Die Cut Signs
Die cut signs are signs that are made using dies that cut all types of materials that are not too thick. These materials could be paper, foam, fiberboard, or even sheet metal to name a few. These dies are usually strong enough to cut through all these materials.
You can find a professional to do this for you, or you can do it by yourself. You can make your own die cut sign if you have the right materials do to it. Otherwise, you will need the help of a professional.
This article will give you a little information about how to make a die cut sign on your own. It will tell you how the die cut materials work. You can also do research to find more information on your own.
Things You Should Know About Die Cutting and Scoring
- Die Cutting and Scoring – These can both happen in one pass of the machine. This type of cutting is when a cutter that is made of steel that is sharpened is used to cut shapes out of printed shapes. Scoring is when you make a crease in the paper to help it to fold in the right place.
- Substrates Hurt Your Blade – If you use your kitchen knife too much or on the wrong materials, it will become dull. The same thing happens to the blade of the cutter if you use it too often. The material that you are cutting will determine the life of your blade. If you use it on paper, it will last longer than if you used it on sheet metal.
- Durometer Determines Hardness of Rubber – To help improve the cutting performance, there is rubber that is placed around the cutter: https://omnitechnologies.com/what-is-durometer-how-does-it-impact-performance/. This is called ejection rubber and you need to have it for the cutting process. It is measured by a durometer that tells you the thickness of the rubber. The higher the number the thicker the rubber.
- Cutting Board – Birch is the best material to use as a cutting board because of its durability and strength. You will use this cutting board to help you to make your signs. The design is cut into the surface of the wood using a CAD plotter. This design will help you to cut out the sign that you want.
- Follow the Grain Direction – Even paper has a grain direction, and you need to follow the grain direction when cutting. This will help you to make a cleaner product when you cut. You want your sign to be clean, so follow the grain. The grain can go up and down, or from side to side.
- Nick the Material – This is another important step in making your cut sign. A nick is what happens when there are gaps in the cutting process. These gaps help to keep your material in one piece while you move it. It will be easier to carry if the material is nicked.
- Kissing the Substrate – Sometimes you must kiss the substrate, which means that you will not cut through the entire substrate. See here to learn more about this. You will only cut through the top layer with the cutter. This technique is usually used for stickers and pull-back reveals. Kissing the substrate will probably not be used for making signs.
- Good Design and Die Cutting – The design of your sign needs to be a great design in order to get a good cut of it. The sign can be small or large, but whatever size, it needs to be a good crisp design. As some people say, you need to think about the finish while you’re thinking about the beginning.
- Cutting Patterns Other Ways – When you are cutting patterns, you need to think about your final design. You might not want to have the edges nicked because you need to have a smooth edge. You probably don’t want to have nicked edges on your signs. You want to have a smoother finish for them.
- Nesting – If you are making more than one sign and need a stack of them, you will need to nest them. Nesting is a way to maximize the use of the materials that you are using. It will help you to make the most of your money. This helps you if you are making many signs at once.
Conclusion
Using a die cutter to make a sign is a fairly simple process. There are some terms that you need to know about die cuts. These will help you to get a better idea of how to use the die cuts to make your signs.
You can make your signs even without knowing these terms, but it will help you. If you want nicked edges, or you need to kiss the substrate, you need to know what those terms mean. It will just help you to make better products.
