How to Print and Cut Stickers with a Roland Printer Cutter
Print and cut is the process of printing a sticker design onto vinyl and then cutting around it with the same machine. Roland printer cutters like the BN-20 and VS series handle both steps. The part most people struggle with is getting the cut line right. Here is the full workflow.
The Print and Cut Workflow
Every print-and-cut job follows the same basic steps, regardless of which Roland model you are using.
Create your artwork in any design tool. Canva, Photoshop, Procreate, Illustrator. Export as a transparent PNG.
This is the vector path that tells VersaWorks where to cut. It needs to be a spot color named exactly “CutContour”. This is the step most people get stuck on.
VersaWorks reads the PDF, separates the artwork from the CutContour layer, and queues the print-then-cut job.
The machine prints your design with crop marks, then reads those marks and cuts along the CutContour path.
Step 2 Is Where Most People Get Stuck
Steps 1, 3, and 4 are relatively straightforward. The hard part is step 2: creating a PDF with a properly embedded CutContour spot color.
Traditionally, this requires Adobe Illustrator. You place your PNG, trace a path around it, offset that path for a kiss-cut border, create a spot color swatch named “CutContour”, and export as PDF with separations preserved. If any part of that process goes wrong, VersaWorks will not see the cut line and your machine will print but not cut.
The Illustrator workflow takes 10 to 30 minutes per design, costs $275/year, and requires knowledge of spot colors and PDF separations. For a small sticker business processing dozens of designs a week, that adds up fast.
The Faster Way: CutContour App
CutContour automates step 2 completely. Upload your transparent PNG, set your sticker size and kiss-cut offset, and download a PDF that is ready for VersaWorks. The CutContour spot color is correctly embedded, the path is a smooth vector outline, and the image quality is preserved.
The entire process takes about 10 seconds. No Illustrator, no manual tracing, no spot color configuration.
Compatible Roland Models
CutContour PDFs work with any Roland printer cutter that uses VersaWorks:
| Model | Series | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BN-20 | Desktop | Most popular starter machine |
| BN-20A | Desktop | Updated print heads, better ink efficiency |
| BN-20D | Desktop | Adds white and metallic ink |
| VS-300i | Wide Format | 30" wide format, faster production |
| VS-540i | Wide Format | 54" wide format for high volume |
| VS-640i | Wide Format | 64" wide format for large-scale production |
Tips for Better Print and Cut Results
Use transparent PNGs. Your design must have a transparent background so the cut line traces only the artwork shape, not a rectangle.
Leave enough margin for crop marks. VersaWorks prints crop marks around your job for the optical sensor to read. If stickers are too close to the edge of the media, the crop marks get clipped and alignment fails.
Do a test cut. Before running a full sheet, print and cut a single sticker to check blade depth, alignment, and offset. Adjust force and speed as needed.
Clean the optical sensor. Dust and vinyl debris on the sensor cause misalignment. Wipe it down regularly with a soft cloth.
Skip the Hard Part
CutContour handles the cut line so you can focus on designing stickers. Upload a PNG, download a VersaWorks-ready PDF.