cutting down sticker sheets.

[JESSE@SWIMBAIT.COM]

hey guys, ive been doing the sticker thing for a bit now, it has been a hard road so far and i have failed countless times hahaha. I think i finally have the printing part down for the most part but im struggling with cutting down the sheets of stickers. I have a large paper cutter that im using most of the time and ive tried some different methods but cant get a grasp on the best way to get even consistent cuts every time. I figured i would turn to the knowledge pool here to see if i could get some tips or a way to do it better or equipment recommendations etc. Thanks in advance.

[exxxlonghair]

Here is vid from sticker robot showing their process on some hydro74 stickers. Set to a nice Sonic Youth soundtrack. Anyway, what you are looking for is the die cutting machine you see at the end. That is what most sticker guys use (i think).

I don't have one of those badass machines so I precut my vinyl to shape on my plotter, then I print sheet of precut stickers. It's just another way to do it.
What kind of Ink have you been using

[Andymac]

nice cylinder press.

if you are just talking square cutting your stickers, you need to find a guillotine cutter, not one of those hand trimmers they have in schools for slicing single sheets. the number one rule in trimming.....don't cut off your register sides until the last cuts. Number two is make sure your images are square on the material. Number 3, don't cut off your fingers in the cutter....learn how to jog your material so it is all lined up, and always ALWAYS fan your sheets to check they are all going the same way before you start to cut.

I use a local offset shop to do mine, as the cost and floorspace for a cutter is not justified. Plus the woman who does the cutting does an excellent job.

Same with die cutting. Unless you have an old letterpress machine kicking around, or a die cutter like the one shown....a plotter for short runs is a solution for shapes in house, but not very practical for long runs.

We have dies we own and send with repeat jobs to a die cutter.