rule die — a physical blade bent into the shape. A one-off cost to make, then fast and cheap per piece. Sensible above a few hundred units.
• Digital contour cutting — a plotter follows a vector path. No die cost, slower per piece, economical at low quantities.

At 50 units you are almost always on digital contour cutting; at 5,000 you are almost certainly on a die.

Artwork for a clean edge

The cut follows a vector path, so the file has to contain one. Requirements:

1. A separate cut layer named clearly (for example “Cut”), as a single closed path.
2. 2 mm bleed beyond the cut line, with the background extending into it.
3. No open paths or stray anchor points — a plotter follows them literally.
4. Minimum feature size of about 1.5 mm; thinner protrusions tear or lift.

If you do not have a cut path, we can create one from a high-contrast image of the shape, but a hand-drawn outline will not match the print exactly.

What shapes work

Simple, rounded contours cut cleanly and peel without tearing. Sharp internal corners, long thin spikes and letter-shaped cut-outs are possible but fragile — a sticker cut to the shape of a thin wordmark often tears at the first letter when peeled.

A practical compromise: cut to the outer contour of the mark, not to every internal counter.

Materials

Vinyl is the default because it survives the cutting and peeling. Paper die cuts work for indoor use and are cheaper, but tear more easily at narrow points.

Clear vinyl on a die cut needs white ink behind the design; otherwise the shape is visible mainly by its edge, which can look like a defect.

Sheet versus individual

A die cut can be supplied as individual pieces or kiss cut on a sheet. Individual pieces suit hand-outs and small quantities; sheets suit sets of stickers and reduce packing time.

Quantity and cost

Below roughly 300 units, digital contour cutting avoids a die cost and wins. Above that, a steel rule die usually pays for itself quickly, because the per-piece cutting cost drops.

Ordering

Send the artwork with a cut path, the size, the quantity and the surface. If the shape is complex, send it as-is — we will tell you which details will survive the cut before you commit.