These are the questions people ask about dielines before their first print run, answered by the people who make the boxes. Each answer gives the short version first, then the detail a designer needs to set up a file the printer will accept.
If the word is new to you, start with what a dieline is. If you already have a product and some artwork, the six questions below are where most first orders get stuck.
Keyline vs dieline
Two words that usually mean the same outline, and the one case where they do not.
How to get a free dieline
Three ways to get one, and what to check before you put artwork on it.
Bleed on a dieline
What bleed is, what a stated bleed means, and who decides how much your job needs.
Dieline line types
Cut, crease, perforation, glue, bleed and safe lines, and how each one is drawn.
Dieline file formats
PDF, AI, SVG or DXF, and which one to open for which job.
What the printer needs
The dieline, the artwork and the proof are three different things. Here is what to send.
Send the inside dimensions and the box style, and a specialist replies within one business day. Free design help and no minimum order.
Request a dieline
Frequently asked questions
What does dieline mean?
A dieline is the flat outline of a package that shows where it will be cut, folded and glued. The name comes from the steel cutting die that the drawing is used to make.
Is it dye line or die line?
Die line. The word refers to a cutting die, not to dye or ink. In packaging it is usually written as one word, dieline, and both spellings mean the same thing.
What is a box die line?
It is the dieline for a box: every panel, flap and tuck drawn flat in one piece, with each line marked by what happens to the board there. Designers place their artwork on top of it so the print lines up with the folds.
What does a dieline look like?
It looks like a box that has been unfolded and pressed flat. Solid lines show where the board is cut and dashed lines show where it folds, as in the mailer template above. Each of our style pages shows the layout for that box style.
How do you read a dieline?
Read it one line type at a time. Every line tells the printer one thing: cut here, fold here, glue here, print up to here, or keep text inside here. Our guide to dieline line types explains each one.
How do you create a dieline?
Start from the inside dimensions of the box, choose the structural style, then draw every panel and flap flat and mark each cut and fold. Most brands leave this to the manufacturer, because the production dieline has to be adjusted for the board it runs on. We draw one for your size at no charge; here is how to get it.
Is a dieline generator free?
Many online dieline generators are free or free to try. They draw a sensible shape from your dimensions but cannot adjust it for your printer’s board, so use the result as a layout guide and have the printer confirm it before the artwork is final.