Custom cut labels and stickers are the perfect way to create unique looking shapes and designs that stand out. Both kiss-cut labels or die-cut labels, custom cut stickers and labels help enhance your branding and personal projects with a distinctive touch.
What are Custom Cut Labels or Stickers?
Also referred to as; Custom-Shaped Stickers, Contour Cut Stickers, Decal Stickers, Partial Cut Stickers, individually cut stickers, Sticker sheets.
Custom-cut labels are any shape that isn't a standard square, circle, rectangle, or oval. They can be nearly any design and are typically used to follow the outline of your artwork. Also, custom cut labels are also squares or rectangles with corners rounded above 0.8mm, which is the minimum corner radius for our labels.
We offer custom cut stickers under all our material options and these are available in a variety of finishes, making them an fantastic choice for creating unique labels for a multitude of purposes. From curved labels for tapered products like coffee cups, to eye-catching branding for drinks, custom cut stickers ensure a unique look and feel.
Custom-cut stickers and labels can be finished using either the kiss-cut method—available on rolls, sheets, and singles (also known as individually cut), or in a die-cut format called 'Decal', where the labels are cut into singles with a backing that matches the label's shape.
Since custom cut labels and stickers take more time to produce they can be a bit higher in costs, but the eye-catching shapes created often make them worth the investment. It’s always a good idea to balance the cost against the impact you want to achieve. If you're machine applying your labels, intricate shapes may require extra steps to ensure they can be produced, please contact us for more information.
Design Tip: Creating Strong Custom Shapes for Easy Peeling and Durability
As specialists in label printing with years of real-world experience, we know how important it is to balance practical and eye-catching designs. While intricate custom shapes can elevate your branding, too many tight insets, sharp points, or thin sections can cause tearing and difficult peeling.
Over the years, we've improved our technology, backing materials, and overall production processes, allowing us to create more intricate shapes than before. However, certain restrictions remain and ensure durability and smooth application. Our designers work closely with each custom shape artwork to ensure any necessary adjustments are clearly explained and signed off by you. This approach has led to consistently positive customer feedback, especially for intricate shapes that still peel easily.
One technique we use is designating a specific “leading edge” to improve peeling performance. For example, with a lollipop-shaped label, rotating the shape so that the machine removes the excess around the “stick” first speeds up production and reduces the risk of damage. This efficiency helps us keep production costs low, meaning we don't charge extra for the type of cut, only for the total number of cuts on mixed sticker sheets. Thanks to our team's expertise, we know exactly how to position the artwork, manage the bleed area, and optimise the cut path for the best results.
Ultimately, a balanced design not only looks unique but this means that your labels arrive flawless and ready to apply. By leveraging our refined process, we help you achieve striking custom shapes without reducing quality or ease of use.
Supplying a Cutline
The best way to set up your custom-cut labels is by supplying a vector file (such as AI, EPS, or PDF) with a clear defined cut line. This cut line should be a separate path, typically in a spot colour named "Cut Line" or "Die Line," and set to 100% magenta so it stands out.
We require a 3mm bleed and safe area to account for any slight misalignment during the cutting process. This can be a bit trickier with custom-cut labels, but you can easily offset the cut line from your artwork by 3mm. This keeps your cut line 3mm away from your design, creating the ideal safe area. Additionally, extending your background 3mm beyond the cut line will ensure a perfect bleed, preventing unwanted white edges.
Rounded Corners:
The final step is to ensure your cut line has no sharp corners, as these can cause issues during both the cutting and peeling of the waste matrix during our production process. Rounding all corners to at least 0.8mm will help your design pass through production and make your labels easier to peel once they arrive.
Design Tip: Tapered Labels for Curved Surfaces
Drawing on our extensive labelling experience, we know that curved bottles, cups, and containers often require a specialised “cone-shaped” or “conical” label design. If you simply stick a standard rectangular label onto a tapered surface (wider at the top than the bottom), it can appear slanted or distorted, with one side riding higher than the other.
