Stickers. They form part of our childhood memories and even when we’re all grown up, they never quite lose their novelty. There’s something magical about being able to stick a picture anywhere you want within seconds. Now imagine this power utilised for your branding and marketing purposes.
As we mentioned, there’s a certain nostalgia and attraction to stickers, even in the younger generations. Stickers are also inexpensive for large quantities – so basically a huge payoff for minimum input. We suggest you use this power to your business’ advantage.
There’s only one condition – you have to do it right. We’ve compiled a few tips for you when it comes to designing and ordering your stickers, so that you can reap all the rewards and benefits of having Printulu-quality stickers in your marketing arsenal.
Designing your Stickers
Take the size and shape of your stickers into consideration
Before you think about what you want the stickers to look like, you’ll have to make a vital decision first. What size do the stickers need to be? This will obviously depend on what you want to use the stickers for. A huge sticker meant for storefront windows will obviously not work for sticking on your A5 flyers.
The most common shape used for stickers is the stock-standard rectangular and square shapes that you see everywhere. There’s a good reason for this – this format tends to be the most affordable to print in large runs. This is because they don’t require additional die-cutting or custom shaping.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “But I wanted my stickers to be different!”, don’t worry. It’s possible to have a different shape whilst maintaining the square format – even though that sounds impossible. Hear us out. The best way to get the best of both worlds is to then print on transparent vinyl instead. This means you can design a custom shape even though the cut of the actual sticker will still be rectangular or square.
One thing to note though – if you are choosing to print on transparent vinyl, remember that many printers (Printulu included) don’t stock white ink. White ink is very expensive and hikes up our prices, so we choose not to use it for your benefit. However, this does mean that your design on a transparent vinyl should not include any white areas or text.
Resolution, resolution, resolution!
Speaking of size and designing according to what the end result will look like, remember to make sure your final file that you send in is at least 300dpi. This means high-resolution with no pixelation, ladies and gents.
Unfortunately this is something we see often at Printulu, and it makes us cry. We want your stickers to come out looking pristine and high-quality. But no printing job, no matter how good, can fix a pixelated artwork. Give your design and brand the respect it deserves and set it to a high resolution.
Make it pop!
This is one tip that should be relatively obvious, but many stickers we’ve seen pass through our hands miss the mark. It doesn’t matter what you are intending to you use your stickers for – they need to look good. Make them stand out, especially if they’re used for marketing or promotional purposes.
Remember, stickers are usually seen from a distance. Think bumper stickers, lamp posts and laptop covers. There’s often no telling where your target audience will bump into one of your stickers, so they need to stand out in any situation.
Be BOLD with your typography
Literally. A teeny tiny printed word on a 5x5cm sticker will not get anyone’s attention. Even if the colour of the sticker managed to get someone’s attention in the first place, no one wants to squint to read what you are trying to say. Make it loud and clear, and make it legible, even from a distance.
If you were designing for a flyer or a brochure, no one would bat an eyelash at a beautifully written paragraph of text. But on a sticker that needs to communicate a message fast, this will not help you in the slightest. Your stickers shouldn’t be telling someone your life story. Usually, they’re just for creating brand awareness in a fast-paced world.
Keep it simple!
As we briefly mentioned in the previous point, stickers are not there to give someone the entire history of your product. It’s easy when designing to slip up and think of more and more things that should be included.
But the beauty of stickers is that they are eye-catching and fun to look at. Overwhelming someone will be the very last thing that convinces them to buy your product, so hold back. Sometimes, text isn’t even necessary. In many cases, all you might need is your company’s logo. Your logo on a cool sticker stuck on the right spot will communicate your message loud and clear in many cases. Remember that icons come in handy too to keep the look of your sticker more visual and fun.
Printing your Stickers
Choose the material
Printulu offers different materials for your sticker printing. As mentioned previously, white indoor vinyl is the most common one used. You also have the option of transparent vinyl and of course, outdoor vinyl for something more hardy that needs to withstand the elements.
Set up your bleed like a champ
Stickers are often printed in large batches. It’s likely that you plan on ordering more than one sticker. And why wouldn’t you? They’re super affordable, especially when printing with Printulu.
But when we cut large amounts of stickers, mistakes can occur. This is why it is crucial that you set up a bleed around the perimeter of your artwork – at least 3mm wide. We also require that you make sure none of your elements (logo, text, icons) are within 3mm of the border of your artwork. This is to ensure that nothing gets trimmed away by accident, and your stickers look as spunky as they were meant to all along.
Conclusion
This may seem like a lot to take in, but don’t worry too much. Printulu’s got your back. Follow the basic guidelines in our print-ready artwork checklist and you’ll be all set. If you ever have any concerns or are uncertain about anything, give us a call at 010 593 0558 or drop us a quick email at [email protected].
If all else fails, we’ve got fantastic professional design services that can take care of the whole process for you. We’re always happy to help!
Related Articles:
- How to get the perfect large format print
- Why Graphic Design is Useless! (Revealed)
- Custom Stickers: A cost-effective marketing tool
