Prep → Stickers

Stickers: cut line, bleed size and white ink.

Sticker cut line, bleed size and white ink on clear: 300 PPI, 1/16 to 1/8 in of bleed, a cut line named by spot colour or drawn as a magenta stroke.

Sources read 2026-10-24 · updated 2026-10-26 · next re-read due 2027-01-22

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How the process treats your file

A sticker file carries two things: the artwork and the path the cutter follows. Sticker printers split into two camps on the second.

Platforms that make the contour themselves take a raster PNG and trace its alpha. Printify wants a transparent PNG with “no residue or specks”; Redbubble says “you must check for stray pixels”, so stray alpha becomes cut geometry.

Shops that take vector artwork want a closed path as the cut line and disagree on its form. Sticker Mule recommends a 0.05 to 1 pt magenta stroke with no required name, and says it is not necessary to specify a cut line; the page does not say what it uses instead. StickerApp wants a 1 pt spot colour named “die cut”.

Three RIPs read a spot name: Roland VersaWorks (CutContour, per a 2010 blog post), Mimaki RasterLink 7 (any spot name prefixed “CutContour”) and Fiery XF 6.2 (ten default names). Sticker Mule takes a magenta stroke with no name.

Bleed past the cut runs from 1/16 in at Sticker Mule to 1/8 in at StickerGiant to 2 mm at StickerApp. White on clear stock is either generated by the printer (Sticker Mule) or drawn by the seller on a white layer (StickerGiant).

What the printers specify

Sources are platforms and three RIP vendors. No cutter maker (Summa, Graphtec, Zund) and no ink or media maker gave a page we could read.

Sticker sizes are set by the shop or platform; no source we read gives a canvas size in pixels except Redbubble’s recommended upload size.

Resolution at print size

Build raster art at 300 PPI at the ordered size (StickerGiant, Sticker Mule); only StickerGiant ties the figure to a size.

  • Sticker Mule (platform): “Artwork should be vector files or raster images with at least 300 PPI.” and “If your artwork is below 300 PPI, we’ll reach out during proofing to work with you.” The page does not say at what print size 300 PPI applies — Sticker Mule: artwork requirements
  • StickerGiant (platform): “300 dpi (dots per inch) at the ordered size”; “For vector artwork, resolution is not a concern, as it can be scaled infinitely” — StickerGiant: setup
  • Redbubble (platform): recommends 2800x2800 pixels; the page states no DPI — Redbubble: How do I design for stickers?
  • Moo (platform, blog by “The MOO Team”, 2026-03-20): “The 300 DPI isn’t a suggestion – it’s a requirement.” Design advice, not an upload policy; no print size stated — Moo: sticker design mistakes
  • Who upscales a small raster: not stated on any page we read.

File format

Colour mode and profile

CMYK at both shops that state it. Embedded ICC profile: not stated on any page we read.

  • Sticker Mule (platform): “To ensure the closest match to your desired color for print, we recommend CMYK colors.” — Sticker Mule: artwork requirements
  • StickerGiant (platform): “We print all stickers and labels using CMYK colors”; “Files in RGB will be auto-converted and may vary from your expected outcome.”; “Printed outcomes with a designated CMYK value will still have a potential for 5% variance in color.” — StickerGiant: setup

Transparency and alpha

At the PNG platforms, alpha is the cut shape (see the cut line rows and the stray-pixel case below).

White ink on clear sticker paper: who builds the white layer on clear, holographic or metallic stock

On clear stock, ask whether the printer builds the white layer or expects you to. Sticker Mule does; StickerGiant expects the seller to.