This issue has been a recurring headache for many customers who are unaware that tapered surfaces need a slightly curved label. By supplying us with the top & bottom circumference, width, and height of your container, we can create a tailored label design. This means your branding is aligned and visually consistent around the entire surface, rather than appearing skewed.
If you wish to verify the fit before committing, we recommend printing out a test version on plain paper. Wrap it around your container to confirm the alignment is spot on, this ensures that the ends meet smoothly, and the label appears straight once applied.
Ultimately, conical (tapered) labels deliver a professional finish on curved products, and our team is here to guide you through every step. We've refined this process over time, making it much simpler for customers to achieve fantastic results without the need of trial and error.
Design Tip: Why 0.8mm Corners Prevent Tearing and Ensure a Clean Finish
A 0.8mm corner radius is not only the minimum corner radius for our machines, but it also plays an important role in preventing tearing when labels are peeled. When labels are cut, the excess material around them (known as the waste matrix) is removed. During this process, the pulling force applied can cause sharp corners to weaken, leading to tearing, frayed edges, or misaligned cuts.
By using a slight 0.8mm rounded corner, this gives the label a greater integrity, allowing for correct peeling and smooth application. This is really beneficial for high-speed production and for hand-applied stickers, and labels that need to withstand handling without their edges lifting or tearing. While sharp square corners may look good for some designs, rounding them slightly improves durability makes them easier to use.
Supplying an Outline
If you're unsure how to set up your artwork with a cut line you can also send a high-resolution image (PNG or JPEG) with a rough outline of the shape. This can be shown as a bright colour on a white background or a any colour with a transparent background, helping us to help finalise the cut path for you. Just make sure there is enough safe area and bleed around the edges to avoid any misalignment during production. If you have preferences such as rounded corners or internal cuts, let us know and we will help ensure your label turns out exactly as you envision it.
Design Tip: How Borders Enhance Shape and Prevent Tearing
Borders are a great way to define the cut shape of your stickers and labels, but they also have a purpose in the production side. We've found that clear borders are especially popular for complicated designs, as they allow for a more rounded cutline. This approach creates the illusion of a "no-border" look while maintaining the strength of the label.
When a design has delicate edges or fine details, applying a rounded cutline within a clear border helps prevent tearing during cutting and peeling. Without this, sharp points or thin sections can become fragile and prone to damage. By using a clear margin, you get the best of both worlds; a clean, seamless look with the added durability needed for smooth production and application processes.
Sales Tip: Maximise Functionality with "Cut Within a Cut" Labels
As bespoke labelling solutions continue to evolve, our “cut within a cut” option has grown increasingly popular among customers looking for versatile, high-functionality designs. Instead of applying multiple individual stickers, you can opt for a single label with precisely cut-out sections—perfect for bottle necks, perforated tear-off coupons, or even machinery interfaces.
Because we're continually pushing our machinery to new limits, we currently offer this service on a bespoke quote basis. This ensures we can assess the complexity of your artwork and recommend the best way to achieve the desired effect. In one recent example, a client needed labels for a piece of industrial machinery with a wide range of knobs, each knob required its own cut-out so that the label fitted perfectly without obscuring any operational buttons. The result was a professional finish that combined durability with easy, intuitive use.
If you think a "cut within a cut" design could improve your product or packaging, get in touch with our team. We'll explore your requirements, and help you achieve a practical, visually stunning label that aligns with your brand identity.
Custom Cut Labels and Stickers at a Glance:
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Feature
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Details
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Summary
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Any shape beyond Square, Circle, Rectangle or Oval, Squares and Rectangles with more than 0.8mm rounded corners.
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Common Names
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Custom-Shaped Stickers, Contour Cut Stickers, Decal Stickers, Partial Cut Stickers, Individually Cut Stickers, Sticker Sheets.
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Materials and Finishes
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Available on rolls, sheets, or singles. On any material and available finish.
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Cost
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Custom cut labels take more time to manufacture, making them slightly more expensive, but they create a high-impact design.
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Artwork Requirements
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3mm Bleed and Safe area, Cutline reference is preferred, artworks with an obvious border/outline can also be used.
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