Die-cut vs Kiss-cut: A Simple Guide

_{By: Naomi J. Myrick, Decals.com Staff Writer}

The main difference between these two popular sticker cut options comes down to the finish of the paper backing. A die cut sticker is cut completely through the sticker and its paper backing. Whereas a kiss cut sticker is only cut through the sticker layer. The paper backing stays intact and will leave you with an extra border for protection. 

Custom shapes are an excellent choice for branding and all around fun!

I’ve put together this simple guide to explain the differences and also help you choose the best cut for your project.

Read on to find out:

• What the different cuts are
• How they are cut
• The benefits of die-cut
• The benefits of kiss-cut

Let’s jump right in!

What are die-cut stickers?

Die-cut was once known as “contour-cut,” because it is cut to the actual contour of your sticker.

That’s right, technically speaking, die-cutting means that we are cutting through both the vinyl sticker material and the paper backing. This cut type doesn't give you a border or edge.

Another way to look at it is to think of it like a "cookie cutter."

Your stickers are all cut out to the contour of your design, so you have individually cut stickers without any border.

Borderless stickers offer a clean aesthetic and a professional appeal!

Benefits of Die-cut Stickers

Some benefits of these custom shaped stickers include: many display options, unique shapes and a high-quality or professional appearance.

Different displays can get you noticed

These stickers take up less space on average than a square, circle or oval stickers. Therefore, they're ideal for special designs or more artwork geared stickers. Great-looking graphics displayed on car windows for storefront windows can gain a lot of attention for your business. 

Add personality with custom shapes

Unique shapes add personality! And a winning personality is quite memorable for marketing purposes. Psychologically speaking, people want to buy from likable people—and by extension businesses. So, share your awesome personality right on your sticker! 

Professional appeal

Stickers are totally cute, but there’s a fine line between mere adorableness and revenue producing sellability. Professional looking sticker products can be a huge asset for use at trade shows and conventions.

What are kiss-cut stickers?

There isn't any romance about kiss-cut, although, you may discover that you really love your stickers!

Kiss-cut means that we are only cutting through the vinyl layer ("sticker material") and not cutting through the paper backing, leaving an edge or border around your sticker.

These extra material around the edges makes them great for very easy peeling.

The border left behind works as a nifty frame to draw emphasis to logos and other important information.

Benefits of Kiss-cut Stickers

Some benefits of these sweet stickers include: easy peeling from the sticker backing, easy to produce in mass quantities, available individually or on sticker sheets.

Efficient, easy-peeling

We all cringe when we badly peel a sticker or bandaid. With kiss-cut, you can easily peel stickers, waste less of them and therefore spend less time on your project.

Bulk ordering discount

Ordering in bulk gets you a discount per unit and helps guarantee that you won’t run out of stickers, so you’ll be prepared with extra if a project suddenly comes up.

Super Storability

Sheet stickers are convenient for simple storage, and not just because they’ve got stickers stuck to them. Easily stack the sheets together, paperclip and set them in a desk drawer or folder. Your sticker will stay flat and ready to go for next time!

This information also applies to die-cut labels and kiss-cut labels. Order yours today!