Techniques / Finishing
Die Cutting
Print doesn't have to be a rectangle. Die cutting uses a custom steel-rule die to cut your piece into any shape the design demands — rounded, geometric, silhouetted, windowed, or fully structural.
We cut business cards into squares and custom shapes, stickers into their artwork's outline, coasters into circles and bevel-edged squares (champagne-flute size included), hang tags with eyelets and unusual profiles, and — the deep end — structural work: boxes, sleeves, and packaging that fold from flat sheets into objects.
Die cutting compounds with everything else in the shop: a die-cut edge plus foil, a window revealing a printed layer beneath, perforations for tear-away pieces. For packaging we prototype first, so the structure is proven before the run.
What we die cut
- Cards & invitations — squares, rounded corners, full silhouettes, and windows that reveal a layer beneath.
- Stickers — kiss-cut to the artwork's outline on rolls or sheets.
- Coasters & hang tags — circles, bevel-edged squares, eyelets, and unusual profiles.
- Boxes & packaging — structures that fold from flat sheets into objects.
Dies, lasers & perforation
Most work runs on a custom steel-rule die — a one-time tool made for your shape that then cuts the entire run identically. When the design goes lace-fine — intricate interior cutouts, typographic voids — the job moves to laser cutting. Perforation and scoring ride the same pass, so tear-away cards and fold lines arrive ready to work.
Die cutting samples
FAQ
Does a custom shape cost extra?
There's a one-time die charge for your shape; after that the die cuts the whole run — and it's yours for future projects.
Kiss cut or cut through?
Stickers are usually kiss-cut — through the vinyl, not the backing — so they peel clean. Everything else cuts through. We'll spec the right one.
How intricate can a cut get?
Steel-rule dies handle bold shapes, windows, and curves; for lace-fine interior detail we switch to laser cutting, which handles almost anything the sheet can survive.
Do you prototype packaging?
Always — structural work is proofed as a physical dummy so the fold, fit, and closure are proven before the run.