In some applications, especially on Printed Circuit Boards with small components, the available space for installing a strain gage is less than the normal size of the gage with its insulation backing.
But if the overall foil size of the gage is smaller than the available space, then it is possible to carefully trim the gage around the foil and install it successfully , as shown in this video.
The gage should be held down on a clean glass plate, with PCT-2M tape, and cut through with a sharp scalpel. The unwanted extra portions of the gage can be removed and discarded, and the trimmed gage can be installed with M-Bond 200 adhesive using the standard gage bonding procedures..