Sticker Cutting Machine Software: Your Options

You have a Roland printer cutter. You have sticker designs. What you need in between is software that creates the cut file. Here is a breakdown of every option available, from free to paid, and when each one makes sense.

What the Software Actually Needs to Do

Roland printer cutters use VersaWorks as their RIP software. VersaWorks handles the printing and cutting, but it needs a specific instruction in the PDF to know where to cut. That instruction is a vector path assigned to a spot color named “CutContour”. Any software you use needs to output a PDF with this spot color correctly embedded. If the spot color is wrong, missing, or saved as a process color instead of a separation, VersaWorks will ignore it.

Adobe Illustrator ($22.99/month)

Illustrator is the most common tool for creating CutContour files. It gives you complete control over the cut path: you can draw any shape, adjust anchor points, create compound paths, and set precise offsets. The spot color workflow is manual but well-documented.

Best for: Complex designs that need custom cut paths, designers who already use Illustrator daily, jobs requiring multiple cut layers (CutContour, PerfCutContour, ThroughCut).
Downsides: $275/year, steep learning curve for spot colors, 10-30 minutes per design, easy to make mistakes that break VersaWorks compatibility.

SAI Flexi ($500-$2,000+)

Flexi is dedicated sign and print shop software. It handles design, RIP, and cut in one package. It can generate contour cuts around bitmap images and has built-in Roland driver support.

Best for: Full-service sign shops doing high-volume production with multiple cutter brands.
Downsides: Expensive, complex interface, overkill for sticker-only businesses.

Roland Designer (Free, VersaWorks 7)

Roland's browser-based tool available through Roland DG Connect. It can generate cut lines from uploaded PNGs and SVGs. It is free and works on Mac and PC.

Best for: Roland users already on VersaWorks 7 who want a free option.
Downsides: Requires Roland DG Connect account, limited offset control, tied to VersaWorks 7 ecosystem, relatively new with limited community support.

CutContour App ($19.99 Lifetime)

CutContour is purpose-built for one job: turning PNG sticker designs into VersaWorks-ready PDFs with CutContour spot color. Upload a transparent PNG, set your size and kiss-cut offset, download the PDF. The whole process takes about 10 seconds.

Best for: Sticker makers who process multiple designs regularly and want speed. Works with any VersaWorks version.
Downsides: Does not do custom vector editing or multi-layer cut paths. It is specifically for generating contour cuts from PNGs.

Quick Comparison

Which One Should You Use?

If you already own and use Illustrator for design work, you might not need anything else. Just learn the CutContour spot color workflow once and you are set.

If you design in Canva, Photoshop, Procreate, or any other tool that exports PNGs, and you do not want to learn Illustrator just for cut lines, CutContour is the fastest path from design to finished sticker.

If you are running a full sign shop with multiple machines and cut types, Flexi is worth the investment for its all-in-one capabilities.