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Packaging Dieline Studio Pro

A browser-based packaging CAD tool. Generate production-ready structural dielines from real engineering rules — cut, crease, bleed, safe-area and glue geometry — with a live 2D layout, instant 3D box, an engineering score, sheet-yield optimizer and print-ready SVG / PDF / DXF / PNG export.

Box style
Reverse TuckRTE carton
Straight TuckSTE carton
Shipping BoxRSC · standard
Open-Top BoxHSC · tray/sleeve
Heavy-Duty BoxFOL · full overlap
Mailerroll-end tuck
Trayopen / display
More soonlock / rigid…
Internal dimensions
Material
Manufacturing
Layers

Reverse Tuck End

production-accurate
Drag to rotate · scroll to zoom
Engineering score
/ 100

Structural feasibility of the current spec.

Dimensions & material
Inside L×W×H
Outside L×W×H
Flat blank size
Board area / unit

Sheet optimizer
Blanks / sheet
Best rotation
Sheet utilization
Waste
Cost estimate
Board / unit
Printing / unit
Die (one-time)
Est. unit cost

Illustrative estimates at your quantity. For full costing use the cost, break-even & ROI tools.

AI packaging engineer
Export

SVG & PDF are scaled 1:1 in millimetres (PDF opens in Illustrator/Acrobat). DXF exports layered CUT / FOLD / BLEED / SAFE / GLUE lines for die-makers. To wrap real artwork on the 3D box, use the 3D Packaging Visualizer.

Need this die-cut & printed?

Send your dieline spec and we’ll quote tooling, printing and production. Your structure, dimensions and material attach automatically.

Free dieline & structure review Reply within 1 business day Production-ready files
Sent — we’ve got your dieline spec and will reply within one business day.
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Dielines are generated from real structural geometry and are production-oriented, but every job differs by material, machine and converter. Always confirm the final dieline, fold allowances, knife offsets and tolerances with your printer or die-maker before tooling. Material, board-compensation and cost figures are estimates for planning. Auto-lock / crash-lock bottoms, seal-end, five-panel hanger, rigid and pouch structures are on the roadmap.

Packaging CAD in the browser

The free packaging dieline generator with live 3D

Most online tools give you a flat picture and a quote button. This packaging dieline generator is closer to packaging CAD software online: a real packaging structural design tool that builds production-ready box geometry, shows it in live 2D and 3D, scores its manufacturability and exports print-ready files. Whether you need a folding carton template maker, a corrugated box dieline generator or an online dieline creator for a mailer or tray, it generates the structure parametrically from your dimensions — not as scaled artwork.

What is a packaging dieline?

A dieline is the flat blueprint of a box. It defines every cut, every fold and the glue areas, so a printer and die-maker can reproduce the package exactly. Artwork is placed on top of this structure as a separate layer. A correct dieline is what separates a professional print-ready box template from a drawing that looks right but won’t fold — which is why this box layout generator derives panels, flaps and glue from real engineering rules and applies board-thickness compensation at every crease.

How to create production-ready box dielines

Using the custom box dieline generator above takes four steps:

  • Pick a structure — reverse or straight tuck carton, RSC, HSC, FOL, mailer or tray.
  • Enter internal length, width and height in mm, cm or inches.
  • Set material and caliper, then bleed, safe area and glue-flap width.
  • Review the live 2D dieline, 3D box, engineering score and sheet yield — then export.

Everything updates instantly, so you can tune dimensions for fit and material efficiency before you ever request tooling.

Understanding cut lines, fold lines, bleed and safe areas

Dielines use a colour standard that every printer recognises. This packaging die-cut template generator follows it exactly:

Cut line — red, solidThe knife edge; the outer shape of the blank.
Fold / crease — blue, dashedWhere the board is creased and folds.
Bleed — greenArtwork extends to here so no white shows after trimming.
Safe area — orange, dashedKeep text and logos inside this line.
Glue area — purpleKeep artwork and varnish off it so it bonds.

