Create dielines and cutlines

Create the dieline and cutline for the packaging die and deliver a combined file. Draw a new spot-color dieline named DIELINE and a 0.25 pt hairline cut path on its own layer matching the supplied dieline PDF, label it CutLine and lock the layer, convert strokes to outlines if needed, and place the dieline layer above artwork but exclude it from PDFs for the client preview. Save Packaging_Dieline_2026-06-17.ai and send to Tom in structural with an editable copy.

Before I hand the dieline to structural engineering, make sure the cutlines won’t trip up prepress. Show the dieline layer visibility and name, confirm the dieline is a single continuous path with no stray points, indicate which panels require glue tabs, and flag any overlapping strokes or hairlines thinner than 0.25 pt that the press might ignore.

The diecutter returned the file saying the dieline has overlapping and open paths. I drew the cutlines in a hurry from the template and I’m not sure which edges are open or where overlaps exist. What checks do I run now to locate and fix open paths and overlaps, and how do I tell Tom the scope and ETA without losing credibility?

We keep getting dieline problems because designers quickly trace templates and miss open paths or wrong stroke attributes, which wastes prototyping time. I want a small set of habits to stop this. Which specific drawing conventions, layer names, and final QA steps should my team adopt so dielines are always cutter-ready on the first pass?