  • Sticker Mule (platform): “All of our custom clear stickers are printed with white ink behind your design to preserve opacity.” and “To order clear stickers with white ink only just upload your design in white with a transparent background” — Sticker Mule: white ink on clear stickers
  • StickerGiant (platform): the seller builds it. “The White Ink Layer– or “white backup”– defines which parts of your design are opaque and which are transparent.”; “Without a white backup, even colored areas will appear transparent.”; “change the color of all elements to white and set to 100% opacity”; “Leave areas unfilled on the White Ink Layer to let the clear material shine through.” — StickerGiant: clear stickers
  • StickerApp (platform): “We can print white ink on transparent stickers.” and “Without white ink, colors on a clear material can look see-through or washed out.” Who makes the white layer: not stated — StickerApp: white ink on transparent stickers
  • Redbubble (platform), holographic: “Because there is no white underlay, any white parts of your design will be transparent and thus holographic when printed.” — Redbubble: How do I design for stickers?
  • Roland DG (RIP; 2010 blog post, machine-specific): spot colour RDG_WHITE: “Filling a shape with this Spot Color will tell VersaWorks to print white in the selected areas.” “(only applies to LEC-300 and XC-540W printers)”. RDG_GLOSS prints clear varnish: “(LEC-300 printers only)” — Roland DG: VersaWorks installation info
  • Mimaki, Caldera, ONYX (RIP): not found on a maker page.

Minimum sizes: text, line, spacing, corner radius

Sticker Mule is the only source with a text and line minimum.

  • Sticker Mule (platform): “We recommend a minimum font size of 6pt for adequate legibility.” and “We recommend a minimum line thickness of 1 pt to ensure quality and legibility.” — Sticker Mule: artwork requirements
  • StickerGiant (platform): “If you are setting up your own cutline, use a 0.04” radius or larger for the best result”; “Stickers and labels are finished with rounded corners, so avoid sharp edges”. Minimum text size and line thickness: not stated — StickerGiant: setup
  • StickerApp (platform): “Keep at least 2 mm between the cutline and any text or important details.” — StickerApp: file setup
  • Printify (platform), minimum spacing for pieces “to be cut out separately”: “2×2” sticker – 65 px” … “6×6” sticker – 200 px”. The page states no DPI, so these px values cannot be turned into a distance. Sheets only: “approximately 75 px (0.25”)” — Printify: sticker guidelines
  • Redbubble (platform), sticker packs: “It’s recommended that all individual items are a minimum of 0.7 cm from each other.” — Redbubble: How do I design for stickers?

Sticker bleed size: bleed, border and safe zone

The bleed past the cut differs by shop: 1/16 in, 1/8 in, 2 mm, or none if the edge is transparent. A file built with 1/8 in of bleed meets the largest figure in this table.

  • Sticker Mule (platform): “If you’d like your artwork to have a bleed, we have a bleed requirement of .0625 (1/16”) surrounding the cutline.” and “This cannot be changed.” (applies when the artwork is full-bleed). “Our standard border size is .1” (1/10”)”, minimum border .0625 — Sticker Mule: artwork requirements. Minimum-border page: “Our minimum border size is 1/16” (0.0625”), and the default thickness is 1/10” (0.1”).” and the border is not required, so full-bleed printing is possible — Sticker Mule: minimum border thickness
  • StickerGiant (platform): “We require 1/8” (0.125 inches) of bleed if your background is not white or transparent.”; “Keep all essential content inside the safe area, which is 1/8” from the cutline”; “For stickers larger than 0.75” x 0.75”, a 1/16” safe area may be acceptable”; “For stickers smaller than 0.75” x 0.75”, a 1/8” safe area is required due to precision cutting” — StickerGiant: setup
  • StickerGiant (platform), clear stickers: draw the outline “at least 0.125” from your artwork” (a cut-line offset, not a bleed); “If the edges of your sticker are meant to remain transparent, you don’t need to include a bleed.” — StickerGiant: clear stickers
  • StickerApp (platform): “Bleed: 2 mm (0.075”) outside the cutline” and “Keep important text and graphics at least 2 mm (0.075”) inside the cutline”. The inch figure does not match 2 mm, which is about 0.079 in — StickerApp: make your own cutlines
  • Redbubble (platform): “approximately 1/8 inch (3.2mm) white/transparent border” is added around the kiss-cut — Redbubble: How do I design for stickers?
  • Moo (platform, blog, 2026-03-20): content “should stay at least 1/8″ (3 mm) away from the trim line.” — Moo: sticker design mistakes

Sticker cut line: path form, colour, name and layer

If you do not know the shop, expect the form to change: a 100% magenta spot named “die cut” at StickerApp, a 100% magenta stroke on a layer named “Cutline” at StickerGiant, any 0.05 to 1 pt magenta stroke at Sticker Mule, and a swatch named CutContour for Mimaki and Roland.

