Stickers

We make most of our stickers at home.

I am personally not anal about stickers I make, buy, and use being weatherproof for 50 years laminated with the thickest industrial plastic.

I sorta LIKE when stickers will eventually fall off, disintegrate into nothingness, and die. Plus less plastic in the world.

Most homemade/handmade stickers inkjet are not going to be totally waterproof anyways. I've found with most laminates + paper combos I've tried, water eventually seeps into the sides and melts the color on the edges. You're gonna have better indestructible results with printers meant for stickers.

1. Print sticker on sticker paper. (currenty use koala)
2. Cut stickers with plotting machine (currently use silhouette)
3. ???
4. Stick the sticker.

The process is simple, but selecting the materials takes a bit more work. Homemade stickers won't be completely waterproof 90% of the time unless you invest in heavy machinery.

Most any label or sticker paper will do. Label paper is almost always “matte” in finish, and meant for temporary uses (like mailing labels!) so they won't be the most durable. Sticker paper that's labeled as “vinyl” material is more durable and slightly more waterproof.

We currently use Koala brand sticker paper, for their matte and semi-gloss finishes. Some people don't like Koala sticker paper because the backing says “label paper” and that ruins their branding. I don't really care.

• More suggestions for sticker paper brands, mostly on Amazon: https://www.thewestcoastkraeers.com/craft-supplies/paper
• An Idiot's guide for making good stickers: https://www.reddit.com/r/sticker/comments/zie6wu/an_idiots_guide_to_making_good_stickers/

We don't always use lamination for our stickers. Sometimes if we feel fancy we laminate them. Lamination helps protect the print if they're going to be touched a whole bunch, and it feels better to the touch than regular sticker paper.

• Oraguard 215 is most recommended for its durability and UV resistance: https://creativecraftvinyl.com/shop/printable-vinyl/oracal-uv-laminating-film-oraguard-215/
• Oraguard 210 is decent for its pricing: https://creativecraftvinyl.com/shop/printable-vinyl/oracal-oragaurd-210-laminate/
• You can also try any Avery or Scotch cold laminate.
• We use whatever holographic laminate that's on Amazon for shiny effects.
• I've found that hot lamination sheets that require a machine are too thick. Because of the added thickness (3mm for our glossy, 5mm for our matte), they're unable to flex around round surfaces and can't stick anymore. Your mileage may vary if you've found a brand that works.

Occasionally you may NEED industrial grade stickers to put on your car or water bottle or something. Here's some printers I know of:

Don't use Stickermule cuz they'll spam your inbox with awful political propaganda, and their acrylic charms are very poor quality.