Why we built it
The official Liene PixCut app works, but it was designed around a cloud-first workflow that requires uploading images to a server, logging in, and sending jobs through Liene's infrastructure. For users who print dozens of sticker sheets a week - artists, small business owners, craft sellers - that friction adds up. We wanted an app that treated the PixCut S1 as a precision instrument, not a cloud endpoint. StixCut is the result: a native macOS app that talks directly to the printer over USB or Bluetooth and keeps everything local.
No cloud, no account, no login
Every piece of data StixCut touches lives on your machine. Your sticker library is a folder on disk. Your layouts are documents you save wherever you want. Nothing is uploaded, synced, or phoned home. The app works on a plane, in a cabin, in a basement with no WiFi. The only time it needs internet is for license validation on monthly subscribers - and even then, only once per session start.
SVG support
One of the first things users asked for: real SVG cut paths. When you design a sticker in Illustrator or Affinity Designer, you can export the cutline as an SVG and import it directly into StixCut. The path data is used as-is - no rasterization, no re-trace. You can also import an SVG onto the canvas and align it manually against artwork for pixel-perfect control.
Auto-trace
For PNG and JPG images, StixCut uses Apple's Vision framework to automatically trace a contour cut path around the subject. It runs entirely on-device - no image leaves your Mac. The trace result appears immediately as a magenta outline. A cut margin slider adjusts how tightly or loosely the path hugs the image edge.
Perf-cut
Kiss-cutting - where the blade cuts through the sticker material but leaves the backing intact - is the standard for peel-and-stick stickers. But some sticker formats need a different approach: die-cut shapes you tear out of a sheet, like sticker books or perforated sheets. StixCut supports perf-cut mode, which produces a dashed perforated cut line. Combined with peel tabs (a small notch that makes it easy to get a fingernail under the sticker), perf-cut opens up formats that weren't possible with the official app.
Offline-first design
StixCut doesn't just work offline - it was designed offline-first. The entire data model assumes no network. Library imports, session saves, and print jobs never touch a server. Autosave fires locally 3 seconds after the last change. Documents are portable files you can move, back up, or share like any other file. There's no account to lose, no service outage that breaks your workflow.
Mac-native app
StixCut is a SwiftUI app built specifically for macOS. It uses native framework features: Vision for auto-trace, Core Graphics for rendering, native Bluetooth and USB stacks for printer communication. It's distributed as a signed and notarized DMG. It respects system preferences, supports standard keyboard shortcuts, and integrates with macOS file panels, undo, and autosave. It's not a web wrapper or an Electron app.
What's next
Windows is in active development. A calibration flow for fine-tuning print-to-cut alignment is planned. Expanded material profile support and more preset blade pressure settings for popular media types are coming. If you have a PixCut S1 and want to try StixCut, download it free - 3 print jobs per day with no time limit on the free tier.
Download for macOS ->