Cut & Die Techniques
Every finishing cut leaves a different edge — pick a technique to see how and why. Runs in your browser — no server call, no tracking.
Steel-Rule Die Cutting
Industrialized in the 19th century, originally for the leather and shoemaking trade, then adapted to paper and packaging. A custom-bent steel blade mounted in plywood presses through a stack of sheets in one motion — cheap to run at volume, but the die itself is a real up-front tooling cost.
Laser Cutting
First demonstrated in 1965 at Western Electric's Engineering Research Center, originally for drilling holes in diamond dies. Adapted to cutting paper, wood, and acrylic through the 1970s-80s. No physical die required — any shape can be cut from a digital file, at the cost of being slower per unit than a steel-rule die at real volume.
Kiss-Cutting
Named for the light touch of the blade — it cuts through the top layer only, leaving the backing liner intact. This is exactly how sticker sheets work: peel the shape away, and the backing stays whole for the next one.
Bleed & Borderless Printing
No press can print exactly to a sheet's trimmed edge — cutting blades have real-world tolerance. Designers extend artwork past the final trim line (a "bleed," typically 3mm) so any slight shift in cutting still lands on ink, not white paper, giving the appearance of a truly borderless print.