How to nest stickers on a sheet, step by step

Before you start

A good layout depends on a few numbers. Settle them before you place anything, because changing one later means redoing the sheet:

• Work area: the part of the sheet your printer can print and your cutter can cut. It is smaller than the sheet itself.
• Mark space: where the crop or registration marks go, and the clear space they need.
• Cut type: kiss cut, where the backing stays whole, or die cut, where each piece comes out. See kiss cut vs die cut.
• Bleed: how far each design's artwork extends past its cut line. See sticker bleed.
• Gap: the space between neighboring cut lines.

How to nest stickers, step by step

1. 1

   Set the work area to your machine

   Start from the area your printer can print and your cutter can cut, not the paper size, and subtract the space your marks need. Every design has to sit inside what is left.

2. 2

   Choose the cut type

   Kiss cut keeps every sticker on one backing; die cut separates each piece, and die cut pieces usually need more space between them. Decide before you place anything.

3. 3

   Add bleed to every design

   Extend each design's artwork past its cut line, using the design's own edge colors. Every design needs its own bleed, not just the edge of the sheet.

4. 4

   Set the gap

   Use the spacing your cutter or print spec asks for. Published sticker specs range from about 2 mm (0.08 in) to 1/4 in (6 mm) between cut lines. Make the gap at least twice your bleed, so neighboring bleeds don't overlap.

5. 5

   Place the largest designs first

   Big designs are the hardest to fit, so place them first, then fill the spaces between them with smaller ones. Turn designs 90 degrees where that fills a gap, unless the material or the print has a direction.

6. 6

   Add the marks

   Place crop or registration marks where your cutter expects them, and keep designs clear of them, so the printed sheet can be lined up before cutting.

7. 7

   Put cut lines on their own layer and export

   Cut lines go on a separate layer from the artwork, so the printer prints only the artwork and the cutter follows only the cut lines. Export in the format your workflow uses, such as PDF or your design program's file. See how to make a print and cut file.

8. 8

   Test one sheet

   Print and cut one sheet on scrap material before the full run. Check that every cut lands inside the bleed and that the stickers peel or drop out cleanly.

How many stickers fit on a sheet?

For stickers of one size in a straight grid, work it out one direction at a time: stickers across = (usable width + gap) ÷ (sticker width + gap), rounded down. Do the same with the heights for the number of rows, then multiply.

Example: an A4 sheet is 210 × 297 mm. Keep 10 mm clear on every side for marks, and the usable area is 190 × 277 mm. For 50 mm round stickers with a 4 mm gap, (190 + 4) ÷ (50 + 4) = 3.6, so 3 across, and (277 + 4) ÷ 54 = 5.2, so 5 rows: 15 stickers per sheet.

A grid is the right answer when every sticker is the same size. Real orders mix sizes and shapes, and that is where hand layout slows down: every sheet becomes a new puzzle. That is the job nesting software does.

Common sticker sheet layout mistakes

By hand or automatic?

Laying out by hand is fine for a one-off job, or for one design repeated in a grid: your design program's step and repeat does that. It stops being fine when every order is different, when you run many sheets a day, or when an operator spends hours a week placing designs.

Nesting software takes over the placing, along with the bleed, the marks, and the cut file. You set the machine size, bleed, and cut type, and it lays out the sheet. More on choosing one in the sticker nesting software guide.

Frequently asked questions