Abstract: Apparatus for punching out a plurality of notches of successively different lengths in an edge portion of a travelling web formed by a pair of rotatable wheels between which the web travels. A plurality of cutting elements, each formed by a bridge-type member having a pair of limbs, are located on one of the wheels with the space between the pair of limbs of each bridge-shaped member being different. The other wheel carries a plurality of cutting punches, each of a size and arranged to fit between the pair of limbs of a bridge-shaped cutting element on the other wheel to provide a shearing action upon engagement with the limbs of a said cutting element.