Anatomy of a packaging dieline

A dieline is the flat blueprint of a package — the exact shape that gets printed, cut, creased and glued into a finished box. The lines in a dieline are colour-coded, and each colour tells the machine a different thing to do. Here's what they mean.

Cut lines

Cut lines are the outer boundary of the package, where the material is cut clean through to release the shape. They're shown in red and define the overall silhouette of your box, including any windows or slots.

Crease (fold) lines

Crease lines mark where the material is scored and folded rather than cut. They turn a flat sheet into a three-dimensional box, so every panel folds cleanly along the right edge.

Glue tabs

Glue tabs are the flaps where the package is bonded together. They show which panels get adhesive so the finished box holds its shape.

Overflow (bleed)

Artwork that runs to the edge of the package should extend slightly past the cut line — into the overflow area — so there's no unprinted white edge after cutting. Keep important text and logos away from cut and crease lines so nothing critical lands on a fold.

Why it matters

Getting the lines right is the difference between a box that folds perfectly and one that doesn't. Because every Die Cut Templates dieline is production-ready, the cut and crease lines are already correct for the template you choose — you just add your artwork.