  • Sticker Mule (platform): “If you’d like to indicate a specific cut line, we recommend doing so with a .05 - 1 pt magenta stroke.” and “This does not need to be on a separate layer or named “cut line”.” and “It is not necessary to specify a cut line.” — Sticker Mule: artwork requirements. Cut-line page: “If you’d like to indicate the cut line yourself, we recommend using a vector-based stroke.” — Sticker Mule: cut line
  • StickerApp (platform): “Color: spot color, 100% magenta”; “Name it “die cut”.“; “Stroke: 1 pt”; “Save as PDF or AI.” — StickerApp: make your own cutlines. File-setup page (Illustrator): “Draw the cutline as a path on a separate layer and give it a spot color named “die cut” with the values CMYK 0, 100, 0, 0.” — StickerApp: file setup
  • StickerGiant (platform): layers named “Cutline”, “Artwork”, “White Ink Layer”; “Set the stroke color to 100% Magenta to clearly mark it as a cutline.” — StickerGiant: clear stickers. “It is outlined in 100% magenta during set up (this line does not print).” — StickerGiant: setup
  • Roland DG VersaWorks (RIP; blog post dated January 11, 2010): “Adding a hairline stroke using CutContour as the Spot Color around your design will tell VersaWorks that you have added a Cut Line.” and “VersaWorks will cut this hairline instead of printing it.” Not confirmed for VersaWorks 6 or 7 (manual pages returned 404) — Roland DG: VersaWorks installation info
  • Mimaki RasterLink 7 (RIP): ‘The spot color prefixed by “CutContour”’; “Other characters can be included after “CutContour” (like CutContourCut1 and CutContourHalf).“; “Single-byte alphanumeric characters must be used for the characters added after “CutContour”.” — Mimaki: RasterLink7 reference guide, cut contours
  • Fiery XF 6.2 (RIP; the document refers to Fiery XF 6.2 and carries no date): “The following default names are supported in Fiery XF: • Regmark • Crease • Kiss Cut • Laser Cut • Pen plot • Router Cut • Score • Through Cut • CutContour • Die line”. Its Illustrator procedure: “Open Pathfinder and click Unite to make sure you have a closed contour.”, “Enter a stroke thickness of 0.25pt.”, “set the fill color to None”, “Open Attributes and select Overprint Stroke.” — Fiery XF: cut contours
  • Summa, Graphtec, Zund, Caldera, ONYX (cutter or RIP): not found on a maker page.

Die cut versus kiss cut

  • StickerApp (platform): “Kiss-cut means the sticker is cut without cutting through the backing liner.” and “The outer piece is die-cut to shape through the material and backing liner.” The page gives no cut-line values — StickerApp: kiss-cut stickers
  • StickerApp (platform), file setup: “Create two cutline layers in your file.”; “Put the inner kiss-cut on one layer.”; “Lock the layer with the die-cut.” Stroke, name and colour for the layers are not given — StickerApp: kiss-cut file setup
  • Roland DG (RIP), cut through the liner only: swatch named PerfCutContour, “capitalize the “P,C, and C,” and delete any spaces.”; “Place a Contour Cut line directly on top of the artwork that will be PerfCut.” The page calls PerfCut “a perforated cut line through the liner” and names no printer model — Roland DG: getting set up for stickers
  • Printify (platform): no cut-line spec for the seller on the page — Printify: sticker guidelines
  • Redbubble (platform): “All Stickers offered on the Redbubble marketplace are kiss-cut by 3rd-party printers” — Redbubble: How do I design for stickers?
  • Sticker Mule (platform): makes the cut line from the artwork shape unless you send one — Sticker Mule: cut line

RIP cut-file settings

  • Fiery XF 6.2 (RIP): “Bleeding The default setting is 0. This setting should be applied only to level1 cut contours that are based on the bounding box.” This is a RIP setting for the cut file’s bounding box, not artwork bleed — Fiery XF: cut contours

Vinyl versus paper stock

Not stated as a difference: no page we read gives separate minimum text, colour or ink limits by stock.

Maximum ink and colour count

Not stated by any platform, maker or RIP vendor page we read.

Where the sources disagree

Spot colour, magenta stroke, or nothing

Sticker Mule: the cut line “does not need to be on a separate layer or named “cut line”” (Sticker Mule). StickerApp: “Name it “die cut”.” (StickerApp). Mimaki: ‘The spot color prefixed by “CutContour”’ (Mimaki).

On the floor: Sticker Mule needs no name; StickerApp requires the swatch named “die cut”; Mimaki and (per a 2010 blog) Roland key on “CutContour”. One file cannot meet all three without renaming the swatch.

Bleed past the cut: 1/16 in, 1/8 in or 2 mm

Sticker Mule: “a bleed requirement of .0625 (1/16”) surrounding the cutline”, when the artwork is full-bleed (Sticker Mule). StickerGiant: “We require 1/8” (0.125 inches) of bleed if your background is not white or transparent.” (StickerGiant). StickerApp: “Bleed: 2 mm (0.075”) outside the cutline” (StickerApp).

On the floor: a file built to 1/16 in meets Sticker Mule’s rule and is short of StickerGiant’s.

300 PPI: a blog “requirement” or a proof query

Moo’s blog: “The 300 DPI isn’t a suggestion – it’s a requirement.” (Moo). Sticker Mule: “If your artwork is below 300 PPI, we’ll reach out during proofing to work with you.” (Sticker Mule).

On the floor: Sticker Mule says it will contact the customer below 300 PPI; Moo’s blog calls 300 DPI a requirement but states no rejection policy. Neither gives a print size; only StickerGiant ties 300 dpi to “the ordered size” (StickerGiant).

Safe zone on one StickerGiant page: 1/8 in or 1/16 in

The body says “Keep all essential content inside the safe area, which is 1/8” from the cutline”; the checklist on the same page says “Safe area maintained (all critical elements inside 1/16” from the cutline)” (StickerGiant).

On the floor: the checklist gives 1/16 in without the size condition; the body requires 1/8 in under 0.75 x 0.75 in and allows 1/16 in above it.

Who makes the white layer on clear stock

Sticker Mule prints white behind the design: “All of our custom clear stickers are printed with white ink behind your design to preserve opacity.” (Sticker Mule). StickerGiant: “Without a white backup, even colored areas will appear transparent.” (StickerGiant).

On the floor: the same transparent PNG prints opaque at one shop and see-through at another unless the seller builds the white layer.

What fails on the floor

No case below comes with an image of the file; each is a description from the printer’s or platform’s own page, and the sources say so.

White edge around a printed sticker

Symptom: an accidental white edge. Cause in the file: no bleed, so a trim shift exposes unprinted stock. “Without a bleed, those tiny shifts result in an accidental white at the edge of your sticker.” — Moo: sticker design mistakes (blog, no file image)

Clear sticker prints see-through

Symptom: colour areas look transparent. Cause in the file: no white layer under the colour. “Without a white backup, even colored areas will appear transparent.” — StickerGiant: clear stickers

Cut contour follows stray pixels

Symptom: the cut wanders around specks. Cause in the file: stray low-alpha pixels in the PNG. “you must check for stray pixels”, and the cause: “These might be caught by the machine and cut around” — Redbubble: How do I design for stickers?. Printify: “Ensure that there is no residue or specks within the file.” — Printify: sticker guidelines. No file image on either page.

Narrow gaps between elements are not cut cleanly

Symptom: a hole or gap is not cut out. Cause in the file: negative space between elements narrower than the laser can resolve. “Avoid designs with negative spaces between elements, as shown in the image below.” and “The lasers often won’t have enough accuracy to account for these details.” (image not seen) — Printify: sticker guidelines

White areas turn clear on holographic stock

Symptom: white parts show the holographic film. Cause in the file: white used as a colour on stock with no white underlay. “any white parts of your design will be transparent and thus holographic when printed.” — Redbubble: How do I design for stickers?