How to design custom folding cartons

Folding cartons — tuck-end boxes in particular — are the workhorses of retail packaging. A reverse tuck end (RTE) has its top and bottom tuck flaps on opposite panels (easy to assemble, common for cosmetics and supplements), while a straight tuck end (STE) places both tucks on the same panel for a cleaner front face. The generator lays out the four walls plus a glue flap, adds tuck and dust flaps automatically, and compensates panel sizes for board caliper so the folded box hits your internal dimensions. This is the heart of a true folding carton design software workflow, now free in the browser.

Corrugated box dieline standards

Corrugated structures follow their own conventions. A Regular Slotted Container (RSC) has flaps that are each half the box width, meeting in the centre — the standard shipping box. A Half Slotted Container (HSC) is open at one end (a tray or sleeve), and a Full Overlap (FOL) uses full-width flaps that overlap for extra strength and dust resistance. Choose your flute (E, B, C or BC) and the tool adjusts thickness, the 3D look and the cost basis accordingly, helping you build a sound corrugated box dieline or mailer box template before production.

Preparing artwork for printing

Once the structure is right, prepare the print file: extend backgrounds to the green bleed, keep text and logos inside the orange safe area, and keep critical elements off folds and the purple glue area. Use CMYK at 300 DPI and embed or outline fonts. To preview real artwork wrapped onto the box, open the dieline alongside our 3D Packaging Visualizer, which maps artwork to each panel and flags low-resolution or misaligned graphics.

Common packaging dieline mistakes

No bleedWhite slivers appear after trimming. Always extend art 2–3 mm past every cut.
Text on the foldType cracks or hides at a crease. Keep it inside the safe area.
Artwork over the glue flapInk and varnish stop glue bonding. Leave the glue area clean.
Ignoring board thicknessBoxes come out tight or loose. Use internal dimensions and let compensation handle the rest.
Panels too smallSub-15 mm panels won’t fold or run well on press.
Poor sheet yieldA few mm off the largest dimension can add blanks per sheet and cut cost.

How to export dielines for offset and digital printing

The generator exports four print-ready packaging template formats. SVG and PDF are scaled 1:1 in millimetres and open cleanly in Illustrator and Acrobat for offset or digital print. DXF exports on separate CUT, FOLD, BLEED, SAFE and GLUE layers for die-makers and CAD/CAM. PNG gives a quick visual proof. Send the SVG or PDF to your printer with your artwork on a separate layer, and the DXF to whoever cuts the die. As a dieline creator with 3D preview and a built-in sheet optimizer, it bridges structural design, costing and production in one place.

FAQ

Packaging dieline FAQs

What is a packaging dieline?
A dieline is the flat 2D template showing how a box is cut and folded — cut lines, folds, bleed, safe area and glue flaps. It’s the structural blueprint artwork is placed onto.
What do the colours on a dieline mean?
Red solid = cut, blue dashed = fold/crease, green = bleed, orange dashed = safe area, purple = glue area. This generator follows that industry standard.
Are these dielines production-ready?
Yes — built from real geometry with correct panels, flaps and glue, plus board-thickness compensation. Always confirm final fold allowances, knife offsets and tolerances with your printer before tooling.
Can I export a dieline as SVG, PDF or DXF?
Yes. SVG and PDF export 1:1 in mm; DXF exports on layered CUT/FOLD/BLEED/SAFE/GLUE lines for die-makers. A PNG preview is also available.
How do I turn a dieline into a 3D box?
Switch to the 3D view and the box builds from your dimensions instantly, with rotate, zoom and wireframe. For artwork on the 3D box, use the linked 3D Packaging Visualizer.
How do I reduce material waste?
Use the sheet optimizer: choose B1, B2, SRA3, SRA1 or a custom sheet to see blanks-per-sheet, best rotation and utilization, then tune dimensions to fit more per sheet.
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