Both are steel strips sitting in the same die — but their jobs are opposites. Creasing rule makes board foldable without cutting it; perforation rule cuts so the line can be torn in a controlled way. This guide explains the technique behind each line, where each is used, and how to mark them in a drawing.

Creasing: a fold channel without breaking the fibres

Creasing rule does not cut; it is a steel strip with a blunt, rounded edge. It works together with the channel facing it and forms the fold line by compressing the board. With a correct crease the board folds exactly on the line without fibre breakage — and the print does not crack along the fold.

Channel width is calculated from the grammage; the practical rule is roughly 1.5 × board caliper + creasing rule thickness. Too narrow a channel cracks the board; too wide a channel lets the fold line wander.

  • Creasing rule has a blunt edge; it compresses rather than cuts.
  • Channel width ≈ 1.5 × board caliper + rule thickness.
  • A correct crease prevents print cracking along the fold.

Perforation: a cut sequence that controls tearing

Perforation rule is a cutting strip made of teeth and gaps: the cut segments make tearing easy, the uncut bridges hold the piece in place. The tooth/gap ratio sets the behaviour — fine teeth like 1×1 mm tear easily, coarse teeth like 3×3 mm leave a stronger bond.

The right ratio comes from the product’s job: it must survive shelf handling yet separate cleanly when the user pulls. That balance is confirmed in a trial on the real material, not on paper.

  • The tooth/gap ratio directly sets the tearing resistance.
  • Fine teeth tear easily; coarse teeth give handling strength.
  • The final ratio is approved through a trial on the real material.

Where each belongs: folds stay whole, perforations come apart

Box body folds, lid hinges and glue-flap bends are creases. Tear strips, coupons, easy-open lids and “tear here” lines are perforations. The decision is simple: if the line must stay whole for the product’s life, crease it; if it will one day be torn, perforate it.

On hard, thick materials the two techniques combine: cut-crease alternates short cuts with creasing to ease folding on surfaces like corrugated board that resist a plain crease.

  • A line that folds and stays whole is a crease; a line that tears is a perforation.
  • Tear strips and coupon lines are the typical perforation cases.
  • On corrugated board, cut-crease combinations ease the fold.

Marking in the drawing and the order note

Creases and perforations are never drawn in the same style: creases in a different colour or dashed, perforations in a third style — ideally with a tooth note such as “perforation 2×2 mm”. Two identical-looking lines where one turns out to be a crease is an unrecoverable production error.

If the order states the board grammage and the product’s purpose, the workshop selects the creasing channel width and the perforation tooth ratio accordingly — and a sample cut settles any line that remains in doubt.

  • Crease and perforation get separate layers, colours and notes.
  • Add the tooth/gap dimension as a note on every perforation line.
  • Grammage and use case drive the channel and tooth selection.

Quote details we clarify together

When the file, material, quantity and deadline are clear, the quote conversation moves faster and with less back-and-forth.

  • Current revision file
  • Material and quantity details
  • Critical dimensions or production notes
  • Deadline expectation and delivery preference