Cut contour cut off after a bleed value is applied

Symptom: the contour is cut off. Cause is a RIP setting, not the customer’s file: a Bleeding value applied in Fiery XF to level 2 contours created in pre-press. “Applying a bleed value to level 2 cut contours that have been created in pre-press could cause the cut contours to be cut off.” — Fiery XF: cut contours

What shops ask on the forums

Five file questions came up in at least two threads since 2024. The quotes are the askers’ opening posts; replies are not used. Most askers are home makers or new sellers on a platform, not shops. Two threads have no text beyond the title, and the quote there is the title. The fifth question is the weakest: its three askers describe different symptoms, and the guide’s sources cover only the file part. Questions about paper, laminate, cutters and printers were asked often and are left out as not file-side.

“How do I set up full-bleed sticker art so there is no white edge after the cut?”

“I have stickers I’m trying to make full bleed & I followed videos online but the proofs still ain’t it lol” — Forum: Full bleed stickers help, May 2026. Also asked in Forum: Anyone know a good source for full bleed circle sticker sheets?, January 2025: “print full bleed around the circle with no white outline”. That asker says earlier sheets from one shop printed fine and the latest had a white border. In Forum: Is there a print shop that can make a custom sheet of stickers like a “paint by stickers” book?, October 2026: “each sticker cannot have a bleed border, the color must go to the very edge of the die cut shape”. And in Forum: How to add bleed to die cut sticker design, May 2026, where the title is all the opening post says.

What our sources say: bleed past the cut line is 1/16 in at Sticker Mule when the artwork is full-bleed (Sticker Mule), 1/8 in at StickerGiant if the background is not white or transparent (StickerGiant), and 2 mm at StickerApp (StickerApp). Moo’s blog says a missing bleed shows as an accidental white edge when the trim shifts (Moo). A file built with 1/8 in of bleed meets the largest figure. None of our sources says how to extend raster art past a die-cut outline in Procreate or Krita, or why a shop that once printed full bleed later printed a white border.

“How do I make a vector cut line when my art is a raster or a drawn PDF?”

“Is there any programm I can upload the pdf on to and draw the cut lines over?” — Forum: Sticker cut lines, pls help, July 2026. The art was drawn on a tablet and exported as PDF or JPEG, and the asker names SVG as the end file. Also asked in Forum: Cut lines in Procreate - please help!!, November 2025: “my designs are done in Procreate, so I’m trying to find the best way to create clean, accurate cut lines for my stickers.”

What our sources say: Sticker Mule recommends a 0.05 to 1 pt magenta stroke and says it is not necessary to specify a cut line (Sticker Mule); StickerApp wants a 1 pt spot colour named “die cut”, saved as PDF or AI (StickerApp); StickerGiant wants a 100% magenta stroke on a layer named “Cutline” (StickerGiant). The PNG platforms trace the alpha channel themselves, so no cut line is drawn there (Printify, Redbubble). None of our sources says how to draw or generate the path from a raster or a PDF, or names a free tool for it.

“On a PNG-in platform, what canvas size and artwork size does the sticker take, what gets cut, and why is the outline pixelated?”

“will the final decal itself effectively be ~2x2 and cut closely around the shape?” — Forum: Printify sizing question- if I scale artwork to 2x2 inside a 3x4 Vinyl Decal, what actually gets cut?, May 2026. Also asked in Forum: Issues With Die-Cut Sticker Edges?, September 2025: “every mock-up has these weird pixelated bubbles on the outside of the outline”. That post says the PNG background is transparent and stray strokes were erased. And in Forum: Designing stickers on procreate for printify - need help with canvas sizing!, February 2024: “if you’re using procreate to design stickers what are your canvas details and anything else you can share”. That asker reports a 2800x2800 canvas at 300 DPI and a platform suggestion of 559x559.

What our sources say: Printify wants a transparent PNG with no residue or specks, and says the sticker size shown in its catalog includes the backing paper (Printify). Redbubble recommends a 2800x2800 pixel upload and warns that stray pixels might be caught by the machine and cut around (Redbubble). None of our sources gives Printify’s canvas size in pixels (its spacing figures are in pixels with no DPI), says whether scaling art inside a larger product area shrinks the cut, or explains pixelated edges on a clean transparent PNG.

“How do I get white text or white areas to show on a transparent sticker?”

