Guide
How to make a print and cut file for stickers
What a print and cut file needs: artwork with bleed, a cut line on its own layer, and marks. How to set one up, and how to fix common problems.
By Optimas PrintUpdated 5 min read
Short answer
A print and cut file holds two things that must stay apart: the artwork to print and the cut line the cutter follows. Put the artwork, with bleed, on a print layer, and the cut lines on their own layer, as thin vector paths in the spot color or layer your cutter's software recognizes. Add the marks your cutter uses to line up the printed sheet, then save as PDF or in your design program's format.
What is print and cut?
Print and cut is a two-step workflow: the sheet is printed, sometimes laminated, and then a cutter cuts out each design along its cut line. Because the two steps are separate, often on separate machines, the cutter needs marks printed on the sheet to find exactly where the artwork landed.
The file ties the two steps together. If the cut line is in the wrong place, on the wrong layer, or in a form the cutter doesn't recognize, the job fails at the cutter, after the ink and material are already spent.
What goes in a print and cut file
Print layer
Cut layer
Marks
The exported file
- Print layer: the artwork for every design, each with its bleed.
- Cut layer: one closed vector path per design, with no fill and a thin stroke, on a layer of its own.
- Marks: crop or registration marks, printed so the sheet can be lined up before cutting.
- Page size: the work area of your machine, so the layout and the marks fit what the printer and cutter can handle.
How to set up a print and cut file
- 1
Set the page to your machine's work area
Use the area your printer can print and your cutter can cut, minus the space your marks need.
- 2
Draw a cut path around each design
For vector artwork, use the outline or an outward offset of it. For images, trace the outline into a vector path. Each cut path should be one closed shape.
- 3
Add bleed under the cut line
Extend each design's artwork past its cut path, so a small drift lands on color. See sticker bleed.
- 4
Put the cut paths on their own layer
Give the cut paths no fill and a thin stroke, and move them to a separate layer. Many cutter workflows find cut paths by a spot color name: Roland's VersaWorks, for example, cuts paths stroked in a spot color named CutContour. Use the name your software expects.
- 5
Add the marks
Place crop or registration marks where your cutter looks for them, with clear space around each one.
- 6
Export and check
Save as PDF or in your design program's format, keeping layers and spot colors. Open the file in your printer's or cutter's software and check that the cut line shows up as a cut, not as artwork.
- 7
Test on scrap
Print and cut one sheet on scrap material before the full run.
Crop marks vs registration marks
Both are printed outside the artwork, so the terms often get mixed up:
- Crop marks, or trim marks, are thin lines at the corners that show where the sheet's edges or trim lines are. They help you line up and trim the printed sheet.
- Registration marks, in print & cut, are targets that a cutter's optical sensor reads to find the printed artwork, so the cut follows the print. Each cutter maker uses its own mark style and positions. In offset printing, the term also means the targets used to line up the ink colors.
Which marks you need depends on how your cutter lines up a sheet, so check its manual for the marks it reads and the clear space they need. Optimas Print adds crop marks at the corners of the print area automatically, so the printed sheet can be lined up before cutting.
Common print and cut problems
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The cut line prints on the stickers | Likely cause: The cut paths are on the print layer, or their spot color isn't recognized | Fix: Move cut paths to their own layer, in the spot color your software expects |
| The cutter ignores the cut line | Likely cause: The paths were merged into the artwork, often by transparency or effects, or the name or layer is wrong | Fix: Keep cut paths as plain vector strokes, and check the name |
| Cuts are offset from the print | Likely cause: Marks misread, sheet loaded at an angle, or material stretched | Fix: Keep marks clear, load the sheet straight, recheck after laminating |
| Thin white edges | Likely cause: No bleed, or less than your cutter drifts | Fix: Add or increase bleed around every design |
| Kiss cuts go through the backing | Likely cause: Blade depth or force too high for the material | Fix: Lower the force and test on scrap |
PDF or CorelDRAW?
Both work for print & cut. PDF is the most widely accepted: most RIP and cutter software opens it, and it keeps layers and spot colors when exported carefully. A native CorelDRAW file suits shops that design in CorelDRAW and send jobs to the cutter from there. Use the format your printer and cutter software handle best. If you work in CorelDRAW, see how to nest stickers in CorelDRAW.
Frequently asked questions
What color should a cut line be?
Does the stroke width of a cut line matter?
Can I use a JPG or PNG as a print and cut file?
What is the difference between print and cut and vinyl cutting?
Roland, VersaWorks, and CorelDRAW are trademarks of their respective owners. Optimas Print is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
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