Why die-cutting is essential to your labelling project
Unique packaging or branding can be a great way to make your business stand out in today’s competitive climate. The benefits of labelling projects are often touted, and for good reason.
But a lot of different processes and methods are needed for a successful labelling job. One that’s essential to ensuring you’re doing the best job you can is die-cutting.
What is die-cutting?
Die-cutting is one kind of fabrication process that is performed using a specialised machine. This machine is able to shear, cut and form materials into desired shapes. Die-cutting is used in a number of applications, as well as in printing and labelling.
The die part of die-cutting isn’t like food dye. Instead, the die itself is a piece of metal tooling that’s used to shear the material. When creating proofs for your labels, you’re able to create a die-line to plan out where your die will cut through.
This is how labels made of tougher material, like metal or fabric, can be morphed into different shapes for marketing purposes.
Why is die-cutting essential for labelling projects?
Die-cutting is vital if you’re completing a labelling project because it allows you to create accurate shapes for your labels. It’s also useful because the process can be modified to meet the needs of your project.
For instance, it can help you to create labels with holes in or with enough space to print intricate designs. It can also create custom shapes that can help your labels stand out.
This makes die-cutting perfect for design and communication purposes.
What to consider when die-cutting for labelling projects
There are a couple of things you should bear in mind when die-cutting your labels. The first is that there are a number of different die-cutting processes, with different benefits.
These are flatbed, rotary and semi-rotary. You should decide on which of these processes you’re hoping to use before you start planning out your project.
If you’re looking to make holes in your design, always make sure you leave enough space between the hole and the edge of your shape. Otherwise, the hole may cut into the edge of your label and won’t work properly.
You should also make your designs slightly larger than your shape. This is done by creating a bleed area for your design, which should fit about 1/16” past your label edge, to make sure you don’t have any blank space when you add your design.