“Printify states that white will print as transparent. Does anyone know a workaround?” — Forum: Need Help with Transparent Car Stickers, March 2025. Also asked in Forum: How do I get white text to show up on a transparent sticker? I feel like I am overlooking something really easy, September 2024, where the title is all the opening post says.

What our sources say: Sticker Mule prints white ink behind every custom clear sticker (Sticker Mule). StickerGiant expects the seller to build the white layer and says that without it “even colored areas will appear transparent” (StickerGiant). StickerApp can print white ink on transparent stickers (StickerApp), and Redbubble says white parts of a holographic design print transparent (Redbubble). No page we read from Printify, the platform both askers name, covers white on a clear sticker; the claim that Printify prints white as transparent is in the asker’s post only.

“My sticker prints look noisy or fuzzy: is it the file (raster, resolution) or the printer?”

“I feel like the print quality isn’t as good as I expect probably because my art is not vector.” — Forum: Sticker Card I made!, October 2026. Also asked in Forum: Is this dotting/bleeding due to printing or my file?, July 2025: “My file is drawn at 600dpi at my intended sizing.” And in Forum: Stickers suddenly coming out blurry with every printer, August 2026: “if different file types are better, or design edits”. That asker’s black-and-white art printed well at first and then did not.

What our sources say: Sticker Mule takes vector or raster at 300 PPI or more and contacts the customer during proofing below 300 (Sticker Mule). StickerGiant asks for 300 dpi at the ordered size and says vector resolution “is not a concern” (StickerGiant). Moo’s blog calls 300 DPI a requirement (Moo). None of our sources says why a 600 dpi file prints noisy, or how to tell a file fault from a press or media fault.

Preflight before you upload

  • Cut line is one closed vector path (Fiery’s procedure unites shapes to get a closed contour); ask the shop which form it reads — Fiery XF, Sticker Mule
  • Cut-line swatch is named for the shop: “die cut” at StickerApp, CutContour for Mimaki and Roland, none needed at Sticker Mule — StickerApp, Mimaki, Roland DG
  • Cut line is 100% magenta where the shop asks for it (StickerApp, StickerGiant, Sticker Mule), at 0.05 to 1 pt for Sticker Mule — StickerApp, StickerGiant, Sticker Mule
  • A through-the-liner cut uses a swatch spelled PerfCutContour, capital P, C and C, no spaces — Roland DG
  • Bleed of 1/8 in beyond the cut when the background is coloured — StickerGiant
  • Text and key graphics sit 1/8 in inside the cut, certainly under 0.75 x 0.75 in — StickerGiant
  • Raster art is 300 PPI at the ordered size — StickerGiant, Sticker Mule
  • Text is 6 pt or larger and lines are 1 pt or thicker (Sticker Mule’s recommendation) — Sticker Mule
  • Artwork is CMYK; an RGB file is auto-converted and may shift — StickerGiant
  • PNG for Printify and Redbubble has a transparent background and no stray pixels or specks — Printify, Redbubble
  • Clear stock: ask whether the printer builds the white layer; at StickerGiant draw it on a “White Ink Layer” — Sticker Mule, StickerGiant
  • On holographic stock, no white parts you need to stay white — Redbubble
  • Separate pieces keep the platform’s spacing: 0.7 cm in a Redbubble pack, the px values in Printify’s table, 0.25 in on Printify sheets — Redbubble, Printify

Sources, checked on 2026-10-24

Forum threads

Could not check

  • Printful’s sticker guidelines: help.printful.com returned 403 and its API 404. Figures that search summaries mention are not used.
  • Summa, Graphtec, Zund, Caldera and ONYX: no maker page with a spot name; Graphtec and ONYX appeared only on forum threads.
  • Roland VersaWorks 6 and 7 manual pages on RDG_WHITE and white plates: 404. Only the 2010 blog post was read.
  • Avery Dennison, 3M, Oracal and UPM Raflatac media pages: not searched. Gelato and Prodigi: no sticker pages found.
  • MakeStickers, Printed Mint, Moo templates: 403 or not fetched.
  • A cut-line layer printed by mistake: no case found.
  • Whether CutContour, PerfCut and white backup are in the glossary was not checked.

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