Methods To Make Your Own Stickers At Home

Stickers or labels are one of the most versatile crafts to keep things organized, neat, attractive, informative and exciting. The number of uses stickers have are countless which makes them a number one medium to get the word out.

These stickers can be used for multiple purposes around the house, for parties, events, gift wrapping, as a crafty project for holidays, for small-scale business ventures and to keep things regulated around the house. We all have been using stickers from an early age and love the way they make things cute and attractive, but what if I tell you that you can make your very own stickers at home with ease? Yes, that is very much possible!

The best part about stickers is that they are very cost-effective and have a long shelf-life. Once you have pasted a sticker on a clean surface, it will be there until you either scratch it off or it fades away, which takes months if not years.

Stickers or labels are pretty easy to make and the material that you need to make them are generally lying around the house. Although, you can also make professional stickers by just getting a few things like sticker paper, UV adhesion promoters and other supplies, I will be telling you below.

This article will be a tell-all about home-made stickers where you will find three different sticker materials to use at home along with the complete process. My goal is to make you a sticker expert so that whenever you need to put up a sticker you can print your very own, personalized stickers at home.

I will try to cover every aspect of sticker making in this article and try to pre-empt every burning question you may have regarding home made stickers, so without further ado, let’s get you started!

The Right Paper for the Job

A good quality sticker depends on the material or paper it's been printed on. The paper should not only be of good quality but also the right kind for the surface the sticker has to go. I mean you can’t expect a simple paper sticker to last out in the open, you need the right kind of waterproof paper in order for the sticker to last a long time.

The most common materials used for stickers are generally 2- paper and vinyl. The paper stickers further have many subtypes which allows you to have different kinds of effects but the paper stickers are generally best for indoors and the vinyl ones are best used for outdoor, although these can be used as per your liking as well.

Paper Sticker Types

Matte Sticker paper- this type of sticker paper is the most cost effective but the results aren’t that attractive or striking. They suck all the pigments you have put in so dearly. The end result is often not that vibrant and bright making the whole process go in vain, so I would only recommend this paper for either monochromatic tones or when you are practicing your sticker making skills.
White Glossy Sticker Paper- this kind of sticker paper is also cost effective but of course a little expensive than the aforementioned matte paper. This sticker paper is my holy grail as the color pay off is so vibrant and striking. It will show the exact color that you have printed without any dullness or lackluster. This glossy sticker paper is water resistant but not waterproof which means these are best suited for indoors like mugs, jars, cupboards, shelves and other such place around the home.
Clar Glossy Sticker paper- the last one i mentioned had a white opaque background which means that all the stickers will show a white background at the back. But this sticker paper has a clear background which means it will take the color of the surface it has been pasted on. Now this can be taken to your advantage as well as a disadvantage, depending on the look you want.
Vinyl Sticker Paper- vinyl sticker paper is the best sticker paper, handsdown. It is the mother of all sticker papers and if you want one sticker paper to start with then let it be vinyl. This sticker paper is the most expensive one but for all the good reasons. It is waterproof, weather proof and fade proof. This paper is used by all professional sticker making companies. You need to acquire vinyl tools and UV adhesion promoters to get the best look but these stickers will last you a long time!

Let’s Print the Stickers!

Now that you know all the options of papers to be used for your sticker, it is now time to print on them. There are different kinds of printers for different kinds of sticker papers. There are special laser printers and inkjet printers as well. You can't put inkjet sticker paper in the laser as it will most likely melt the paper and create a huge mess.

The sticker paper you’re using will have it clearly mentioned for which kind of printer it is most suitable for. The laser printer is a very good choice of printer but it is certainly a big investment and not suitable for a small-scale business or for just a crafty project at home. On the other hand the inkjet printer with 4 cartridges will have a good effect but if you want to push the envelope then a 6 cartridge inkjet printer will be the best.

The first step is to color match your design and the print. Generally the CMYK( Cyna, magenta, yellow and black) process is the best for home and office based projects. If you are using vinyl paper then the Pantone color is the best. But if you only want to make stickers just for fun with little to no investment then opt for a homemade glue or packing tape to use as a medium to draw your stickers on and then paste it wherever you want.

Conclusion

Sticker making is a very exciting skill which can be taken to the next level and can even be converted into a full scale business. So if you have interest in sticker making then start making them at home now with these simple ways!