Kiss cut stickers: how to cut them at home

A kiss cut sticker is cut through the sticker layer but not the backing paper, so it peels off a sheet that stays in one piece. A die cut sticker is cut right through both layers, so each sticker comes out on its own piece of backing, in the shape of the design.

Kiss cut or die cut?

	Kiss cut	Die cut
Cut through	The sticker layer only	The sticker and the backing
You get	A sheet of stickers to peel	Single stickers, cut to shape
Good for	Sticker sheets, labels, small or detailed stickers	Single stickers to sell or give away

Most home cutting is kiss cutting: the machine cuts round each sticker, and the sheet stays whole. To make die cut stickers at home, cut round each printed sticker with scissors, or choose a heavier material setting on your cutter so it cuts right through. Test it on one sticker first.

Vinyl or paper?

• Vinyl sticker sheets resist water and handling. Use them for stickers on laptops, bottles and anything that gets wet or handled a lot.
• Paper sticker sheets are cheaper and easier to cut, but tear and mark when wet. Use them for packaging seals, labels and freebies.

Inkjet sticker paper compares the finishes, and weatherproof sticker paper covers making stickers last outdoors.

How do you kiss cut stickers with a Cricut?

1. Set up Print Then Cut in Design Space. Cricut Print Then Cut with your own image covers each step.
2. Choose the material that matches your sticker sheet, such as Printable Sticker Paper or Printable Vinyl. These settings are made to cut through the sticker layer and not the backing.
3. Do a test cut on a small shape before cutting the whole sheet.
4. Adjust the pressure if the test cut is wrong: Less if it cuts through the backing, More if the sticker won’t peel cleanly.

If your sticker paper isn’t listed, start with the closest material and test. Sticker sheets vary in thickness between brands, so a setting that works on one may cut through another.

How do you kiss cut stickers with a Silhouette?

1. Print the sheet with registration marks turned on in the Page Setup panel in Silhouette Studio.
2. Load the sheet and send it to cut. The machine reads the marks first, so the cuts line up with the print.
3. Choose the material that matches your sheet, such as White Sticker Paper, and let Silhouette Studio set the blade and force.
4. Do a test cut, using the test button in the Send panel, before cutting the whole sheet. Put the test in a corner away from the registration marks.
5. Adjust if the test cut is wrong: lower the force or blade depth if it cuts through the backing, and raise it if the sticker won’t peel cleanly.

How do you check the cut?

Peel one sticker slowly from a corner.

• It peels cleanly and the backing isn’t cut: the setting is right.
• The backing is cut through or torn: lower the pressure or blade depth.
• The sticker tears or stays stuck at the edge: raise it slightly.

A worn blade cuts less cleanly, and a new blade can cut deeper on the same setting. Test again after changing the blade.

How do you lay out a sheet of kiss cut stickers?

• Use the paper size your printer takes: A4 or US Letter.
• Give each sticker an outline, a border round the design. 1–3 mm of white border looks neat and gives the cut some room.
• Or use bleed for stickers with no border: extend the background a little past the cut line, so a cut that lands slightly off doesn’t leave a white edge.
• Leave a gap of a few millimetres between stickers, so each one is easy to peel.
• Keep clear of the edges and any registration marks.

If the cuts land in the wrong place, the cutter or printer is out of line. Why your prints don’t line up with your cutter shows how to find and fix it.

What should you check before ordering kiss cut stickers?

• Material and finish: paper or vinyl, matte or gloss, and whether it’s laminated for outdoor use.
• Size: the finished size of each sticker, in millimetres.
• Border: whether the printer adds a white border round each design, and how wide.
• Cut line: most printers want it as a separate layer or spot colour, so it doesn’t print.
• Sheet size: how many stickers go on each sheet, and the size of the sheet.
• Proof: ask for a proof before printing, and check the cut line on it.

Printers charge less per sticker as the quantity goes up. Ordering suits large runs of the same sheet. Cutting at home suits small batches, many designs, or stickers you need the same day.

How do you fill a sheet with your stickers?

MagLab fills sticker sheets in one click: add your designs, say how many of each, and it fills A4 or US Letter sheets. For shaped stickers it draws a cut line round each design and packs them by their outlines, not boxes, so more fit on each sheet. It can add a white border or bleed, prints Silhouette registration marks, and saves each sticker as a PNG for Cricut Print Then Cut.