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Guide

How do I make a cut line for stickers?

Updated 2026-10-30

Short answer A cut line is one closed vector path that follows the edge of your sticker. It has a stroke and no fill, and it is set up as a spot color so the machine reads it as “cut here” and doesn’t print it. Draw the sticker’s outline slightly outside the artwork, color it as a spot color named CutContour (the name Roland and Mimaki cutters look for), and put it on its own layer. Before you do any of that, check whether your shop makes the cut line for you. Several do.

Do you need to make one at all?

Online sticker shops differ, and their own pages say so:

  • Sticker Mule: “It is not necessary to specify a cut line.” If you do draw one, they recommend “a .05 - 1 pt magenta stroke.”
  • Printkeg: “If no cut path is included, we will prepare it for you before production.” If you supply one, it should be “a separate vector path” on “its own layer.”
  • Carrco Labels: “Prefer control? Include a dedicated cut path as a spot color named “CutContour” in your vector file.”

So for a simple shape at one of these shops, upload clean artwork with a bleed and let them cut. Make your own cut line when you want a specific shape, you have several stickers on one sheet, or you run your own print-and-cut machine.

What the numbers are (they are not the same everywhere)

WhoCut lineBleed and spacing
Sticker MuleOptional. Magenta stroke, .05–1 pt1/16 in (.0625) around the cut line, if you want a bleed. Recommended minimum line 1 pt, text 6 pt
PrintkegSeparate vector path on its own layerAt least 0.125 in of bleed beyond trim
Carrco LabelsOptional. Spot color named CutContourBackground 1/8 in past the cut line. Keep text and logos 1/8 in inside. Nothing thinner than 1/8 in
StickerApp (sheets)1 pt, solid, fully closed, one spot color (usually 100% magenta), one per sticker2 mm outside each cut line. At least 2 mm between cut lines. Sharp corners over 30°
Roland VersaWorks (your own machine)Spot color named CutContour, spelled exactly. Roland’s setup article shows stroke weight .25 in Illustrator and Hairline in CorelDRAWExtend artwork 1–3 pt past the cut line
Mimaki RasterLink7 (your own machine)Name starts with CutContour; you can add letters or numbers after it (CutContourCut1, CutContourHalf)n/a

There is no single right line weight. Roland’s article says the line’s color doesn’t matter and the name does: “the name must be CutContour, spelled exactly as it appears.” Roland’s manual says the name is case-sensitive. Use the number your shop gives you, not the one from another shop’s page.

How to draw it (Illustrator; CorelDRAW works the same way)

  1. Finish the artwork first. Convert text to outlines. If your logo is still a bitmap, it needs to be traced to vector first (see why printers need vector files).
  2. Make one silhouette. Select all the parts of the sticker and merge them into one shape (Pathfinder, Unite). Delete tiny holes and thin gaps that you don’t want cut out. Carrco notes that openings narrower than 1/8 in are a problem when the sticker is peeled.
  3. Offset it outward. Copy the silhouette, then use Object, Path, Offset Path to push the copy out by the border you want. Sticker Mule’s standard border is .1 in, and its minimum is .0625 in.
  4. Round the corners. StickerApp says rounded corners are more stable and sharp corners should be over 30°.
  5. Set it up as the cut line. No fill. Stroke only, at the weight your shop wants. Make the stroke a spot color, give the swatch the exact name your machine needs, and keep the path closed with no crossings.
  6. Put it on its own layer, on top of the artwork, named so you can find it.
  7. Add bleed. Extend the background or border color past the cut line by your shop’s number. The cutter isn’t perfectly exact, so the extra ink keeps a white sliver from showing at the edge.
  8. Save as the format your shop asks for. Mimaki’s manual lists PostScript, EPS and PDF. Roland’s manual asks for EPS. Keep the file vector.

If you use a free editor instead, draw and offset the shape there, then ask your shop whether they’ll turn it into a cut line. Naming a spot color is the step free editors tend to make awkward.

Common mistakes

  • A fill instead of a stroke. The cutter needs a line, not a shape.
  • A process color instead of a spot color. The machine’s software may print the line instead of cutting it.
  • A misspelled name. CutContour has to match. Case matters.
  • One shop’s line weight sent to another shop. Roland shows .25 pt. StickerApp wants 1 pt. Use your shop’s number.
  • Two stickers whose cut lines touch. StickerApp asks for at least 2 mm between them.

When it’s worth getting someone else to do it

  • The artwork is a PNG from an AI tool and you also need it traced and cleaned up.
  • You have several stickers on a sheet and each one needs its own closed path.
  • Your shop wants a different bleed and cut line weight from the one you used last time.
  • The sticker has tiny points, narrow necks or holes that might tear when peeled.

We build the cut line as a closed path in the spot color name your shop needs, with the bleed and safe area set to your shop’s numbers, and the print report lists each setting. Tell us the shop or machine when you upload. If you don’t know it, we mark it “check with your printer” instead of guessing. First proof within 24 hours, you pay only when you approve the proof, and if your printer rejects the file within 30 days, we fix it free.

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Sources

Read in October 2026. Full list with exact quotes: sources.csv.