Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
Die cutting is the process of cutting a label to a custom outline using a shaped blade or laser, rather than settling for a standard rectangle, circle or oval. It's the option to reach for whenever a logo, product silhouette or packaging surface calls for a specific shape. A mascot outline, an irregular product profile, a label that needs to wrap precisely around a curved edge. The tradeoff is mainly about production volume: custom die shapes typically make more economic sense at higher quantities, where the setup cost spreads across more finished pieces.
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Standard sticker shapes (rectangles, circles, ovals) cover most applications reasonably well, but they force a design into a bounding shape it wasn't necessarily created for. Die cutting solves that by cutting the label along a custom outline instead, whether that's a logo's exact silhouette, a mascot or character shape, or a functional outline that matches the surface it's being applied to. The result is a label that reads as part of the product rather than a sticker slapped onto it.
There are two general approaches to producing a custom shape. Traditional die cutting uses a physical steel-rule die shaped to the outline, pressed through the material to cut it. Efficient and cost-effective at higher volumes once the die is made, since the die itself is a one-time tooling cost that gets reused across the whole print run. Digital or laser die cutting skips the physical die entirely, cutting each shape directly from a digital file, which trades some per-unit efficiency for flexibility. No die charge, and the shape can be changed between runs without new tooling, which suits smaller runs or products where the design might change.
Material selection works the same way it does for any label. Paper for indoor, short-term use; vinyl or synthetic film for anything that needs to survive handling, moisture or outdoor exposure. Where die-cut labels differ slightly is in how the shape itself interacts with material choice: intricate shapes with narrow points or thin connecting sections hold up better in a slightly thicker or more flexible material, since a delicate custom shape in thin paper stock is more prone to tearing at its narrowest points during application or handling.
Because a custom die is a real production step rather than just a design choice, it's worth finalizing the outline before ordering. Changing a die shape after the fact usually means cutting a new one rather than adjusting the existing setup. For low-volume or one-off needs, it's worth asking whether a simpler standard shape would serve the same purpose at a lower cost, since the visual benefit of a fully custom outline is most noticeable at a larger, more visible size or in a larger print run where the extra production step pays off.
Labels divide first into paper and film, and the dividing question is whether the label will ever get wet. Coated paper takes ink beautifully and costs the least, but moisture ends it. A paper label on a chilled bottle wrinkles within an hour. Film faces such as BOPP shrug off condensation, refrigeration and handling. Clear and metallised films are chosen for a specific visual effect rather than for durability alone.
Paper or film? If the labeled item is ever chilled, refrigerated or handled with wet hands, film. Everything else, paper does the job for less.
Full color covers most label work. Three cases need more: a brand color that must match across every reorder runs as a Pantone spot rather than being approximated from process inks; anything printed on clear or metallised film needs a white underbase or the colors go translucent; and labels carrying serial numbers, addresses or codes are printed as variable data, where every label in the run is different.
Can every label be different? Yes. Sequential numbers, names, addresses and codes are all variable data. Send a spreadsheet and the field mapping.
A protective layer over the print, in two grades. Varnish is a coating applied inline. Cheap, thin, enough to stop ink scuffing in normal handling. Laminate is a bonded film: thicker, tougher, and the only real answer where a label meets moisture, abrasion or chemicals. On anything that gets wiped, refrigerated or squeezed, the difference between the two shows within weeks.
Varnish or laminate? Varnish for a dry indoor label. Laminate for anything wet, chilled, handled constantly, or wiped down.
Chosen against the surface, the temperature and the intended life. General-purpose permanent covers most rigid, room-temperature surfaces. Removable releases cleanly within a reasonable window. Freezer-grade stays flexible and keeps bonding at temperatures where a standard adhesive turns brittle and lets go. High-tack exists for textured plastics, recycled board and anything that resists adhesion.
It is going on something cold. Does that matter? Considerably. Applying a standard adhesive to an already-cold surface is the single most common cause of labels falling off in the chiller.
Rather than settling for a rectangle, circle or oval from the standard set, the label is cut to an outline drawn around the artwork itself. That outline is a physical tool (a shaped blade or a laser path) which is a one-off cost carried into the first order and reused on reprints, so a shaped label gets cheaper the second time you run it.
Do I need to supply the cut path? Not necessarily. Send vector artwork and we can generate the outline from it, then show it on your proof before any tooling is made.
Ask for samples of any face on this list before committing to a run. How a stock takes ink and handles moisture is impossible to judge on screen.
An inline coating that stops ink scuffing in normal handling. It is thin and inexpensive, and it is the right answer for a dry indoor label that will not be wiped, chilled or gripped.
A bonded film rather than a coating. Thicker, tougher, and the only real protection where a label meets moisture, abrasion or cleaning chemicals. On chilled and handled products the difference from varnish shows within weeks.
Metallic foil pressed into the label under heat, applied to selected elements. Against an uncoated or matte ground a single small foil element does more visual work than any amount of additional color.
Relief pressed into the material, or a clear resin lens poured over the face. Both add a physical dimension a flat label cannot have: emboss for texture, dome for depth and abrasion resistance.
