Sample Sticker Designs for Different Sticker Materials
Marketing

Your Ultimate Guide to Sticker Materials

Creating your first branded sticker design can be overwhelming for most first-timers or novice business owners. You may have a look or feel in mind, but the range of features and choices is overwhelming. Your choice of material, format, shape, and coating will determine the quality of your stickers. To help you through the options available, we’ve come up with a step-by-step guide on understanding the advantages and distinctions among what’s offered for custom stickers. We start with the format before heading to the sticker materials and other features that make your design come together.

How to Distinguish Among the Sticker Features Available

1. Find the format that best suits your business or promotional needs.

Choosing the best sticker for your company’s print marketing needs begins with the correct format. You can print in four standard formats that match specific applications and set quantities.

Singles

  • Individual pieces that we cut to the exact shape or size you need
  • Available in standard circle, oval, or square/rectangle shapes
  • Recommended for business owners or admin staff applying the stickers by hand
  • Best printed in quantities below 250 pieces for manageable tracking and easy counting

 

Cut-to-size or Single Stickers

 

Rolls

  • Several stickers are printed on one roll for continuous placement
  • Fits in most automatic label dispensers for faster application
  • Comes in standard shapes and has a broader range of custom sizes
  • Recommended for bulk sticker quantities of at least 250 pieces

 

Stickers in Roll

 

Sheets

  • Show the same or different designs on one sheet
  • Choose from 4 standard sheet sizes or select custom dimensions specific to your multiple designs
  • All printed stickers are cut to the exact shape you indicate
  • Easy to include in purchased delivery boxes as giveaways
  • Recommended for customers tracking the number of stickers per sheet

 

Sticker Sheets with Multiple Design

 

Kiss-Cut

    • Individual stickers printed to your exact shape and placed on a rectangular backing
    • Backing preserves the edges of more intricate designs, preventing damage during individual sticker applications by hand.
    • Recommended for small to large quantity orders; minimum of 25 stickers required
    • Perfect as single freebies or fun decorations, customers can use them on merchandise like tumblers or laptops.

 

Kiss Cut Sticker

Read more: Choosing Between a Kiss Cut or Die-Cut Sticker

2. Print on a material that lasts and elevates the overall brand design.

What material are stickers made of? There are different types of sticker paper, each having features that will protect the printed design in specific conditions. Refer to the sticker materials checklist below to see which style suits your needs and what’s available in the offered formats. Use the chart to see where you’d end up when considering vinyl stickers vs. regular stickers.

Sticker Material White Paper Sticker White Premium Sticker Paper White Vinyl Sticker Material BOPP Textured Estate Variations
Format Available Singles
Sheet
Kiss-cut
Roll Singles
Sheet
Kiss-cut
Roll Roll
Waterproof Up to 4 hours in an ice bucket
Indoor or Outdoor Sticker Material Indoor Indoor Outdoor Indoors (refrigerator or chilled conditions) Indoors (room temperature or temporary chilled storage)
Oil- or Chemical-Resistant
Writable
Adhesive Type Permanent, all-purpose

In terms of color production, BOPP or vinyl come with a transparent or colored background. When it comes to white vinyl vs. clear vinyl stickers, we recommend decorating stickers on transparent surfaces. The white vinyl works best for solid color designs that complement another background like a laptop or water bottle.

Read more: How to Design Stickers

3. Consider including coating to build more protection from external elements.

Include coatings to ensure your branded design stays good as new. Apart from their protective functions, the laminated coatings elevate the overall look of your sticker.

Using neutral or pastel colors that look best with a soft finish? The almost zero glare of matte is easy on the eyes and makes lengthy text more readable. Matte lamination is recommended for stickers used or exposed primarily indoors, like on gadget surfaces or product containers.

A gloss coating has a bright, shiny finish that suits bold color combinations. It also protects against fingerprints, keeping stickers fresh and good as new after being handled.

High gloss laminate offers the most prominent shine and highest reflectivity for stickers that can be seen from afar. The extra stunning gloss also protects against abrasions and is built for frequent handling. We recommend this coating for stickers used to decorate cars, tumblers, and other items exposed outdoors.

 


 

Ready to customize your stickers based on the guide you’ve just read? Find what you need from our sticker types available below. You can easily find the best stickers for giving away at your next product launch or significant store event.

Custom Stickers

Custom Stickers
 

Bulk Stickers

Bulk Stickers
 

Vinyl Stickers

Vinyl Stickers
 

Clear Stickers

Clear Stickers
 

Have more questions about the sticker printing process? Feel free to contact our print experts from Mondays to Fridays at 877-405-3949, any time between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT.