Kiss Cutting with Keener

Kiss Cut


Most often when team’s use multiple layers for their numbers they use a technique called ‘Stacking’.  The dominant colour is laid on top of the other 3 layers.  In the photo below, the white layer is simply placed on top of larger pieces of black and red material (called twill).

With Kiss Cut numbers, the dominant colour is actually on bottom! ..Whoa

In the old days when I made these numbers I would cut out really thin and skinny layers, place them on top of the dominant bottom layer and…well I won’t get into it but you can imagine it took a long time.

Not anymore.  Now I just press a  button, go get a coffee and when I come back all layers are cut and stacked, ready to peel and sew.  Giving me more time to ridicule Jay (see FB/IG post from last week of me wearing Jay-like fabric glasses)

By the way, you were probably wondering why the technique is called Kiss Cut?  I think it’s because it’s the way the machine gently touches the fabric with the laser and makes the cut – kinda like the Hersey Kiss machine the way it drops/kisses the chocolate into the Kiss forms…If that makes sense but I think that’s how it got its name.

In the video below I show the laser cutting all that fabric while I’m getting coffee, and then me peeling the layers.

Then Ron came and took his Odjick jersey back to its proper home.

2 Comments on “Kiss Cutting with Keener”

  1. You’re close with the origin of “kiss cut.” This is a term that was originally used when metal dies were used to cut, rather than lasers. The die is basically a blade in the shape of the thing you need to cut out (look up “kiss cut stickers”) The blade is mounted on a cutting machine, and the machine presses the blade down into just enough to cut the top layer, but not the bottom – “kissing” it. Think about when you get stickers, and you can peel it away but the backing layer stays intact.

    Nowadays lasers are faster and much more accurate, and much much cheaper than a metal die, which generally runs a couple hundred dollars to create (and up… depending on complexity of the design).

    Great post. Thanks for the explanation and the video!

    1. That was very interesting. Thank you for that. I’ve made a note and we are going to chat about that at our next podcast & KJ Live show. Much appreciated!

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