whatsapp

What is Dieline in Packaging?

What is Dieline in Packaging?

If you ever design your custom box designs, you must have heard the term “dieline.” For those unfamiliar with dieline, this seems a bit complicated because this term can only be understood by a packaging expert or packaging consumers. 

Howevere the Dieline play’s an important role in custom packaging and designing custom box designs In actuality, this is easy to understand and plays an important role in the making of custom packaging. Here, we will explain everything about dieline and its importance in designing custom packaging boxes.

What is Dieline?

A dieline is a template or outline that displays the structural design of a package, helping designers create accurate and properly shaped packaging for products.

Dielines suggest cutlines, fold lines, crease lines, bleed lines, and safety zones for die-cutting and printing on packaging.

Designers and manufacturers depend on dielines to guarantee packaging standards. It makes sure to provide the best layout for your custom packaging. Dieline is a compulsory tool for designing packaging; it shows where to cut and fold the package by outlining the necessary lines on a flattened version of it.

A glimpse at dieline will help you make your packaging, letting you predict how and where your artwork will be shown. By exploring the flat construction of your box through dielines, you can easily picture all sides at once. It’s not just a canvas; it’s your canvas for creating the perfect package!

Fold lines – In making your custom box, red fold lines show where to fold the packaging. In this way, you can’t be nervous about having perfect results in constructing your packaging. 

Cut lines – These are black lines and serve as a guide for the die-cutting machine.

Bleed lines- Shown as solid green lines, during printing, it accounts for additional space. These lines prevent imperfect edges caused by the movement of the printing material.

Safety lines – Marked as green dotted lines, these are the safety lines that make sure nothing important gets chopped off during the trimming process. 

Glue tabs – Shown as green criss cross tabs, these glue tabs guide you where to put the glue while making your packaging. 

Importance of Dieline in Packaging

Regarding your final packaging design, the dielines catch your eye first. It’s an essential part of the die-cutting process and construction of any packaging and delivers the primary blueprint for the design of the artwork. 

It’s a blueprint that guarantees the accuracy of every single physical element in the final printed product, including:

  • Packaging measurements
  • Arrangement of printed logos, images, and text
  • Cutlines
  • Bleed lines
  • Fold lines
  • Creases
  • Glue tabs
  • Different connections end.

Once the dieline has been created, you will get a proper image of how the package will look when assembled. 

Most of the custom packaging like food packaging, beverage packaging, or brochures require dielines to make custom packaging boxes.

Before the die-cutting process, make a mind to decide how packaging is going to be looked at in the final results. Think of colors, measurements, placements, logos, and designs in the right place before the die-cut process. 

Dieline helps you to point out the errors in the design, style, or sizes as its blueprint provides the overall look of your desired design. 

The dieline process may sound like a simple one, but in actuality, it’s a bit complicated process. 

To create your own custom boxes, many efforts are made in its dimensions, placement, and designs to make your preferred packaging box. 

Before the die-cutting process, there are multiple rounds of artwork editing and repositioning.

Completing all proofing stages of dielines before the die-cut process is essential to get proper results. 

Note: Before moving on to mass production, request a sample of your finished package to finalize your structure and design.

How to Create a Dieline

If you are a production team member, you don’t have to worry about dieline; it’s a designer’s job to handle. To create a dieline, Adobe Illustrator or ArtiosCAD, a computer software design tool, is used. To make sure you have perfect deadlines for your packaging, providing a sample or design you have in mind for your desired package is essential.

Dieline in Adobe Illustrator

This will help your designer to make a good start for your customized packaging until you both agree upon its final result. When you get your design printed by a manufacturer, they’ll provide you with a finished dieline with bleeding requirements and other notes.

The best way to create a dieline is to position your artwork designs on the dieline and make sure the colors are matched perfectly.

Different Types of Lines in Dieline

The lines in a dieline are represented by different colors and their respective color codes. It is a standard that is used particularly in the packaging industry. Although, there are many different types of lines in a dieline, however, below we will be listing down the most commonly used ones:

  • Cut Lines- They represent the lines that will be cut in the drawing. These lines are represented by the red color.
  • Perforation Lines- These are the lines that are folded or torn in the drawing. They are generally represented by the yellow color.
  • Crease Lines- These lines are crushed and folded within the drawing. The green color is used to represent these lines.

Dieline Requirements

1. While making dielines, it’s important to create them as vector art on the computer because computers need mathematically described lines.

2. When creating a dieline, complete concentration is required when inputting specifications.

3. To create a dieline without any errors, the most important thing is to develop a sample of the dieline before finalizing it. 

Die-Cutting Procedure

Die-cutting machines use a die to cut out your packaging materials. In most manufacturing industries, dies are used to cut or shape materials using a press. Dies are made to create a thing they are supposed to, just like molds. 

Before using a die machine, you’ll have to make some dies of your desired shapes of your flattened, out-of-shape dielines. Dies are slim metal shapes with an increased design from one side, which chops through your customized packaging material. 

After finalizing the dieline for your package, a die-cutting machine will force a die utilizing rollers and cutting plates to go through the package’s material and make a desired size and shape for your packaging. 

To create your proper packaging design using the die-cutting process, your dielines will develop clear guidelines for the die-cutting machine. 

Don’t have a dieline template? Get in touch with us, and get yours ready!

Dieline Packaging

Stephan Benjamin

Stephen is a Packaging Consultant at Box Agency with a passion for innovative designs. He offers insights on how brands can improve their packaging to form a lasting impression. Stephen offers valuable advice to business owners and industry experts with years of involvement in product branding and promoting. His ability helps clients make packaging that stands out while aligning with their brand values and sustainability goals.

Related Blogs