Die cutting is a post-print finishing technique used to cut, shape, or perforate printed materials into custom forms. In digital print production, die cutting enables the creation of packaging, labels, displays, and marketing materials with non-rectangular shapes or functional features such as windows, flaps, or tabs.
Traditionally, die cutting uses a custom-made steel die — a physical blade — pressed into the substrate to achieve precise cuts. However, modern digital workflows increasingly use digital die cutting, which relies on computer-controlled blades (CNC), lasers, or routers to cut directly from vector paths, eliminating the need for physical tooling.