Die Cutting Do's and Don'ts

DO

ALLOW TRIM
It doesn't matter if you're sending sheets out for die cutting, mounting, film laminating, stamping, or whatever. Allow trim. One of your goals when laying out a sheet should be to permit the greatest number of options at the finishing stage. As an example, if you have a 2-up form, don't put the 2 units close together, leaving oodles of trim left and right. It might be more efficient to die cut or stamp the job 1-up, and there might not be adequate gripper space if the units are close together.

DON'T

CUT THOSE SHEETS
Especially true when the registration of die cutting to the printed image must be accurate. The general rule is to send the sheets to your finisher just as they are delivered from your press. If the die cutter doesn't have an accurate gripper and side guide for registration, he can't do his job properly. Since the mounting operation leaves a rough edge that must be cleaned up with a final guillotine trim, display cards can't be made full size if the printed sheets are trimmed to final size.

DO

PRINT SHEETWISE FOR SCORING
Scores usually perform best when they are folded away from the score. If you print a work & turn or work & tumble sheet that needs scoring, it will have to be run through the scoring press twice or half of the job will be scored into the wrong side.

DON'T

PRINT COMMON RADII
We're talking here about die cut round corners, not round corners done on a round cornering machine. Where two radii butt against each other, the round corner die knives join at a very acute angle, and the result usually is a nick. Leave 1/4" or more between units and you'll get cleaner, more continuous round corners.

DO

GUILLOTINE CUT STRAIGHT EDGES
If all of the perimeter knives in a die are present and cutting cleanly, the die cut piece and the trim becomes difficult to deliver from the press in anything resembling a reasonable jog. There are two remedies. First, the knives can be nicked in several places to leave uncut areas to help hold the sheet together, or second (and much preferable), straight knives parallel to either the gripper or side guide can be left out, and final trims can be made on the guillotine cutter to free the die cut piece from the sheet.

DON'T

THINK WE'LL JUST USE A WIDER SCORE
"Hell no, my customer won't pay for 3D pockets, why don't you just use a wide score to give a little room inside?" Sure, and the Tooth Fairy will be along shortly. The width of a scoring rule is determined by the thickness and type of stock being scored. Scoring with a rule that is too wide for the stock being used will result in crooked, cracking scores. Not only does folding performance suffer, but you don't gain anything anyway. The pockets and spine fold flat after gluing regardless of the width of scoring rule used.

DO

KEEP YOUR BASIS WEIGHT UP
Higher basis weights keep your paper salesperson happy. Mounted jobs look smoother since less of the roughness of the cardboard shows through. Pocket folders feel better, score better, and have less chance of adhesive bleeding through the glued areas.

DON'T

PRINT THE DIE LINES
If your die cutter is so forgetful that he needs to be shown where to cut or crease on every sheet, you'd better be thinking about a change. When the cut or score lines are printed, you've got a disaster unless the die is perfect and each strike is perfect. Unfortunately this is the real world. Don't do this to your finisher - neither of you needs the hassle.

DO

ALLOW PLENTY OF BLEED
Why not? It makes ink salespeople, guillotine cutters, finishers, and customers happy. Dies are not perfect, die cutting registration isn't perfect, the printing registration may not be perfect (hard to believe), or there may be some paper stretch (heavens no!). Anything less than perfection really looks bad without bleed.

DON'T

INTERLOCK FOLDERS
Normally, your die cutter will leave out the knife that creates the bottom of the pocket and will plan to make this cut on a guillotine cutter. This helps keep the sheet together as it runs through the die cutting press and eliminates, or at least minimizes, the need for those unsightly "nicks." When pockets are interlocked, no knives can be left out of the bottom of the pocket, and the die cut piece must be nicked to keep the sheet together until it reaches the delivery end of the press.

DO

GET THE SPECS STRAIGHT
We're all familiar with the guy who calls before he understands the job. The conversation usually goes something like this:

Estimator: "Do you want the job done this way or that way?"

Customer: (Doesn't have all specs) "I don't know, please quote it both ways."

Let's not forget that estimators are often the busiest people on earth - they don't need any extra projects.

DON'T

PRINT ON AN ANGLE
Oh, I suppose it's OK if you're really worried about a problem solid or a ghosting problem, but please, don't get into the habit. It can seriously complicate the job of anyone who has to deal with the sheets when you're done with them.

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