The industry terms used on the production floor.

Short, usable definitions of the terms that come up most in the workshop. Written from the production-floor meaning, not dictionary copy, with links to the relevant service pages.

A

Acetate

Hard, transparent plastic sheet. Used in blister covers, book transparencies and brochure overlays. Cut on the same line as PVC and PET. → PVC/PET/acetate die

B

Bag cutting die

Hot-cut or form die for handled, capped and custom-shape plastic bag production. → Bag cutting dies

Birch plywood

Most common base material for standard printing dies. Holds the laser channel sharp, gives a surface suitable for rubbering; economical and durable.

Blanking

Die stage in BOBST-class automatic cutters that separates cut products from waste and stacks them cleanly. Keeps throughput high in heavy packaging. → Stripping & blanking tooling

BOBST cutting die

Full die set for BOBST 102, 142 and Mastercut machines: main cutting blade, male-female creasing, stripping and blanking parts. → BOBST cutting dies

Box cutting die

Steel rule die for cutting and folding carton, board and kraft boxes in series. Crease lines define fold behaviour, perforation lines define tear behaviour. → Carton box cutting dies

Box divider insert

Cardboard separator inside a carton. With correct slot allowance, parts ship without crushing. → Box divider insert dies

C

Cliché (klişe)

Raised cylinder or plate that prints designs and text. Different from a cutting die: cliché prints, cutting die cuts; both work in the same print line at different roles.

Corrugated board die

Die for single, double or triple-flute corrugated packaging. Requires a harder rule profile and usually an aluminium base; flute direction defines quality. → Corrugated board die

Creasing (pilyaj)

Recessed steel rule that doesn't cut, only forms a clean fold line on carton or board. Channel width is tuned to carton GSM. → Creasing & perforation rules

Cutting die

Umbrella term: any steel rule or RF die prepared to cut carton, labels, packaging or industrial parts in series. The core tool of almost every packaging print job.

D

Die maker (printing)

Craftsman or workshop that produces steel rule cutting dies for the printing and packaging industry. Same role as "printing die maker" or in Turkish "matbaa bıçakçısı" / "matbaacı kalıpçısı". → Printing die manufacturing

Drawing tolerance

Allowed deviation between the line in the artwork and the steel rule position on the produced die. İkram Lazer's working standard is 0.05 mm.

DXF file

AutoCAD and CAD common file format. The most reliable transfer type for die manufacturing; cut, crease and perforation lines can be sent on separate layers.

F

Fiber laser

CNC-controlled laser cutting technology that opens rule channels in the die base. Operates at 0.05 mm precision; standard method for plywood and MDF bases.

G

Gasket cutting die

Industrial cutting die for NBR rubber, aluminium, copper and sealing parts. Hole-centre accuracy and dimensional safety are critical. → Gasket cutting dies

GSM

Grams per square metre — measure of carton or label material weight. Crease channel width and rule height are tuned to GSM.

H

HRC hardness

Rockwell C hardness scale. Steel rules are typically 23-24 HRC; harder mukavva runs prefer 28+ HRC. Higher hardness gives more wear resistance, less flexibility.

I

Istanbul printing die maker

Sector term for a workshop or craftsman producing printing dies in Istanbul. İkram Lazer has run this line from Istanbul since 1988. → Istanbul printing die

K

Kiss-cut

Label-die technique cutting only the top paper layer while leaving the back liner intact. The standard method for roll sticker production; liner thickness must be shared in advance.

L

Label cutting die

Steel rule die prepared for roll or sheet label production. Usually designed at 8 mm, 12 mm or 23.8 mm rule height; works as kiss-cut or full-cut. → Label cutting dies

Laser die / Laser die maker

Common name in the field for a modern steel rule die with laser-cut channels. Same meaning as "printing die". → Laser die maker Istanbul

Leather cutting die

Cutting die with rules ground for high wear resistance, used for real and synthetic leather and saddlery parts. → Leather cutting dies

Liner

Back adhesive paper layer of stickers and roll labels. In kiss-cut dies the liner must not be cut; otherwise labels tear when peeled off the roll.

