Glossary of Terms

The steel rule die industry is full of terms that our customers are not always familiar with. Although not an exhaustive list, we have included some of these terms we find are regularly misunderstood.

Score
To impress or indent a mark with a rule in the paper to make folding easier. An impression or crease in corrugated or solid fiberboard to facilitate folding. To crease material and break down fiber so that material can be folded.

Crease
Another word for score.

Gripper Edge
(1) The front edge of a die on a sheet fed press.
(2) The leading edge of paper as it passes through the printing press.

Gripper Margin
Unprinted blank edge of paper on which grippers bear, usually 1/2 inch or less.

Dead Feed
The rule to be left out for guillotine.

Run By
Rule to be extended for the purpose of pulling out or omitting the joining rule. Another term for extend.

Extend
Rule to be extended for the purpose of pulling out or omitting the joining rule. Another term for run by.

Cut-Score
Cutting into the stock, but not right through, in order to facilitate folding. Used most often in a heavy or corrugated stock.

Cut/Crease
See Cut/Score

Perforation
A cutting rule that produces perforations in the material to be die cut. The perforations can be an aid to better glue adherence in the folding and gluing process of folding cartons.

TPI
Teeth per inch. Used when calculating the size or number of teeth in a perforation rule.

Print View/Side
The view of the finished part so the printing is legible, also called “right reading”.

Die View/Side
The opposite of print view. The inside or back side view of the finished part.

Ejection Rubber
Open or closed cell sponge rubber, gum rubber, neoprene rubber or sponged cork rubber used to eject the die cut piece or lay-up of material from a cutting die. The ejection rubber must be placed in the die to adequately eject the material being die cut. This is often a trial and error process.