Vinyl & application
What is contour cut?
A contour cut follows the printed shape of a graphic — the printer lays down the image, then the cutter trims around its outline using registration marks to stay aligned.
Print-and-cut workflows print the graphic first, then the plotter reads printed registration marks to know exactly where the image sits and cuts along a path drawn in the artwork. That path is the contour. It's how printed stickers, floor decals and shaped signs get edges that match the art.
The failure mode is drift: if the marks misread — glossy laminate glare, a skewed feed, media that shrank between print and cut — the cut walks off the artwork by a few millimetres, and every piece on the sheet is scrap. A thin white bleed margin around the art is the standard insurance.
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PrinterFlo runs print & sign shops on one board — quotes that price by size and material, proofs approved from one link, and a production checklist the quote writes for you.