Die cut decals

[Pideas]

I got some die cut decal samples from StickerMule. How do they cut their clean die cut decals so cleanly around the edges? Do they use a flatbed cutter to cut each decal?

I have a Summa roll cutter but I do not think I can get a cut that clean. My die cut decals always have a tick marks. Is it possible to get clean cut decals from a Summa?

 

[Rayd8]

You can reach a good result but you’ll have to test your flexcut settings. You can make that long noncut shorter but depends on the design being flexcut which setting will be the best. Dont forget that its only the liner whoch isnt cut completely as sich the decal itself will be flawless.
Hth
T

 

[Saturn]

My die cut decals always have a tick marks. Is it possible to get clean cut decals from a Summa?

Yes. Don't use FlexCut. Do two (or more) single passes of the "regular" cut instead. Both Summa and Graphtec are good choices for this.

The key for newcomers is to make sure the blade doesn't chip. It can be really hard to tell what's working and what isn't until you have lots of experience, so I feel like there's a lot of folks that are trying to get good results from an already broken blade. The blades are insanely fragile, but just like a handheld exacto will still function to some degree even when damaged. I assume a lot of folks just give up before they come to grips with all the in's-and-out's. It can be hard to tell if a blade is chipped, so I use a cheap battery powered microscope.

Material, specifically the backing paper, can be a factor too. There's a handful of threads talking about this, but you may have to dig.

 

[victor bogdanov]

I got some die cut decal samples from StickerMule. How do they cut their clean die cut decals so cleanly around the edges? Do they use a flatbed cutter to cut each decal?

I have a Summa roll cutter but I do not think I can get a cut that clean. My die cut decals always have a tick marks. Is it possible to get clean cut decals from a Summa?

You can spot a few zunds

 

[ikarasu]

I think it was sticker giant (?) That uses graphtecs. Like a dozen of them.

Roll to roll cutters are faster than flatbed for stickers, since you can buy 10 for the price of one flatbed.


I get really crisp edges on my graphtec - the key is the right pressure as well as a sharp blade. For perf through I buy cheap $1 blades from China and swap them out everyday to ensure they're sharp and leave clean edges.

I probably overkill it, but paper is the fastest blade duller there is... nothing worst than it getting dull midway through cutting a roll.


also the vinyl plays a huge part. Or particularly the backing paper - the cheaper vinyl is very fiberous / thin , so when you cut through it the edges get a little rough. I've found Avery and 3m vinyl cuts great, orajet isn't that bad... But not as nice of a cut.

 

[victor bogdanov]

I think it was sticker giant (?) That uses graphtecs. Like a dozen of them.

might be diecutstickers.com

I like the ease of doing it on a flatbed since it is much easier to get perfect cuts compared to dialing in setting on roll 2 roll but roll2roll is definitely cheaper to scale.

I've seen a few companies use laser cutters now, seems faster compared to knife but guessing material choices are limited


In the video they say over a million stickers per month, adspend probably is their #1 expense

 

[Saturn]

I'd let you change my Epson, my laminator, anything in the shop, before I let go of the Summa R2R's. For me they're definitely the keystone.

 

[Pideas]

For my job, I was using a Briteline 3222. This has a fairly thick liner. We had punch out each decal but the decals did not come out clean at the edges.

For those using the Summa roll to roll, are you using a 30 / 45 or 60 degree blade? From what I read, I need to use a 60 degree blade.

I didn’t think about running it with two passes in non-flexcut mode. I will have to give that a try.

 

[Saturn]

Yeah, there's no way around having to punch them out, but they should come out easily and not have "fuzzy" or frayed edges whatsoever.

I am partial to the 45° OEM degree blades. The 36° one is great if all you do are circles or rectangles. I don't cut anything that I feel warrants the 60°.

I didn’t think about running it with two passes in non-flexcut mode. I will have to give that a try.

Yeah, I didn't either until I read about someone on here doing it that way years ago. For <20 sq in stickers it can't be beat. FlexCut is INSANELY slow in comparison, and the cuts aren't as nice. I set up 99% of my cuts to by one simple conintues path, with no sharp corners.

Keep in mind my suggestions are for smaller (4-24 sq in) stickers, typically complex die-cuts, using ~3 mil vinyl and ~3mil laminate. The liner is 90# stayflat. If you're doing motox/auto or signage, your process will need to be different.

 

[Farmboy]

On my Graphtec FC9000 I cut everything over the channel. I get nice smooth edges slowing down the blade. All straight through cuts, no perf cutting. 1/4 inch between each decal seems to be the sweet spot to keep good tension on the vinyl.

 

[Signed Out]

Yes. Don't use FlexCut. Do two (or more) single passes of the "regular" cut instead. Both Summa and Graphtec are good choices for this.

The key for newcomers is to make sure the blade doesn't chip. It can be really hard to tell what's working and what isn't until you have lots of experience, so I feel like there's a lot of folks that are trying to get good results from an already broken blade. The blades are insanely fragile, but just like a handheld exacto will still function to some degree even when damaged. I assume a lot of folks just give up before they come to grips with all the in's-and-out's. It can be hard to tell if a blade is chipped, so I use a cheap battery powered microscope.

Material, specifically the backing paper, can be a factor too. There's a handful of threads talking about this, but you may have to dig.

We stopped with flexcut years ago too. But we run the blade out .5 - .75 turns and bump the pressure and only do 1 pass. Very clean cuts.

 

[Pideas]

We stopped with flexcut years ago too. But we run the blade out .5 - .75 turns and bump the pressure and only do 1 pass. Very clean cuts.

Do you mean you just run regular cuts but rotate the knife 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn clockwise? I have my knife pressure at 120g now. Do i need to bump that up more?

 

[Goatshaver]

I used to do them on my Summa with a 2-pass cut. I used a 36 degree but a 60 would probably be better. You just have to be very careful to not cut into your cutting strip below. You're pressure will likely need to be much higher if you're going to cut through the backing material. You really need to dial in the cutting though with some tests on the same material you're going to be cutting.

Just a note I believe stickermule uses Zund flatbeds for cutting.