Your dieline is one of the most valuable parts of the manufacturing process. In this video we unpack how to utilize your dieline so you can relay the most accurate information to your production team.
Your product’s success doesn’t just depend on what’s in the stick pack. It also depends on your stick pack design— how your brand shows up on it.
At Steuart Nutrition, we’ve seen beautiful designs fall apart in production because brands didn’t understand how the stick pack die line works. So in this post, we’re going to walk you through exactly how to set up your artwork to fit the format—and function flawlessly on the manufacturing line.
Let’s break it down.
Die line packaging is the flat layout of your packaging film before it runs through the machine. Think of it like a blueprint: it shows where your front panel, back panel, seams, and tech markers all go. Get this wrong, and your packaging could misprint, misalign, or jam the machine altogether.
When we talk about designing for the die line, we’re not just talking about aesthetics—we’re talking about precision, production speed, and compliance.
Die line design is important because packaging issues are one of the top causes of production delays.
For instance, we’re working with a fast-growing colostrum brand right now. They came to us because they’d outgrown their manufacturer’s capacity to keep up with their orders.
The culprit?
There were a few, but an important one was packaging mistakes. As they added SKUs and stick pack sizes, delays backed up due to design errors that weren’t consistently compatible with their manufacturing lines.
At Steuart Nutrition, we help our brand partners get it right the first time—so their products look as good on the outside as they perform on the inside.
👉 Need help designing or updating your stick pack artwork? Check out our stick pack capabilities and see how we support brands from day one.
This is the first thing consumers see—your brand name, logo, and callout benefits should live here.
✅ Keep it bold, readable, and clean
🚫 Don’t crowd it with fine print or nutritional info
On both sides of the back of the stick, you’ll have room for:
✅ Use this real estate wisely
🚫 Don’t assume every inch is fully visible—read on
This is the back center seam where the film joins. It’s not fully visible on the final product and is often partially or fully hidden by the vertical seal.
✅ You can include non-essential branding or background color here🚫 Don’t put important text or critical info—some of it may get sealed over
Your printer and machine need to know where to cut the film. This is done through a sensor that reads the eye mark track—usually two black marks with a clear track between them.
✅ Keep the area clear of any artwork, color, or patterns
🚫 Don’t place text or graphics here—this interferes with the machine’s sensor
Fail to follow this? Your artwork could get sliced down the middle.
Manufacturers need to print lot codes or expiration dates directly onto the stick. You need to leave space in your artwork for that.
✅ Ask your co-manufacturer whether they use inkjet or laser coding
✅ Design your layout with a blank zone that won't overlap with text or key visuals
At Steuart Nutrition, we’ll walk you through our specific machine setup so you can place your lot code clearly and consistently.
Our team will help you align your artwork, prepare your die line, and get you into production without the trial-and-error most brands go through.
📦 Get a quote today to get started.
Ben Steuart — CEO & Owner, Steuart Nutrition
Ben Steuart is the co-founder and CEO of Steuart Nutrition, a contract manufacturing and supplement innovation partner for powder, liquid, and stick‑pack supplements. He launched the company in 2019 alongside his wife, Sarah, building on his lifelong roots in the food production industry, where he grew up working in his father's food-manufacturing business in Mabel, Minnesota.
Throughout his career, Ben has developed deep expertise in supplement manufacturing and business operations. At Steuart, he leads with a commitment to lean operations, fostering long-term partnerships, and delivering flexible, transparent service—prioritizing the client’s vision as much as his own. His leadership guided the business’s rapid expansion from a single facility to multiple locations, enabling agile responses to market needs—from producing hand sanitizer during the COVID‑19 pandemic to scaling CBD and nutrition supplement lines.
Ben’s approach is rooted in strong values—his faith as a born‑again Christian deeply informs the company’s mission of “glorifying God and establishing a transformational workplace”. This culture of integrity and continuous improvement fosters a trusting, mission-driven environment, distinguishing Steuart as both a capable and conscientious industry leader.
Your Brand Deserves a Manufacturing Partner That Scales With You.