Digital die cut sticker setup guide.
A guide to help you set up your die cut digital sticker artwork correctly.
1. In Adobe Illustrator, open your drawing, or use ours (sticker-art.ai).
2. Create space around your design: Choose the Selection Tool (Either arrow tool). Click and drag to select the artwork. Choose Object > Path > Offset Path.
3. Modify the offset angle: Enter an Offset value, select Joins > Round, and select the Preview option. Click on OK.Tip: The video uses an Offset value of 5mm, and Joins is set to Round to create a rounded corner. The Miter limit is set to 4. You may want to choose a higher limit for shapes with acute angles.
4. With the object selected, go to the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder); then choose Unite (the first icon in the Shape Modes section).
5. Remove any floating shapes within your main cut shape: With the Direct Selection Tool (White Arrow) selected, click on any point of your floating shape and press to delete on your keyboard. Repeat until you’ve only ONE shape remaining.
6. Smoothing again: Select your remaining cut shape with the White Arrow and Choose Object > Path > Offset Path. Modify the offset angle this time to -1mm and click on OK.
7. With the White Arrow, click inside the empty space of your cut shape and Choose Edit > Cut. Then with the White Arrow, click to select your previous Offset Path result and Press Delete on your keyboard.
8. Move the shape to a new layer: In the Layers panel (Window > Layers), create a new layer, double-click on the layer name, and call it Cut Line. Drag this below your artwork layer. Then Choose Edit > Paste in Place.
9. Lastly, Press D on your keyboard to return the Default values to your shape (white fill and black outline).
And that’s it!