Why must a die cutting line be created on the PDF file?

Why does a cut line have to be created on the PDF file? The cut line, or die cut, indicates the boundary of your label, that is, where it will be trimmed. If you choose “square” or “circular” shape when you place your order, the cut line does not have to be created on the document. It does, however, need to be present on the file when “Custom Shape” is selected. With a cut line set up correctly in vector, your labels can be produced in the desired shape.

Set the cut line in Adobe Illustrator CC

In this tutorial we will explain step by step how to correctly set up the die cut for your label. The pictures on the right side illustrate the individual steps. Setting up the cutting line is done through 4 steps :

• Create the color spot color “die cut”
• Creates the outline of the cutting line
• Set the cut line in overprinting
• Save the PDF including the die cut

1. Create the color spot color “die cut”

First create a new color swatch. To do this, call up the Color control panel from the Window > Color drop-down menu. Assign the color values C0 M100 Y0 K0 in the newly opened Color panel [Fig.: 1.1]. Select the Create New Sample… option from the panel options. Rename the color name to “Die-cut” and change the color type to spot color [Fig.: 1.2]. Clicking the OK button will add the newly created spot tint color to the color list you can view from Window > Swatches.

2. Create the outline of the cutting line

Create an outline in the final label format. To do this, select the Rectangle tool in the tool panel (on the left side). Then double-click on the drawing board. This will open the window [Fig.: 2.1] where you will have to enter the format. Enter the final format for your label and confirm with OK. The rectangle is now displayed in the document. To assign color to the outline, select the rectangle with the Selection Tool (in the tool panel). Color the outline with the color “Die cut” by selecting it from Window > Samples[Fig.: 2.2]. The color of the rectangle area should not be colored. Set the surface color to “None” . Then align the outline to the center of the document using Window > Align.

3. Set the overprint cut line.

The cut line just colored with the spot color “Die Cut” must now be set to overprint. To do this, select the rectangle with the selection tool (in the tool panel) and open the > Attributes Window. Click on the Overprint trace option [Fig.: 3.1]. The “Overprint” option ensures that the areas below the cut line will be printed.

4. Save the PDF including the die cut

Save the PDF file by selecting the File > Save As… Select the Adobe PDF (pdf) format at the bottom and then click on the Save button. In the window that pops up [Figure: 4.1] it is important to check the box “Use live page document settings” in the “Indicators and live pages” section. The abundance of 2.5 mm (see Abundance tutorial) should have been automatically saved to the file.

Attention. For die-cuts with custom shape

If you need a custom shape die cut, create the cut line using the Pen tool from the tool panel. It is important for the production of your labels that the cut line is created as an outline, not a surface.