How to Make a Sticker

Stickers are a great promotional tool and fun to work with, too. They're inexpensive, easy to make and can help get people behind your product or cause. If you've ever been interested in making a sticker but didn't know where to begin, follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Printer
• Computer
• Contact paper
• Printer paper
• Sticker paper

1. Design your sticker. There are a few different ways to do this; you can draw it by hand, find a photograph or create it with a drawing program on your computer. All you have to do is get your idea on paper or onto the computer screen. If you draw your design by hand, it will be necessary to scan it (either yourself or through a local copy shop or technically savvy friend) into your computer.

2. Print a few test pages using regular computer paper. Your picture will have to be high-resolution (a higher-quality image that's also a bigger file size) in order to print without a pixelated effect. Printing test pages will help you decide how much you need to tweak the resolution.

3. Using your plain-paper tests as a guide, determine how the sticker paper needs to be loaded into your printer. Determine which side of the paper needs to be facing up in order to produce images on the right side of the sticker paper.

4. Load sticker paper into your printer. Sticker paper can be found at most office-supply stores. Since you have already determined which side needs to be facing up, simply load the sticker paper into the printer and make sure it's aligned straight. Press Print.

5. After you print the sticker, you will need to apply clear contact paper in order to ensure that the sticker is waterproof (assuming the sticker will go outdoors). To apply contact paper, start by cutting a section of contact paper that's larger than your new sticker.

6. Remove the contact paper from its backing; all you need to do is peel it off. Make sure the contact paper doesn't stick to anything else when you're taking off the backing.

7. Place the contact paper sticky side down onto the sticker, and make sure you get a flush fit between the two. If it is not flush, you will get bubbles between the sticker and contact paper. You can use a cloth and some pressure with the heel of your hand to smooth out the contact paper.

8. Cut the contact paper down to size. Using scissors, trim off the excess contact paper to give your sticker a professional look.

Tips & Warnings

• When printing the sticker, make sure you use the heaviest ink flow you can. Light printing may cause the image to bubble.
• Make sure any cutting you do on the sticker or contact paper is neat and straight. You sticker will look less professional if the cuts are botched.
• If you use a photograph, be sure it is not copyrighted. If you are selling your stickers (or even if not), you may face legal action for using a copyrighted image.