Tutorial help for creating dieline templates?

[mjennin23]

Hey everyone! New member here - I was advised to post on this forum as my predecessor said she learned how to make package dieline templates from you all ages ago.

Quick backdrop: I have no background in graphic design.  I'm "flying blind" here, so to speak :/ I've watched several YouTube tutorials on Inkscape basics, googled to no end, and searched the basic tutorials I've been able to find on Inkscape's website, but I'm either an idiot or I can't find anything to help teach me how to create dieline templates.

I've been put in charge of redesigning our product packaging so that it opens and closes from the side (as opposed to the top), and also it needs new dimensions as a new product of ours is larger than the existing one.  But I have truly no idea where to start.  I have the SVG templates that my predecessor developed for the old packaging design but I really want to teach myself how to do this properly from the start instead of guessing and costing my company a ton of money in crap templates that don't work.

Can anyone, anywhere, please point me in any useful direction? YouTube videos, paid tutorial programs, videos or manuals I didn't find on the website or online, previous posts that I could read through on this forum, anything??? I hate to confess it took me about 20 minutes just to figure out how to post a new topic on this forum, so I'm really in need of help over here LOL.

 
Meg

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

Since I maintain a large list of tutorials (on the Home tab above) I'm somewhat more familiar with tutorials, than maybe most Inkscape users (maybe).  The problem is, I've had to look up what a "dieline template" is.  As far as I can tell, it looks like basically a line drawing, which creates the outline of where say a box or other kind of package is cut out of whatever the material is (such as cardboard, I guess).

I don't know of any tutorials specifically for that.  Inkscape has some extensions, if the package is a box, which will create it more or less automatically, so that you don't have to use the Pen tool and draw it yourself.  If it's not a box, you may have to draw it yourself.  Although I don't mean to imply that it's all that difficult, it just would take more time.

Here are a couple of boxmaker extensions (although I have not personally used any of them)  https://github.com/paulh-rnd/TabbedBoxMaker and https://inkscape.org/en/~Neon22/%E2%98%85lasercut-tabbed-box  The 2nd one is newer, and less likely to have a bug.  I thought Moini had a current one too, but I couldn't find.

This an elliptical boxmaker:  https://github.com/Moini/elliptical-box-maker  And if you need a box with a living hinge, we have an extension for that too (although I can't imagine product packaging that uses a living hinge).

If it is something more complex than a box, I don't know of any tutorials that teach how to use the Pen tool, although it's at the top of my to-do list to make one.  Things keep coming up and putting it off.  But I could probably pick out a few tutorials where you can learn how to use it.  I'll wait for a response before I search them out    (edit - I mean, plenty of tutorials teach a little bit how to  use it, but I mean a tutorial that only teaches how to use the Pen tool, rather than shows how to draw some specific object.)

It might be helpful if you could show a screenshot of the current package.  Well, I mean the template....if you can.  Just to give us an idea what's involved.  If you need to learn how to make a screenshot, here's a tutorial:  https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=12

[Lazur]

Certainly excercising can help -bet your second post won't take 20 minutes to write. Which isn't that bad at all, considering you had to look up the forum, register, and post in the right section.

Inkscape is a vector drawing program so it can be used pretty much for the job.
It can be used to design the graphics going on the box and also to add cut lines. For the latter it'd take looking into the cutting machine what does it take. Sometimes they have a specific need on stroke colour and width -everything drawn in that style will be cut.
The technical part is the easier one, we can help you with that or direct to tutorials with no problem.

But designing a foldable box is another thing. It takes some experimenting to come up with an unfolded template. If you can share your current one, depending on its complexity we may be able to adapt it to a larger size although it's no guarantee it will work the same. Scaling up a chinese foodbox could make it less sturdy.

[mjennin23]

Thank you for your responses!~

You both are correct (and sorry for not being more clear - I literally have no idea what I'm doing in life right now ) - I am trying to create a box.  A template that I can send to a printer where it shows where to cut, and where the creases need to be for the folding part.  It's just a simple rectangular box design and I actually have physical examples in front of me where I can measure all the dimensions... but in terms of actually drawing the template, I am at a total loss!

Any further guidance that may exist based off of the clarification above would be immensely appreciated, otherwise Brynn I am checking out the links you provided above to see where that leads me!

I can't thank you enough - I am pulling my hair out over here trying to figure out how to get started and feel like I just keep going in circles 

m

[brynn]

Just a box, then you can use one of the extensions I mentioned.  I'd start with this one:  https://inkscape.org/en/~Neon22/%E2%98%85lasercut-tabbed-box

Here are instructions for installing an extension:  https://inkscape.org/en/learn/faq/#how-install-new-extensions-palettes-document-templates-symbol-sets-icon-sets-etc  Be sure that Inkscape is closed while you install it.

Next, open Inkscape, then look for Extensions menu > Render > Lasercut Box (or something close to that).

From there, I can't tell you exactly what to do, because I've never used it (or even installed it). If you get stuck, I'll install it so I can help you.  But at least give it a try on your own, first. 

I expect it should be fairly straightforward how to use it.  I imagine it will have a place to enter the Width, Height, and Depth.  I wouldn't be surprised if you can choose how wide you want the glue flaps.  If it's very sophisticated, if might offer different kinds of closings, whether you just tuck in the flap, or it gets glued shut, or something else. 

When you finish entering the numbers, then click Ok (or the button might be called something else,  like maybe Submit, or Create, or something).  Then after a few seconds, it will show up on your screen.  Then just save the file.

You might want to contact the company that's going to cut out the boxes, to find out what kind of specific requirements they might have.  Like if something gets printed on the box before it's cut out, the printer might want a specific file format.  Or the cutter might want a certain format, besides SVG.  Or there might be something else they want.  Just find out what they want, and if Inkscape can do it, we'll tell you how.

Let us know if you get stuck and we can help 

[brynn]

I finally found the extension that I couldn't find the other day.  This one should be working ok, if the others aren't:  https://github.com/Moini/inkpacking