M

Mailer / Kraft envelope

Paper-board envelope used in e-commerce shipping. Includes adhesive flap and tear perforation; return-window models carry double adhesive strips. → Paper mailer envelope dies

Male-female blade

Two opposing blade parts in BOBST sets used to create clean crease lines. Male on top, female on bottom; channel width is tuned to carton thickness.

Marketplace product box

Carton die built to the size and labelling rules of Hepsiburada, Trendyol, Amazon and similar marketplaces. → Marketplace product box dies

MDF base

Medium-density fibreboard. Used in some mid-volume dies instead of plywood; cheaper, but its laser-channel sharpness lasts less than birch plywood.

O

One-off die

Die produced as a single unit for sample, proof or short job. No minimum order. → One-off cutting die production

P

Paper bag die

Cutting and creasing die for flat-bottom, gusseted or locked carton gift bags. → Paper bag cutting dies

Paper cup carrier

Angled holder for 2 or 4 cups. Made with a die controlling hole diameter, creases and lock allowance. → Paper cup carrier dies

Perforation

Controlled tear line on carton or label created by the rule cutting and skipping at fixed intervals. → Perforation rules

Pizza box die

Cutting die for pizza, lahmacun and takeaway boxes with locks, vent holes and creasing lines. → Pizza box cutting dies

Pre-stripping

Stage in BOBST-class machines where main waste parts are split off the product stack right after cutting. Runs on the front section of the stripping set.

Printing die

Steel rule cutting die that shapes carton, label, packaging and plastic materials. The sector's core production tool.

Printing die maker

Sector role: a craftsman who builds steel rule cutting dies for the printing and packaging industry. Same as "matbaa bıçakçısı" / "matbaacı kalıpçısı" in Turkish. → Istanbul printing die

Puzzle die

Special-form die for consistent cuts on children's puzzles, educational sets and interlocking parts. → Puzzle cutting dies

PVC / PET cutting die

Die for clear plastic blister covers and acetate parts, tuned with a controlled rule profile to reduce cracking. → PVC/PET cutting dies

R

RF welding die (frekans)

Die used in high-frequency welding machines to heat-seal PVC, blister covers and planner covers into shape. → RF welding dies

Rubbering

Elastic foam fitted alongside the rule to lift the cut part cleanly off the die. Hardness is tuned per material; soft rubber for labels, hard for corrugated.

Rule height

Amount by which the steel rule projects above the die base in label and carton dies. Most common values are 8 mm, 12 mm and 23.8 mm; selected per machine and material thickness.

S

Sample-to-die

Cutting die generated by measuring a physical sample. When no drawing file exists, a sample is a sufficient starting point. → Sample-to-die service

Sheet label

Label cutting format printed in sheets, fed leaf by leaf to the press. Preferred for short runs.

Shoe cutting die

Cutting die for shoe soles, uppers and accessory parts in shoe production with repeatable measurement. → Shoe cutting dies

Steel rule

Hardened steel strip used in cutting dies for cutting, creasing and perforation. Made at 23-24 HRC; reaches 200,000-500,000 impressions under correct use. → Steel rule / creasing rules

Steel rule die

Classic cutting tool where hardened steel rules are bent and seated into CNC-laser-cut channels in a plywood or aluminium base. → Steel rule cutting dies

Stripping

Die stage separating waste parts from cut material. Usually runs as a separate set in BOBST-class automatic die-cutters. → Stripping tooling

T

Tolerance

Allowed deviation between drawing dimension and the actual cut. İkram Lazer's standard tolerance is 0.05 mm.

U

Urgent die

2-6 hour rush production on a separate line; same-day Istanbul motorbike courier, next-day Turkey-wide express cargo. → Urgent cutting die production

V

Vacuum form die

Die used in vacuum forming, where hot plastic is pulled into a shape. Sometimes combined with RF work; common for packaging inner trays and blister backs.