Stickers are among the most versatile and cost-effective ways to get the word out. You’ve seen it yourself: well-placed stickers on cars, signs, door jambs, or a dive bar bathroom stall can get more eyes than online PPC ads. As with most print media, stickers offer the added benefit of having a longer shelf life for a low one-time cost. That bumper sticker on the back of your car won’t incur a monthly fee and will be sending the message until you peel it off or the print fades. Stickers vs Labels: What’s the Difference? Stickers mostly have graphics and labels offer information like an address, logo, or phone number for example. For the purpose of this article, since the process for printing stickers and labels are quite similar, we’ll use stickers and labels interchangeably. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
How do you make your own stickers?
FIRST, PAPER.
First, you need to think about the proper medium to print your stickers on. Stickers are commonly printed on either paper or vinyl. Knowing the differences between them will help ensure you get the results you want.
Note: Did you know that some label papers are handwrite only?
Paper labels. These are the simplest and cheapest form of stickers. Paper labels are also great for vinyl record sleeves, personalizing name tags, creating instant photo stickers, and dozens of other creative ideas. Not sure what sticker paper to buy? You can choose between pre-cut labels and whole sheets of sticker paper. Both are easy to use when printing stickers from home. Avery has pre-cut stickers if you need:
- Round Labels
- Oval Labels
- Square Labels
- Rectangular Labels
These pre-cut labels are great for jars and bottles and give personality to homemade goods. If you prefer cutting the stickers yourself, opt for whole sheets of sticker paper.
With whole sheets of sticker paper, it pays to start thinking about how you’re going to cut your stickers. If all you need is a straightforward rectangular or square sticker, a normal cutter should work. However, if you’re thinking about something with more detail, consider a Cricut Machine. Remember to leave enough room in between stickers when designing your sticker template.
If you need water-resistant sticker labels: In most instances, printable paper labels are not water- or weatherproof, and therefore won’t hold up well to the elements. If you need water-resistant stickers, look for matte label paper AND be sure to use a printer that uses pigment ink (and no it’s not a good idea to use pigment ink on a dye ink printer). Pigment ink is widely known for its archival properties. You can read more about the differences between dye and pigment in our Paper and Ink article.
Can you print stickers with a laser printer? Certainly! Just be sure to get the right type of sticker paper for the job. Using an inkjet label paper on laser can melt and ooze the adhesive onto your laser printer and cause irreversible damages. You can find sticker paper for laser printers here.
Make sure you use inkjet sticker paper for inkjet printers and laser sticker paper for laser printers. These are not interchangeable. Inkjet sticker paper melts when you use it on a laser printer. If you want to use your laser printer to print stickers, make sure you get the appropriate laser-friendly sticker paper.
Vinyl stickers. Inkjet printable vinyl paper offers an affordable solution for creating vinyl stickers from home. Vinyl stickers are great for everything from production labels to bumper stickers and more. Home printed vinyl stickers can be waterproofed using laminate and clear coat, making them stand up to the outdoors better than unfinished paper labels. However, they may fade quicker than many professionally printed vinyl stickers due to the longevity of the ink. Most vinyl adhesive papers will give you information on their intended use as part of the product description.
What about decals? Decals are designed to be used outdoors and have a permanent adhesive. One major thing that divides the two is the transfer process each uses. Stickers are peeled away from a waxy paper backing and applied, whereas decals are transferred onto surfaces directly (and the backing is then removed). If you want to have die-cut script lettering with your brand applied to your windshield, a decal is what you’re looking for. For more on the benefits decals offer, check out this article from WebSticker. You can also print decals from home but it’s a more tedious process. Wikihow has a basic list of steps if you want to try it out.
Note: When deciding which paper to use, you need to think about whether or not it’s compatible with your printer. Some printers only take specific kinds of paper so be sure to check your printer’s manual before spending on anything.
SECOND, PRINTER.
The next thing to ask is: Do you have the right printer for the job? It depends on your sticker’s design but usually a 4-color inkjet printer with a 1200 dpi print resolution will more than suffice. In the less likely event that your sticker design requires dynamic color ranges and requires more tonal variation, look for a printer with no less than 6 cartridges.
THIRD, THE PROCESS.
You can customize your sticker design using whatever application or image editing software you’re familiar with. But like anything you attempt to do yourself, sticker printing can get costly if you don’t do it right the first few times. To help avoid this, here are a few very important things you should remember.
Tip #1: Color match.
Tip #2: Choosing the right colors.
Tip #3: Permanence.
Tip #4: Die cutting.
Tip #5: Break up large areas of color.
Tip #6: Select best quality.
Tip #7: Ink cartridges.
Tip #8: Check for paper compatibility.
How to Print on Inkjet Sticker Labels
- Prepare your template.All you need to do is download the right template for your product and make sure your design fits the template.
- When your template is ready, the next thing you should do is print it on a blank piece of paper. Line it up with a sheet of stickers to check if the placement of your design is aligned with the labels. Make sure to fix the positioning before printing on the sticker sheets.
- Load sticker paper onto your printer. Check with your printer manual if it has any special instructions for loading sticker paper.
- Make sure the paper width lever doesn’t touch the edges of the paper so it doesn’t buckle.
- Print your finalized templates.
- Let the ink drybefore removing the stickers from the sheet.
- Don’t print on the same sheet a second time as this might cause your printer to jam.
Need more assistant for Printing Great Stickers From Home?
Please visit www.ccsticker.com!
