There are four ways to make stickers, and the right one depends on how many you need and where they are going. A handful for the kids' lunchboxes is a fun afternoon with a printer and sticker paper. Two hundred logo stickers for a market stall, or anything that has to survive rain, sun or a dishwasher, is cheaper and better printed on vinyl.
This guide walks through each method, what it costs, how long the result lasts, and when it makes sense to stop making them yourself and order them in.
What are the ways to make stickers?
| Method | What you need | Waterproof? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printer and sticker paper | Home printer, printable sticker paper, scissors | No, unless you laminate them | A few indoor stickers: labels for jars in the pantry, school books, party favours |
| Printer and cutting machine | Printer, sticker paper or printable vinyl, a print-then-cut machine | Partly, with printable vinyl and a laminate sheet | Small batches of shaped stickers for craft and gifts |
| Vinyl cutter, no printing | Cutting machine, coloured adhesive vinyl, transfer tape | Yes | Single-colour lettering and simple shapes for cars, windows and signs |
| Ordering printed vinyl stickers | Your artwork | Yes, and UV resistant | Logos, full-colour designs, anything outdoors, and anything over a few dozen |
How do I make stickers with a printer?
This is the cheapest way to start, and it works with the printer you already have.
- Buy sticker paper that matches your printer. Inkjet and laser papers are different, and the wrong one smudges or will not feed. Matte paper is easier to write on; gloss makes photos pop.
- Lay out your designs on an A4 page. Word, Canva or Google Docs are fine. Leave a few millimetres between designs so you have room to cut.
- Print a test on plain paper first and hold it against the sticker sheet to check the layout lines up. Sticker paper is the expensive part.
- Print on the sticker paper, using your printer's "labels" or "heavy paper" setting, and let the ink dry for a few minutes.
- Cut them out with scissors or a craft knife and a ruler. Rounded corners peel less than sharp ones.
The catch is durability. Paper stickers tear, and inkjet ink runs as soon as it gets wet, so they will not survive a water bottle, a lunchbox, the fridge or the car. Clear self-adhesive laminate over the top helps indoors, but it is fiddly and still will not last outside.
Can I make stickers with a Cricut or other cutting machine?
Yes. Cutting machines such as Cricut, Silhouette and Brother ScanNCut can "print then cut": you print your designs with registration marks, feed the sheet into the machine, and it cuts around each one. That gives you shaped die cut stickers instead of rectangles cut with scissors.
It works well for craft projects and small batches, with a few limits worth knowing before you buy a machine for it:
- The print-then-cut area is smaller than an A4 sheet, so you fit fewer stickers per page than you might expect.
- Printable vinyl from a home printer is still inkjet ink. It handles a splash, but not years of sun on a car or a bin.
- Each sheet takes time: printing, calibrating, cutting and weeding. A few sheets is a hobby; a few hundred stickers is a weekend.
For single-colour designs such as names, numbers and lettering, a cutting machine can also cut coloured outdoor vinyl with no printing at all. That is how sign writers make lettering for cars and windows, and it lasts outside because the colour is in the vinyl, not printed on top.
How much does it cost to make stickers yourself?
For a few stickers, making them is cheaper. For more than a few dozen, or for anything that needs to last outdoors, it usually is not, once you count the paper, the ink, the spoiled sheets and your time.
For comparison, here is what our printed vinyl stickers cost, with standard shipping free anywhere in Australia:
| Order | Price | Each |
|---|---|---|
| 10 die cut stickers, 5cm | $19 | $1.90 |
| 100 die cut stickers, 5cm (plus 30 free) | $69 | 53c |
| 500 circle stickers, 5cm | $162 | 32c |
| 10 A6 sticker sheets | $65 | $6.50 a sheet |
Those are cut to shape, laminated, waterproof and rated for years outdoors, which home-printed paper is not.
When should I order stickers instead of making them?
Making stickers is worth it when the making is the point: a rainy-day project with the kids, a one-off birthday, a craft hobby. Order them printed when any of these is true:
- They will get wet or go outside. Water bottles, lunchboxes, eskies, cars, bins, boats, hard hats and shopfronts all need vinyl with a laminate.
- You need more than a few dozen. At 100 or more, printed stickers cost cents each and take you no time.
- It is for a business. Customers notice a wonky hand-cut edge on a logo. Our guide to stickers for small business and market stalls covers which ones earn their keep.
- The design is full colour and detailed. Photos, gradients and fine text print sharper on a commercial printer than on a home inkjet.
How do I get my design ready to print?
Whether you print at home or order online, the same three things make the difference between a crisp sticker and a fuzzy one:
- Use a big enough image. 300 pixels per inch at the final size: a 5cm sticker needs an image about 600 pixels across. A logo saved from a website is usually too small.
- Keep text away from the edge, at least 3mm inside the cut line, so nothing gets trimmed.
- Make the shape simple to cut. A smooth outline cuts cleanly; thin spikes and tiny gaps tear.
Our print-ready artwork guide goes into file types, bleed and cut lines, and every order we print gets a free artwork check first. Not sure what size to pick? The to-scale size guide helps.
Sticker making questions
Can I print stickers on normal paper?
Only with glue or tape. Printable sticker paper has the adhesive and backing built in, and costs a little more than plain paper.
How do I make my homemade stickers waterproof?
Print on printable vinyl rather than paper, then cover them with clear self-adhesive laminate before cutting. That makes them splash-proof. For dishwashers, cars or anything left outside, printed vinyl with a factory laminate lasts much longer.
What is the difference between die cut and kiss cut stickers?
A die cut sticker is cut right through to the shape of the design, backing and all. A kiss cut sticker is cut through the vinyl only, leaving it on a larger backing square that is easy to peel and hand out. Die cut, kiss cut or sticker sheet explains which to choose.
What is the smallest order I can get printed?
Ten stickers for most shapes, with no setup fee. If you just want to see and feel the vinyl first, our $5 Sticker Goody Bag is a mixed pack of samples with free shipping.
Ready to skip the scissors?
Upload your design to die cut stickers, circles, kiss cut or sticker sheets, or browse every sticker we print. We print in Sydney within 1–2 business days and post free Australia-wide.