Stickers and labels
Sticker printing adds one thing normal print does not have: a cutting machine that follows a named vector line in your file. The plugin draws that line for you.
The dieline
In the PDF tab, enable Add dieline. A rectangle with your chosen corner radius is drawn at the trim box:
- Name
Spot plate name- Type
- select
- Description
Cutting machines look for a specific spot color name. Roland systems use CutContour; others use Dieline, KissCut, PerfCutContour, or Crease. Varnish marks a spot-UV area instead. Ask your shop which name their workflow reads.
- Name
Overprint- Type
- always on
- Description
The dieline is drawn with overprint enabled, so the line guides the cutter without knocking a white gap out of your printed artwork.
- Name
Corner radius- Type
- mm
- Description
Rounded stickers survive peeling better; 2 to 4 mm is typical.
Kiss-cut versus die-cut
- Kiss-cut: the blade cuts the vinyl but not the backing paper. Sticker sheets and easy-peel singles. Plate name often KissCut.
- Die-cut: cut through everything, sticker takes the shape of the line. Plate name often CutContour.
Bleed and safe area
Shaped cutting drifts a little, so bleed matters more than in flat print: extend artwork 2 to 3 mm past the dieline (your normal bleed setting does this) and keep text 3 mm inside it. The Setup presets with a custom size cover any sticker dimensions.
Export settings
CMYK preset for your region, 600 DPI for small stickers with fine detail, dieline enabled with the shop's plate name, PDF/X-1a on. Spot colors are explicitly allowed in X-1a, so conformance holds.
The dieline is a rectangle with optional rounded corners. For fully custom contour shapes (mascots, logos cut to outline), ask the shop to trace the contour, which most sticker services do for free from your artwork.