What is perforation in printing?

What it means for your file

Printers perforate with a perforating wheel on a folding or finishing machine, or with a perforating rule in a cutting die, which is needed for short or shaped lines. In the file the perforation goes on its own non-printing layer, like a dieline or score line, and text and important artwork stay clear of it on both sides.

For a crease that folds rather than tears, see scoring. Coupons on door hangers are covered in our door hanger sizes guide.

An example

A 4.25 × 11 in door hanger with a tear-off coupon has a perforation straight across, near the bottom. The coupon is designed as its own panel, with its offer, code and expiry date kept about 0.125 in or more from the perforation, and the perforation line sits on a separate non-printing layer, named as the printer asks.

A common mistake

Running text or a QR code across the perforation, or right up to it. The tear is never perfectly straight, and the cuts nick anything printed on them, so a code that crosses it won’t scan once the coupon is torn off. Treat the perforation like a trim: keep it clear on both sides, and let only the background run across.

How to fix it

If your printer sent the file back saying “The artwork doesn’t fit our dieline,” the fix page has the step-by-step way to do it yourself, and a fixed price if you’d rather have it done.

How to fix “The artwork doesn’t fit our dieline” →