Die Cutting
Most printers will still offer the die cut method. Well established and best used in high volume or frequently repeated orders, die cutting involves a moving bed and a fixed steel rule die, between which printed material is pressed to be cut. Each finished piece is cut out completely, as in the case of decals and labels with peel-off backs.
Shear Cutting
A shear cut works like it sounds: a clamp holds a stack of printed material and a moving long blade cuts through the stack in one full swoop. When all that is needed for a graphic is straight edges and square corners, shear cutting can be a useful and less expensive cutting option.
Thermal Cutting
Thermal cutting uses a magnesium die that has a sharp edge used along with hot temperatures, 300+ degrees F, to essentially melt the material and separate it at the sharp edge of the die. The way magnesium dies are made allow for much more intricate cuts than possible or economical with die cutting. This method works best when you kiss-cut thin pressure sensitive vinyls on a backer, weed the waste and mask the graphic, and what you have left is cut vinyl lettering that looks “painted-on” when applied.