What is die cutting?

Die-cutting is a process whereby a die is used to cut through materials such as paper and card on a die press. The process allows you to make an identical cut into material numerous times.

How die cutting machines work

For each job, a die, which is a shaped blade, is custom made for the item being created. This die is then lowered onto the material and makes a cut into it. At Celloglas, we use a Sanwa die cutting machine for more complex, larger jobs, and a Saroglia for smaller jobs.

What does a die look like?

A die is a tool made up of wood, steel blades and rubber. The shape for the die is laser cut into the wood and then a highly skilled technician bends and shapes the steel blades into place.

What is kiss cutting?

A process called ‘kiss-cutting’ is a similar process to die cutting, however the blades only cut through part of the material. For instance, when cutting labels, the die ‘kisses’ the sheet and only cuts through the peel-off element of the label. The backing material remains untouched, allowing the end user to peel the label off at a later date.

What is creasing?

For certain items such as boxes and cartons, creases are required to enable you to bend or fold the material. These are blunt blades that are incorporated into the die and are used to create an indentation in the material, rather than cutting through it. Creasing at the same time as die cutting allows for better precision and accuracy.