Why You Should Avoid Borders on Stickers (Understanding Cutting Tolerance)
We love a good design frame, but when it comes to custom stickers, thin borders are often a recipe for disaster.
At Custom Sticker Print, we use state-of-the-art digital cutters in our Markham facility. While they are incredibly precise, no mechanical cutter in the world is 100% perfect. There is always a slight "shift" as the blade travels around the vinyl.
This shift is called Cutting Tolerance. Here is why it matters for your design.
1. What is Cutting Tolerance?
Cutting Tolerance is the maximum distance the blade might shift from the exact cut line in your digital file.
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Industry Standard: The standard tolerance for digital sticker cutting is +/- 1mm (approx. 0.04 inch).
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What this means: The cut might be perfectly centered, or it might be 1mm to the left, right, up, or down.
2. The "Border Problem"
If your design has a thin border right on the edge of the sticker:
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Scenario A (Perfect Cut): The border looks even on all sides.
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Scenario B (1mm Shift): The border will look very thick on one side and very thin (or disappear) on the other side.
Because our eyes are very good at spotting symmetry, even a tiny 0.5mm shift makes a thin border look "crooked" or "off-center," even though the sticker was cut within professional standards.
3. How to Fix It (Our Recommendation)
To guarantee your stickers look professional every time, we recommend two solutions:
Option A: Remove the Border (Best Choice)
Simply remove the outline. Have your background color extend all the way to the edge (Full Bleed). This way, even if the cut shifts 1mm, it is impossible to notice.
Option B: Make the Border Thicker (Safe Choice)
If you must have a border, make it thick.
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Minimum Thickness: We recommend a border thickness of at least 0.18" (4.5mm) inside the cut line.
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A thicker border "masks" the shift, making any slight movement unnoticeable to the human eye.
Summary
We want you to love your stickers. By understanding mechanical tolerance and adjusting your design (avoiding thin borders), you ensure a flawless result every time.
Need a design check?
We offer free e-proofs with every order to spot these issues before printing!
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