Die cutting

Cutting out a shape from a piece of paper (or other material) with a metal cutting die (or simply "die") with the help of a die-cutting and embossing machine is called die cutting. The result, a cut-out piece of (generally) cardstock, is called a die cut.

How to die cut

Most importantly, check the exact settings of your machine. Those instructions will indicate what order and combination of plates you will need.

Just make sure you place the sharp edge of the die towards the material you want to cut.

You can tape the die in place with some low-tack tape.

If you're using a thick material, you might want to go back and forth a few times. But keep in mind that this might make your material shift, resulting in a misshapen die cut. If you are cutting craft foam, going back and forth is also not ideal because the pressure will make the foam deform a little bit, and going back and forth will cut off more than you intend to.

Tips

To make it easier on your machine, angle any straight dies you have. This prevents your machine from having to go over the edge of a die with a bump.

How-to's

• Partial die-cutting: only cut a part of your die
• Extending dies: cut out a larger frame or shape than the size of your die
• Positioning a closed die exactly