Kiss Cut vs Die Cut Stickers
The difference is where the blade stops, and it changes how the sticker peels.
The difference is how deep the blade goes. On a die cut sticker it cuts through the printed material and the backing paper behind it, so every sticker comes away as a separate piece in the shape of your design. On a kiss cut sticker it cuts through the printed layer only and stops at the backing, which stays whole, so the sticker sits on a square or rectangular liner you peel it off. Nacpac prints both: UV Stickers are die cut, Economy sheets are kiss cut.
Side by side
| What differs | Die cut | Kiss cut |
|---|---|---|
| Where the blade stops | Through the backing as well. | At the backing, leaving it whole. |
| What you hold | A sticker in the shape of the design. | A sticker on a square or rectangular liner. |
| The edge | The outline of your artwork is the edge. | Backing border sits around the design. |
| Peeling | Lift from the edge of the shape. | Bend the liner and the edge lifts for you. |
| Thin or spindly shapes | Edges are exposed once it is cut out. | The liner supports them until you peel. |
| Usually sold as | Individual stickers. | Sheets, or singles on a liner. |
| At Nacpac | UV Stickers, from 50 pieces. | Economy sheets, from 5 sheets. |
Why it matters more than it sounds
It is a difference of one millimetre of blade depth, and it changes the object you end up with. A die cut sticker is the shape of your design and nothing else, which is why it looks like a thing rather than a label. A kiss cut sticker keeps a border of backing around it, which is less striking in the hand but much easier to peel, because you can bend the liner and let the edge lift itself instead of picking at it with a fingernail.
When die cut is the right answer
When the shape is the point. A logo with a distinctive outline, a character, a badge, anything you are handing to someone or sticking on a laptop where you want the silhouette to read. It is also the better choice when the sticker will be seen before it is used, on packaging a customer unboxes, because the cut itself looks deliberate.
When kiss cut is the right answer
When the sticker has to come off the sheet quickly and in quantity, or when the design has thin parts that would be fragile once cut free. If someone is applying hundreds of labels by hand, the extra half second per peel is the whole argument. It is also the format that makes sheets of several designs possible, because the sheet stays in one piece until it is used.
We print both, which makes this easy
UV Stickers are die cut: individually cut to the shape you choose, either your own outline traced from your artwork or a circle, square or rectangle. Economy Stickers are kiss cut, several copies of one design nested onto one 12 by 18 inch sheet with the backing left whole, and priced flat per sheet however many fit. So you are not choosing between a cut type and a supplier. Pick die cut when the shape is the point and you are applying them one at a time, and Economy when you want many copies of one design and the faster peel.
Questions, answered
- Which one is cheaper?
- Neither, as a cut type. What moves the price here is size, material, print finish and quantity, and whether you want individual stickers or a sheet of many copies of one design. Both configurators show the number before you upload anything, so the honest answer is to put your size and quantity into each and compare.
- Do you print kiss cut stickers?
- Yes. Economy Stickers are kiss cut: several copies of one design nested onto a 12 by 18 inch sheet with the backing left whole, priced flat per sheet however many fit, from five sheets. If you want individually cut shapes instead, that is UV Stickers, from fifty pieces.
- Is kiss cut lower quality than die cut?
- No. It is the same printed material and the same adhesive. The only difference is how deep the blade went, and which of the two suits the job.
- Which is better for a laptop or a water bottle?
- Die cut, usually, because the shape is the whole appeal and you are only peeling one. The exception is a design with very thin parts, which is easier to apply cleanly when the backing has held it flat until the moment it goes on.
- Which is better for product labels?
- For labelling a jar or a bottle, a circle or a rectangle normally reads cleaner than a traced outline, and if you are applying a lot of them by hand the easier peel is worth more than the silhouette. Shape and quantity matter more than the cut type for this job.
- Can you cut my own shape?
- Yes. Upload your design and we trace the outline from it. A plain background gives the cleanest cut line. If the background is not distinct enough to trace, we fall back to a safe rectangle and tell you. We never swap the shape silently.
- Does a person check my file before it prints?
- Yes. A real person looks at every design before it goes to print, and gets in touch if something will clearly print badly.
Order the one you need
- Design a die-cut stickerIndividually cut to your own outline, from 50 pieces, with the price shown as you choose.
- Price kiss-cut Economy sheetsSeveral copies of one design kiss cut onto a 12 by 18 inch sheet, priced flat per sheet, from 5 sheets.
- Read how die cut and vinyl differThe other question this one gets confused with: the cut is not the material.