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How to Make Die Cut Stickers in Adobe Illustrator
It is hard to execute a do-it-yourself project, especially if you are wondering about making custom die-cut stickers without basic knowledge. It is actually one of the most difficult things a designer can encounter because you need to follow the sticker’s shape. That is why the majority of business owners choose to rely on a professional graphic designer.
Before you go through these 13 simplified steps, you should have a basic knowledge of vector files and Adobe Illustrator. In addition, you should also know how to navigate a vector image for your next sticker project. If you are confident to do it, all you need is to spend 20 minutes of your time finishing the task. Below are the following step-by-step instructions to create die cut stickers.
1. Open your file in Adobe Illustrator and use your logo. Make sure it is a Vector image and not a Raster one.
2. Select the shape by double-clicking on the outermost line.
3. Click Edit > Copy , or use a Shortcut Ctrl+C for Windows and Command+C for Mac.
4. Click the Arrow Button to unselect the shape, or simply double-click anywhere outside the Artboard to exit the selection mode.
5. Create a new layer, then Paste in Place on the new layer (Shift+Ctrl+V or Command+Shift+V for Mac).
6. Go to Object > Path > Offset Path.
7. Now it is time to create margins. In the “Offset” line put the value of 0.2cm, tick the “Preview” box, and click OK. This step will make your artwork exactly 0.2 cm bigger than the original. (.2cm allowed offset as per standard)
8. Click the outer part of the shape.
9. Change the fill colour to transparent and the stroke to red.
10. Then go to Attributes > Tick the “Overprint Stroke” box. Make sure to select the outline before you tick “Overprint Stroke”. This is how it should look:
11. Now delete the black shape. Here’s what you are supposed to see.
12. Rename the current layer to “dieline” and the first layer to “artwork” to let your printing company know what’s what.
13. Save your artwork as a PDF file.
Now you have your artwork that is ready to be printed!
If you are clueless about the whole process, you shouldn’t waste your precious time and energy figuring out how to make custom die cut stickers in Illustrator. Instead, trust our experts here in SingaPrinting, one of the most reputable customised sticker printing companies in Singapore.
