Line Styles
Assign cut, crease, perforation, bleed, glue, and mask line types with custom spot colors in Print CAD.
Every line in a packaging dieline has a structural purpose — it defines where the material is cut, where it folds, where perforations go, or where bleed and glue areas are. Print CAD uses line styles to assign these purposes to sketch geometry. Each style has a distinct visual appearance in the editor and maps to specific spot colors in print-ready PDF output.
Assigning Line Styles
- Select one or more line segments, arcs, or curves in the graphics window.
- In the property browser, choose a Style from the dropdown, or right-click and select the style from the context menu.
- The selected geometry updates to display the style's visual appearance (color, dash pattern, line weight).
You can also toggle style visibility in the property browser's style list to show or hide specific line types for easier editing.
Standard Line Types
Print CAD includes six standard line types used in packaging production:
| Line Type | Purpose | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Die-cut line | Defines where the flat sheet is physically cut by the die. Cut lines form the outer boundary and internal cutouts of the packaging. |
| Crease | Fold line | Defines where the material is scored and folded. Crease lines separate panels (front, back, top, bottom, flaps) and determine the 3D structure of the finished package. |
| Perf | Perforation | Defines tear-away lines — perforated sections that customers or end users can remove (tear strips, opening tabs, display windows). |
| Bleed | Bleed boundary | Defines the bleed area extending beyond the cut line. Print artwork should extend to the bleed line to prevent white edges after cutting. Print CAD renders bleed as a tight-dotted line pattern. |
| Glue | Adhesive area | Defines areas where adhesive is applied during assembly. Glue flaps and tabs are marked with this style so production knows where to apply glue. |
| Mask | Masked area | Defines areas excluded from printing — unprinted regions that may be hidden in the assembled product or reserved for special finishing. |
Custom Styles
Beyond the six standard types, Print CAD supports custom styles with configurable:
- Color — RGB display color in the graphics window
- Line weight — Stroke width for screen display
- Dash pattern — Solid, dashed, dotted, or custom patterns
- Text height — For annotation styles
Custom styles are useful for construction lines, reference geometry, dimension annotations, or production-specific markings unique to your workflow.
Spot Color Mapping
When you export a PDF from Print CAD or generate dieline images through the Custom Libraries admin, each line type maps to a named spot color channel. Production equipment (die-cutters, scoring machines, laser cutters) reads these spot color separations to identify which lines to process.
The spot color names, CMYK values, and RGB fallbacks are configured per-storefront in the Dieline Colors admin page. Print CAD uses the style assignment to tag geometry — the admin's color configuration determines the actual color values in the output files.
Related Pages
- Dieline Colors — Set the spot color names and CMYK values each line type maps to in PDF output
- Constraints — Define the geometric relationships that shape styled line segments
- Quick Start — Walk through creating your first dieline with line style assignments
- Panels — Map styled line regions to named 3D surfaces for editor design