StickerYou Blog

To get started making your own vinyl stickers at home, you’ll need:

• Vinyl sticker paper 

• Vinyl laminate (matte or glossy finish)

• Application tool or credit card

• High-quality printer

• Electronic cutting machine (optional)

• Scanner (optional)

Here are five easy steps:

1. Create Your Custom Sticker Design

The foundation of your vinyl stickers is, of course, your custom design. Brainstorm some sticker ideas and sketch them out on paper or on a tablet. If sketching isn’t your strong suit, you can find designs online using royalty-free sites like Pexels, Canva, or Unsplash.

Usually, stickers are printed in standard circles, squares, rectangles, or ovals with a white background surrounding the design. Die-cut stickers are a new innovation that removes the white space around a design and cuts the stickers into unique shapes.

2. Prepare Your Design Digitally

If you’ve sketched out your own design, scan it to your computer. You can use the StickerYou Sticker Maker to make final edits or use an online editor like Canva or Adobe Photoshop/ Illustrator. 

Make sure your design is the right size! Adjust the size depending on how big or small you want your stickers to be, but make sure they will fit on your printer paper. Set the resolution to at least 300 pixels per inch to ensure the best print quality, and save your file as a .png so you have a transparent background to make it easier to cut the outline later.

3. Print Your Vinyl Stickers

Now you’re ready to print! Both laser and Inkjet printers can print on vinyl, but some types of vinyl sticker paper may have different printer requirements, so check that your printer is compatible with vinyl sticker paper. 

Load the paper onto the printer’s tray, placing the non-adhesive side up, then hit print when ready.

4. Apply Vinyl Laminate Paper

Cut your laminate sheet to measure 8.5 x 11” or the size of your vinyl sheet. Peel an edge of the laminate and line it up with the edge of your sticker paper. Take an application tool or credit card to smooth the laminate onto the vinyl while slowly peeling off the backing.

Laminating your vinyl stickers is crucial to make them more durable. If your stickers are for short-term use, you can skip this step, but remember that your stickers may not last as long. On its own, vinyl stickers can retain their quality for a year, but when laminated, they can last four to five years.

5. Cut Out Your Stickers

After laminating your stickers, you can start cutting them into individual pieces. You can use scissors for this, but we recommend using an electronic cutting machine if you’re printing in large quantities or want your stickers to look more professional.

If you’re using a cutting machine like a Cricut, lay your vinyl sheet onto the cutting mat and load it into the machine. Adjust your cut settings, including the blade, thickness, and speed. According to Cricut, a good starting option for vinyl stickers is to set the blade to 2, thickness/depth to 33, and speed to 5.