Print-ready dieline files: cut, crease and bleed on separate layers
A print-ready dieline is a vector drawing at true millimetres, with cut, crease and perforation on separate layers, bleed past the cut and a safe zone inside it. Enter the brief and the millimetres; Grapxo produces the paneled dieline and the vector surface together. The delivery bundle carries the knife drawing (SVG + DXF), the structure drawing (SVG + PDF), a proof with artwork laid over the knife, the printed face, and a file list — cut, fold and glue on separate layers, as editable vectors.
- Cut
- Fold
- Glue
How do you prepare a print-ready box design with editable cut and fold lines?
Choose the form and enter the sizes in millimetres, write the brief and generate. The engine draws cut, fold and glue as vectors on separate layers, in the same coordinate frame as the artwork. Turn the print proof on in the Production tab to add 3 mm safe-area and bleed guides to the bundle, then download it and hand the files to your printer, who approves material and colour. In six steps:
- Define the dieline need. Cut, crease and glue lines are the language of production; decide which structure you need.
- Enter the brief and sizes. Choose the form and give the millimetres in the studio.
- Generate. Grapxo draws the paneled vector surface and its dieline together.
- Turn the print proof on. In the Production tab, switch the proof on: 3 mm safe-area and bleed guides go into the bundle.
- Download the bundle. Knife SVG and DXF, structure SVG and PDF, proof SVG, printed face SVG, the CMYK PDF/X-4 print file and a readme, in one ZIP.
- Get printer approval. Material and colour are signed off at the printer; nothing here is a guarantee for every plant.
What print-ready means here
A paneled surface aligned with cut/fold language and movable as vectors. The printed face is also written as a real CMYK print file: PDF/X-4, FOGRA39 (ISO Coated v2) output profile, total ink at most 300%, type converted to outlines. Material and colour approval stay with your printer — there is no “guaranteed at every plant” claim.
What the three layers in the example mean
The flat above is a tuck-end box unfolded. Solid lines are the cut path: where the knife travels. Dashed lines are the fold: where the board creases but is not cut. The hatched area is the glue flap: where adhesive lands and no artwork is printed. The three live on separate layers, so a printer can switch one on and another off, and you can edit any of them as vectors.
SVG and vector mindset
Scalable paths, separating cut from graphics, and panel layout matter in production. Raster “fake dieline” pictures are not a substitute for production language.
How this relates to the dieline page
See our dieline page (/en/dieline) for structure and concepts. This page complements it with export and preflight focus — it is not a duplicate. Production starts in the Grapxo studio.
High-level checklist themes
Review safe area, cut-vs-art separation, and type legibility before you ask the printer. For current export options, open the studio or email info@grapxo.com.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the dieline page?
The dieline page explains the concept and the studio’s structural role. This page focuses on export, SVG/vector mindset, and high-level preflight themes.
What files are in the delivery bundle?
For a carton: knife drawing as SVG and DXF, structure drawing as SVG and PDF, a proof SVG with the artwork laid over the knife, the printed face as SVG, plus a readme (README.txt) that lists the contents, the closed size, the bleed and the colour space. A CMYK (FOGRA39) PDF/X-4 print file with outlined type is added as well (…-print-cmyk.pdf); if the converter meets an element it cannot draw, that PDF is left out and the complete SVG stays in the bundle. A label carries no separate knife file: the cut contour is written into the label’s own file as a CUT layer, which is what a label press expects.
How do you prepare a print-ready box design with editable cut and fold lines?
Give the structure and the millimetres in the studio, write the brief, generate. Grapxo draws cut, fold and glue as vectors on separate layers, and the artwork is produced in the same coordinate frame, so graphics and knife line up in the proof file. Turning the print proof on in the Production tab adds 3 mm safe-area and bleed guides to the bundle. Download and hand the files to your printer; every line is an editable vector.
Does Grapxo run preflight?
The studio runs its own checks before you can download: cut and crease consistency, safe area, type legibility and collisions. If any of them is red, the bundle does not open. Final press preflight, material and colour approval stay with your production partner.
Is Grapxo drawing pictures?
No. Grapxo is a design engine that turns a brief into dieline + vector artwork — not an image-generation model.
What does print-ready mean here?
A paneled surface that matches cut/fold language, moves as vectors, and can be opened and edited by the printer. The printed face is also written as a CMYK (FOGRA39) PDF/X-4 with outlined type. There is no “guaranteed at every plant” claim: material and colour approval belong to the printer.
Start producing in the studio
Write your brief and let Grapxo produce a print-ready vector surface.