How to Print Stickers at Home (5 Supplies, 4 Custom Tips)

Making stickers at home is a fun task. Make and sell them under your Etsy business. Give them out free with customer purchases when your small business first opens. If you have a recreational group for your favorite hobbies, make logo stickers to represent yourselves. 

Here are some factors to consider when learning how to print stickers at home. From choosing a printer to selecting a paper type, we have everything you need to know in this printing stickers at-home guide. 

5 Supplies for Printing Stickers at Home

To print stickers at home, you’ll need the following supplies.

1. Software to design or export your sticker designs. If you don’t already have a program to use, you might consider Design Wizard, Lunacy, or Canva. Here are some more free design software options.
2. Computer (Optional): With numerous mobile design apps, you don’t need a laptop or desktop computer to create your sticker designs. Some of the best design apps include Adobe Spark, Canva, and Krita.
3. Sticker Sheets: You’ll need a paper or vinyl material to print on. More on this below.
4. Printer: This is probably the most obvious supply. You can use either a laser or inkjet printer. See some options below.
5. Scissors or another way to cut out the stickers.

How to Print Stickers: Factors to Consider

There are many factors to consider when you start printing stickers at home. Consider what printer to use, the paper type, and the shapes you want to make your stickers. 

Material Types: Paper vs Vinyl

Considering the paper types you want will decide the final look and quality as you learn how to make stickers with a printer. Paper stickers are the easiest to make as the stickers are already pre-cut and have an adhesive back on them for instant use. Vinyl stickers require extra steps in making a quality product. 

• Paper Stickers: Paper stickers are less expensive and considered permanent. They are pre-cut into various shapes, so you do not have to cut them out yourself. You also have the option to get fully blank sticker sheets (without pre-cuts) so that you can cut the stickers how you desire. 
• Vinyl Stickers: Printable vinyl costs more and produces a premium product. They are often repositionable and can be resistant to sunlight and water. This is a better choice for outdoor applications.

Design Tip: Create your design at 300 DPI to produce high-quality stickers. You can place at least six to eight stickers on each 8.5” x 11” sheet. 

Utilize an over-laminate sheet to keep the stickers resistant to water and protected from sun exposure. Finally, you can cut out your stickers in the shape you desire. 

Sticker Shapes

Most stickers are printed on a specific shape for more uniformity in the printing experience. The most popular shapes are rectangles, circles, squares, and ovals.

Pre-cut stickers make it easier to avoid taking the extra steps of applying a vinyl lamination when making vinyl stickers. 

You can find some great options at the OnlineLabels store on Amazon, including these various shaped waterproof labels. Circle stickers are very popular and aesthetically pleasing. And if you are trying to print your logo on a sticker, using a circle design can make it look great. 

4 Tips for Making Homemade Stickers

Now that you know the printer qualifications, paper types, and sticker shapes, you are almost on your way to learning how to make stickers with a printer.

Here are some tips for making homemade stickers look better and last longer. 

1. Use Quality Materials

Use quality label sheets. Choosing great quality paper or vinly will help your stickers look more vivid in color and last longer. Most vinyl sticker paper is water-resistant and doesn’t quickly deteriorate from the sun.

While these types of stickers go on cars and other outdoor structures, you can use this for your sticker designs to give your customer, so they last longer no matter where they stick them.

2. Customize Stock Designs

To save design time, you can purchase some designs from stock sites. I like DepositPhotos and 123RF.

You can find some great designs all ready to go. Pop them in your design software and customize it with your event or brand and print them off.

Using a stock design will shorten design time and improve the finished product.

3. Select Your Colors Wisely

Select your colors wisely if you are using Pantone colors or the CMYK cartridges. Lighter colors do not appear well if you are using CMYK colors. Opt for a printer that can accommodate Pantone colors if you want to capture very light hues. 

Avoid having one area of the sticker with too much of one color. Doing so can saturate the colors and make the sticker look imbalanced. 

4. Die Cut Some of Your Stickers

Die-cutting means printing designs on sticker paper and cut them into a specific sticker shape.

The art of die-cutting creates a unique and aesthetic design that makes the stickers more attractive to potential buyers at your Etsy store. 

You can use a Cricut maker to get some custom shapes. Here are some tips for how to make stickers with a Cricut maker.

Print Your Own Vinyl Stickers with Cricut Maker

3 InkJet Printers for Stickers

You can pick whatever type of printer you desire as long as it meets these qualifications:

• Print in full color to enhance the depth of color in your stickers for more vivid presentations.
• Has a print resolution of at least 1200 dpi (dots per inch), which means that it is a higher resolution for better-quality stickers. 
• Includes four colors in an inkjet or laser printer model. The four colors include cyan, black, yellow, and magenta. 

1. Quality Model On a Budget: Canon PIXMA MG3620

Find the Canon PIXMA MG3620 on Amazon or Best Buy

Customize your sticker printing area with a black, red, or white model of the Canon PIXMA MG3620. This four-color inkjet printer includes a 1200 x 2400 dpi resolution and different sources from which you can print your sticker creations. The printer is compatible with Google Cloud Print, Canon Print, NFC, and other well-known platforms. 

Connect the Canon PIXMA MG3620 from your smartphone or tablet to a Wi-Fi connection to print from any device you are most comfortable making your stickers. With a maximum print speed of 16, you will have your stickers printed out and in the hands of your customers in no time at all!

2. Mid-Grade Model: Brother MFC-J1170DW

Get the Brother MFC-J1170DW on Best Buy or Amazon

The Brother MFC-J1170DW is a mid-grade upgrade from the Canon PIXMA brand. With wireless connectivity via Ethernet or USB connection, you can print directly from any mobile device you choose. 

It prints faster than the Canon PIXMA printer at 17 ppm (pages per minute) instead of 16. This model has a wider print capacity that can print 8.5” by 14” papers, which means you can stick an additional sticker or two on the sheet you print. 

3. Higher Echelon Model: HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e

Get the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e on Amazon or Staples

This printer can print 22 pages per minute for black and white hues and 18 in one minute if you are doing color stickers.

Wirecutter named the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e the Best-All-in-One Printer back in March 2021. This means that in addition to printing stickers, you can also fax and print images to transfer to wood.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of your frequently asked questions about how to make stickers with a printer. 

What is another way to make DIY stickers?

Use contact paper and different Sharpie marker colors to design stickers by hand. First, draw on the contact paper’s clear side. Then, cut the stickers out to store them. When your customer is ready, they can peel off the back and place the sticker where they want. 

Can I print stickers using a standard printer? 

Inkjet and laser printers are the best models for printing stickers. Be sure to have the correct sticker or vinyl paper. 

How do I start a sticker business? 

Etsy is the most popular platform for selling homemade stickers. Sign up for a creator account, design your stickers, and list them on your virtual store. 

Your Turn

Learning how to print stickers at home is an enjoyable experience with some technical attributes to consider. So jump into the next creative sticker project for your business today!

How did your stickers turn out? I would love to hear your tips and what’s working for you!