Rotary or Flat Bed Die Cuts | Laser
Engraving | Perf Cutting or Perforating | Preparation
for Die Cuts or Perforations
Rotary or Flat Bed Die Cuts
The main method or standard means of die cutting involves the
use of metal dies to give paper or substrate products specific shapes or designs
that cannot be accomplished by a straight cut on a web press or a guillotine
cutter. By using knife-edge cutting blades formed into a pattern or die, a machine
presses the die into the material to produce the desired shape. Almost any shape
can be created and applied to a diverse array of raw materials. Labels, envelopes,
folders, cartons, and documents are only a few of the many printed products
that can be die cut for added functionality.
Web presses often have a rotary die unit that
is utilized for die cutting paper and label stocks. Although there are limitations
on the types of dies and the paper selections that can be provided, rotary die
cutting serves as an effective method for longer run quantities of printed materials
requiring some type of die cut area.
Single sheet products require the use of a flat
bed die and a flat bed cutting press to die cut the shape into the paper stock.
The speed of this process is slower than a web press, but it does provide die
cutting capabilities to a wider variety of paper stocks and printed products.
Typical samples of various die cuts from
Cut Sheets or Integrated Products
A second method of die cutting, which has been developed in
recent years, is called laser engraving. By using a computer-controlled beam
of light to cut through the material, text and images can be accurately reproduced
on a variety of paper stocks. By using a laser, manufacturers can provide an
exceptionally high quality, well-detailed and fine-lined reproduction of intricate
art and images or corporate logos.
The laser can create die cuts that have cut away areas which
are very small in size, unlike a rotary or flat bed die cut which encounters
difficulty in having a die made for small cut areas and further, has difficulty
in stripping away the paper from the small cut out areas. A laser engraved die
cut can be created to reproduce a 800 dpi (dots per inch) image allowing for
a cut impression with a significant amount of clarity and definition.
Samples of Laser Engraved Die Cuts
Perf Cutting or Perforating
An alternative to die cutting that is sometimes used is perf
cutting or perforating. This process does not fully trim the desired materials away
from the original shape, but instead creates a cut out area that remains in
place. Perforating is used when a desired section is to be removed from the
document, but not immediately. The intent is to have the perforated area remain
on the document until it is removed later by the consumer or a secondary process.
Perforating blades, which contain cut and uncut areas, are constructed into a
die pattern. The cut area of the blade strikes through the material while the
uncut segment or tie of the blade does not cut the paper, enabling the perforated
area to remain attached to the document until it is to be removed.
Preparation for Die Cuts or Perforations
When determining if a material should be die cut or perforated, the following points should be considered:
- The thickness and firmness of the material.
- The stretch and elasticity or spring back of the material.
- The coatings or laminated components of the material.
In order to provide a high quality ("clean")
die cut or perforation, the following factors should be considered:
- The type of material to be die cut or perforated.
- The type of die and blades used for the cut or perforation.
- The cutting surface (either hardened steel or compressible substrate) on
which the material will lay when the die or perf blades are forced into the
- The machine that is accomplishing the die cut or perforation.
Samples of Perforations
Print materials can contain multiple perforations
enabling a variety of tasks to be accomplished for additional processing of
For more information on perforations, click
on the link: Perforations
Note: Always check with the supplier of the
product to insure that the required die cut or perforation can be
accomplished on the material desired, with the shape requested, and
in the locations indicated.
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