Roland BN-20 CutContour Setup Guide

The Roland BN-20 (and its newer versions, the BN-20A and BN-20D) is the most popular desktop printer cutter for sticker businesses. It prints and cuts stickers, labels, decals, and heat transfers. Getting the CutContour spot color set up correctly is the key to clean, accurate cuts.

What Is CutContour and Why Does the BN-20 Need It?

CutContour is a special spot color name that Roland VersaWorks software recognizes as a cutting instruction. When you send a PDF to VersaWorks, it looks for a vector path assigned to a color named exactly “CutContour” (case sensitive). It prints the artwork normally, then sends the CutContour path to the cutter.

Without a CutContour line, VersaWorks will print your stickers but will not know where to cut them. You would have to cut them by hand, which defeats the purpose of having a print-and-cut machine.

The BN-20A and BN-20D: What Changed?

The BN-20A replaced the original BN-20 with improved print heads and better ink efficiency. The BN-20D added white and metallic ink capabilities for printing on dark or clear substrates.

The good news: the CutContour workflow is identical across all three models. They all use VersaWorks and they all recognize the same CutContour spot color. Anything that works on a BN-20 works the same way on a BN-20A and BN-20D.

The Traditional Way (Illustrator)

The manual workflow requires Adobe Illustrator or similar vector software. You place your PNG in Illustrator, use Image Trace or manually draw a path around your artwork, offset that path outward by your desired border width, create a new spot color swatch named exactly “CutContour”, apply it to the path, and save as PDF with spot colors preserved.

This process takes 10 to 30 minutes per design and requires an Illustrator subscription ($22.99/month). Any mistake in the spot color name, path export, or PDF settings means VersaWorks will not see the cut line.

The Fast Way (CutContour App)

CutContour does the entire process automatically. Upload your transparent PNG, adjust the kiss cut offset and sticker size, and download a PDF that is ready to import into VersaWorks. The CutContour spot color is correctly embedded, the path is a smooth vector outline, and the image is at full quality.

The whole process takes about 10 seconds instead of 10 minutes. No Illustrator needed. No vector editing skills required.

Recommended BN-20 Cut Settings

These are starting points for kiss cutting on standard sticker vinyl. Always do a test cut first, as blade wear, vinyl brand, and environmental conditions all affect the results.

Troubleshooting Common BN-20 Issues

Cut is offset from print: Your crop marks may be partially obscured. Make sure there is enough white space around your stickers for the crop marks to print fully. Also check that the optical sensor is clean.

Blade cuts through backing paper: Reduce the force in 10gf increments until the blade only scores the vinyl without penetrating the backing.

VersaWorks does not show CutContour layer: Make sure the PDF was created with the CutContour spot color as a /Separation color space, not as a process (CMYK) color. PDFs from CutContour always have this set correctly.

Stickers are not fully cut in corners: Reduce the cut speed to allow the blade more time to navigate tight curves. Increasing the border offset to 0.10 inches or more also helps since the cut path becomes smoother.