Same family, genuinely different jobs. Your current selection is highlighted.
| Label | From | Build | Order it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Labels | $175 | Every layer specified | Nothing standard fits the job |
| Product Labels | $145 | Brand panel plus mandatory content | It sells the product and carries the details |
| Food Label | $175 | Regulatory panel, food-safe adhesive | Ingredients and nutrition are required |
| Bottle Labels | $169 | Film face, wraparound, laminated | It gets cold, wet and gripped |
| Clear Labels | $180 | Clear film, white underbase | The container should show through |
| Die Cut Labels | $179 | Custom outline die | A rectangle or circle will not do |
| Domed Labels | $210 | Cut to a custom outline | The shape is the artwork, not a rectangle |
| Metallic Foil Labels | $180 | Metallised film beneath the ink | Large metallic areas or metallic color |
| Embossed Foil Labels | $190 | Emboss registered to foil | Seals and authenticity marks |
| Bar Code Labels | $150 | Contrast, resolution, quiet zone | It has to scan every time |
| QR Code Labels | $150 | Module size to scan distance | A phone camera has to read it |
| Shipping Labels | $165 | Thermal face, carrier format | It moves through a carrier network |
| Mailing Labels | $140 | Sheet or roll, high volume | Hundreds or thousands of addresses |
| Address Labels | $145 | Sheeted, uncoated, writable | Envelopes, by printer or by hand |
| General Purpose Labels | $140 | Standard shapes and stock | Dates, contents, internal marking |
| Business Labels | $160 | Standard commercial format | Everyday branded commercial use |
| CD Labels | $170 | Concentric annular die | It spins, so it must be balanced |
Not necessarily. Send vector artwork and we can generate the outline from it, then show it on your proof before any tooling is made. If you have a specific outline in mind, send it as a separate path.
It is a one-off tooling cost carried into the first order and reused on reprints, so a shaped label gets noticeably cheaper the second time you run it. For a single short run, a standard shape is usually better value.
Fairly intricate, but very fine points and deep narrow notches are difficult to strip cleanly from the matrix and can tear during application. We will flag anything at risk on the proof rather than discovering it on press.
Not always. Applicators handle regular shapes more reliably, and an irregular outline can need a different applicator setup. If the labels are machine applied, say so before the die is cut.
Pricing for die cut labels starts at $179 and moves with quantity, size, material and finish rather than sitting on a fixed list. Setup is shared across the run, so the per-unit price drops steeply as the quantity rises: the gap between a few hundred and a few thousand is usually the significant one. Send the size, quantity and what it has to do and you get a firm figure back, not a range.
There is a practical minimum rather than a hard one. Every run carries artwork checks, a proof and a press setup, so a very small quantity of die cut labels prices poorly per unit even though we will still make it. If you are ordering a small batch, ask for pricing at two or three quantities at once: the curve usually shows that a modest increase costs very little more in total.
The clock starts when you approve the proof, not when the order is placed, which is the part most people are surprised by. You get a proof first: a digital proof showing artwork against the dieline, and on clear or metallised faces exactly where white ink sits. Nothing is printed until you approve it, and on a shaped label the proof is where you first see the real outline. Turnaround after approval depends on the finish: anything laminated, foiled or die-cut adds a stage that cannot be compressed without causing problems later. Tell us the date you actually need them and we will work backwards from it rather than quoting a generic lead time.
Yes. Custom outline die is the standard build, and the dimensions around it are yours to set. A size that sits efficiently on the press sheet often costs no more than a standard one, while an awkward proportion that wastes half the sheet does. Ask before you commit and we will tell you whether a small change to the dimensions saves a disproportionate amount.
In most cases they are the same product under a different name: the trade uses several terms for it depending on the region and the supplier. What actually defines this one is the build: custom outline die. Order it when a rectangle or circle will not do. If you have seen it called contour cut labels elsewhere, describe what it has to do rather than which name you found, and we will match the specification.
Yes. We provide free samples, and on die cut labels it is worth asking for one, because the difference between semi-gloss paper and uncoated paper is obvious in the hand and invisible on a screen. Most orders run on semi-gloss paper, but ask for whichever you are weighing up. You also get a free design proof before anything goes to press, so nothing is printed that you have not seen.
The usual choices are varnish, lamination, foil stamping. Finish is not decoration on this product so much as a decision about how long it survives and how it reads in the hand, so it is worth choosing against the job rather than the budget. Tell us where the finished piece ends up and we will say which finish is doing real work and which is only adding cost.
Yes, and that is what almost every order here is. Nothing in this catalogue is a stock item: die cut labels are manufactured to the specification you give us, with your artwork on them. Send your logo as vector artwork where you have it, since that scales to any size without softening. If all you have is a low-resolution file, tell us and we will say what it needs before it reaches the press.
Yes, and a repeat run is simpler than the first one. We keep your approved specification on file, so a reorder skips the setup decisions and goes straight to production. Where the job used custom tooling, that tooling is reused, which is why a shaped run costs less the second time. Tell us the previous order and we will match it rather than starting the specification again.
Yes. Regalo Print has been producing custom commercial print for businesses across the USA and Canada since 2008, and every order ships tracked. The tracking number reaches you the day the job leaves, not the day it arrives. If you are working to a fixed date, say so when you order so the production schedule is built around the delivery date rather than the other way round.
