So you're considering stickers as a new product for your business. That's great!
Maybe you are just starting out as a creator, and you need some inexpensive products you can manufacture at home. Maybe you're looking to expand your product line, thinking stickers might be a quick and easy update to your shop.
Stickers might just be the way to go, but there is much to consider about these seemingly simple little products. Read on to find out if stickers are the right choice for your business.
Sticker making sounds super fun....before you actually get into it.
Drawing your own design, throwing it onto some sticker paper, printing it off and cutting it out sounds super easy! I truly thought this when I started making my own stickers.
Indeed, it saved me a ton of money not to have to buy from print on demand websites, but it is also A LOT of work! Here are some things that I learned along the way, so that maybe you can eliminate the frustration and skip the stress that I went through when I first began making my own stickers!
STEP 1: MAKING THE STICKER FILE
First, you'll need some artwork. I like to draw my own, but you could download free images as well. Just please make sure they are actually being offered by the owner for free, and not artwork stolen from someone's livelihood.
If you would like to know more about how to draw your own sticker design, we can cover that in another blog, so be sure to let me know if that's something you're interested in.
Once you have your sticker image drawn or downloaded, you need to make sure to add a white border around your artwork. This will eliminate the possibility of your artwork being cut off, and minimize the appearance of any cutting discrepancies.
I usually take this outline a step further, and fill it in completely to make what I call a "backing" layer for the sticker design. This step eliminates another potential problem: Holes in your artwork. Your cutting program will cut out any tiny holes in your art, even if you weren't aware of them. Creating a backing layer by filling in the new border completely, and dragging it behind your artwork layer, will eliminate this possibility entirely!
Once your sticker backing is in place at the bottom of your layers panel, make sure the rest of your image is transparent. In my program, I just have to delete the white canvas background (not your sticker backing) created by the program.
Now we need to prepare the document for printing.
Save your image in two formats: A .psd OR .csp document, and a separate .png document. The .psd or .csp file formats will retain your layers so you can work on your artwork later if needed. The .png document is for printing. A .png document retains more image quality than a .jpeg, while also supporting files with transparent backgrounds.
Do not lose either of these files. Copy them into multiple folders, and back them up onto an external source in case something happened to your computer.
STEP 2: PREPARING THE CUT FILE
Open the software that came with your cutting machine. I have Cricuit Design Studio and a Cricut Explore Air 2. Upload your .png file, and adjust the size, using the rulers provided.
Then, duplicate it.
Make sure you know how big of an area your machine will cut, so you can keep your stickers within those limits. I like to make 8-10 stickers per page, because my machine will only cut within a 9.25x6.75 inch space.
Arrange your stickers within those dimensions, and attach them together in the layers panel. If needed, they will now move around the canvas together.
Save your sticker document and name it.
Step 3: PRINTING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
Test print your stickers. I repeat, test print your stickers! You will most likely need to adjust your colors, size, arrangement, or anything else on your first few printouts. Print on computer paper first, until your are happy with your print out. Your images will look brighter on your sticker paper, but you can eliminate major printing issues, by using the computer paper first.
If you waste one sheet of sticker paper after that, at least you didn't waste 5!
You will need to set aside time for this step. Besides drawing, test printing takes the longest. You may need to go back into your art program to adjust the colors of your art. Then, you'll have to remake the document in your cutting program. This is a normal and necessary part of the process, and can be frustrating, but once you have your cut file finished, you shouldn't have to remake it again.
MATERIALS
I've been through several different options for sticker paper. The cheapest option is label paper, but it was neither bright enough, nor strong enough to sell as a product. I also tested vinyl at one point. Vinyl is thin, flexible, and waterproof! Without a printer that uses pigment ink, though, your stickers will never be truly waterproof. We refer to these as "water resistant". For the price, I didn't feel like I was getting the biggest benefit out of the vinyl sticker paper, which was making weatherproof and waterproof stickers.
I finally settled on gloss photo sticker paper. Pictured is the brand I used. It's bright, glossy, and extremely sticky! The strong adhesive means that sucker won't come off for a long time, but it's not going to hold up in the elements if you need to make decals for cars. It is also fairly thick and ridged, meaning they don't do well on round surfaces. Those who need thinner or more flexible stickers may want to stick to vinyl.
If you have experience printing on vinyl sticker paper, let me know how you handle your waterproofing! Also, if you have experience with pigment ink printers, let me know which printer you settled on!
Step 4: LAMINATING, 2 Ways
Now, you've finally gotten your stickers from your cutting software, through the printer, and successfully into your hands on some sticker paper, This might be all you want to do, but I like to laminate mine to add water resistance.
You can use a laminator to thermal laminate two sticker sheets back to back, then cut them open, but I found that with the thickness of my sticker paper, it made my stickers much too ridged. Mine were so stiff that they wouldn't stay adhered to curved surfaces.
This may be a better option for thinner sticker paper like vinyl. I also just used the lamination I had on hand, which could have been too thick to work for nice, flexible stickers. If this sounds like a process you want to check out, I've attached a video on how to use thermal lamination for stickers above.
