A label die looks small but its tolerance band is narrow: a cut that is too deep damages the liner, one that is too shallow tears the label as it is peeled. What sets that balance is rule height, the layer structure of the material and press pressure. The kiss-cut principle and rule selection for sheet-fed, flatbed work are explained below.

What is a kiss-cut?

A kiss-cut cuts the face paper and adhesive layer of the label while leaving the siliconised carrier (liner) uncut. The label shape is separated but keeps travelling on the sheet; the user peels the label off the liner, and the waste matrix strips off in one piece.

Rule height, material thickness, adhesive behaviour and press pressure are assessed together for this operation. The face layer is very thin on most materials; the difference between the right and the wrong setting cannot be judged by eye and is found in a trial cut on the real material.

  • Face paper and adhesive are cut; the liner is kept as the carrier.
  • Peel cleanliness is checked separately at corner, edge and centre positions.
  • Cut depth changes as the rule edge wears; it is watched through the run.

How rule height is chosen

On a sheet-fed label die the rule height is chosen by reading the clamping arrangement of the flatbed press, the label material, the liner structure and the target cut depth together. Coated paper, thermal paper, PP and PET film want different pressure and edge behaviour; the same height does not give the same result on all of them.

The barcode cutting rule used on sheet-fed barcode and label work is defined at 12 mm height and 1.5 point thickness; the thin gauge lets narrow label contours sit close together. Web-fed rotary systems, flexible dies and magnetic-cylinder tooling are outside our production scope.

  • Machine type and clamping arrangement are the first input to the choice.
  • Material type and liner structure change the pressure and edge behaviour.
  • On long jobs, wear allowance and repeat orders are considered from the start.

Checking for a clean peel

The sample label is peeled from different points: if corners, the centre area and fine details do not separate the same way, cut depth or pressure distribution is reviewed. The rule tends to cut deeper on corners than on straight runs; the setting is not approved until the corner result is seen.

If a cut mark shows when the liner is held to the light the cut is too deep; if the label resists or tears at the edge the cut is too shallow. The third check is the waste matrix stripping off in one pull without breaking; a matrix that breaks means stoppages in the production run.

  • Corner, edge and centre areas are peeled separately.
  • The liner is held to the light; a cut line means a deep setting.
  • The waste matrix must strip off in one piece without breaking.

Information needed for a quote

Label size, material type, liner structure, sheet size, quantity and any current problem are shared in the same message. A photo of the old die or of a faulty sample speeds up diagnosis; an uncut sample of the real material makes a trial cut possible on the first day.

The die is assessed not only from the drawing but from how the label will be used: peeled by hand or applied by machine, used cold or warm. Those answers settle the adhesive and liner expectation alongside the rule height.

  • Sheet size and layout direction are stated.
  • Label material, adhesive and liner information is written down.
  • If there is a peel problem, its photo and a sample are sent.

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