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

Custom shape die cut stickers
Die cut drink coasters
Diecut black paper hangtags
Starburst rays die cut through black business cards
Custom die cut playing card box
Die cut gold mirror paper with foil stamping
Offset foil stamp and die cut packaging
Laser-cut typographic book cover
Die cut perfume box packaging
Die cut black paper hang tags with white foil
Die cut holographic sticker

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.

Related

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