You can also use adhesive lamination like I do.
When I print stickers, I always print more than I need. Sometimes, you mess up the lamination, and sometimes the cutting machine cuts are off, or you loaded the mat or sheet wrong. These things happen, but you can minimize those issues by printing a few extra sheets.
Pictured is the adhesive lamination I use. I like to use flat sheets instead of rolls of lamination. I just prefer that they don't curl up while I'm trying to work with them. I use this brand for two reasons. First, is the convenient little starting strip at the top (pictured below). It really goes a long way in making sure your lamination starts and finishes exactly where you want it. The second reason is the convenient grid pattern on the back, which makes measuring and cutting super easy.
When I first started making stickers, I would just laminate the entire page, but through troubleshooting my sticker cuts, I found out that the glossy lamination confuses the sensor on my cutting machine. Now, I measure and cut a section of lamination that fits inside the cut lines, so the sensor can read the black lines better. I have attached a video of my laminating process below.
Steps in the Video:
1. Remove the lamination strip, position your sheet, and press the sticky strip in place to ensure that your lamination won't move on you.
2. Take a ruler and lay it across the sticky strip, then flip the rest of the sheet up over the ruler.
3. Keeping the lamination flipped away from your stickers, slowly pull the rest of the backing off the lamination sheet and use the ruler to guide your lamination smoothly into place, bubble free!
If you do find a bubble, try poking it with a needle to remove the air. If, heaven forbid, your lamination has all kinds of wrinkles that are impossible to remove, that's why you printed extra. Try your best to eliminate what you can, and see if your machine will cut out any stickers that remain savable.
Step 5: CUTTING AND TROUBLESHOOTING
Finally, it's time to cut your stickers out. Turn on your cutting machine, and set the cut depth. When I make die cut stickers, I use the Poster board or Poster board + setting. With my sticker paper and lamination, my stickers are fairly thick. You will have to adjust this based on the thickness of the materials you choose. It just takes some trial and error.
Now, open your cut software, make sure your machine is connected to your computer either through Bluetooth or a cable connection, and just follow the instructions on the screen. Most likely, you will have to learn some troubleshooting on your own, but here are a few problems I ran into in the beginning.
1. Your cut sensor can't read the cut lines.
If your cut lines didn't print well, or there is debris or damage on them, your machine will not read them, and may ruin your sticker sheet. If there is nothing obviously wrong with your lines, try dusting your sensor (if you can get to it) with a soft, clean, paint brush. Compressed air cans may also work, but don't get the nozzle too close.
2. Your sheet is not sticking to your mat.
If your mat is losing it's tackiness, it's better to use clear tape, and a good mat, than replacing it with a cheap mat. Cheap mats get broken or cut through way too easily, and brand name mats can be expensive to replace. Put some tape on the corners of your sheet to keep it from moving.
There are tutorials on how to scrub a mat clean, and somehow, it dries sticky again, but that never worked for me. If you have a tried and true method to make a Cricut mat sticky again, PLEASE leave a comment with your method.
3. Your blade is dull.
If your blade is grabbing and tearing the paper with it, it could be dull. It could also mean your mat is no longer sticky, so fix that issue first. Before just buying a new blade, try the foil method. Make a ball of foil, and poke your blade into it, over and over again, to sharpen it. Watch your fingers!
Step 6: PACKAGING
Once you have successfully removed you brand new stickers from the mat, rejoice! Now, you can package your pretty little jewels to make them attractive to customers!
There are some beautiful options for packaging online. I've seen baggies in different colors and even holographic colors
I personally, just use the crystal clear poly bags. They show off my product, while still protecting them from damage and grimy finders. The bag being clear, front and back, also means I can include a business card that is also visible, but without obstructing the view of the product.
My biggest recommendation for choosing which poly bags to buy, is to look for bags with the adhesive strip on the bag, not the flap. I am only just making this switch myself, but multiple customers have reported opening their beautiful new pieces at home, only to get them stuck on the adhesive strip as they were pulling them out! Then, their product was damaged. Money wasted! You don't want this issue. It's disheartening to both yourself and your customers. Just DON'T buy the bags with the adhesive on the flap.
DON'T DO IT!
DON'T!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
If any of this sounds way too complicated, rest assured, it is.
There are plenty of companies specializing in the printing and cutting process if you'd like to skip all of this. They offer many different options like holographic, metallic, glow in the dark, 3D, and tons of other effects, although their minimum order quantities can be high.
If you are just starting out, you may not want to dish out this high initial cost for every design, when you aren't even sure what will sell yet. It also means you may not be able to afford multiple designs when you need it.
In the end, we make our own stickers when we have more time than money. When we have more money than time, that is when we begin outsourcing.
Next up would be to price your stickers, but that's a whole other topic. How about it? Would you like to see a blog about pricing your products? Let me know in the comments!
Did I miss anything? Do you have a better solution for some of these issues? Be sure to let me know so we can grow together!
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