Materials You Need to Make Waterproof Vinyl Stickers at Home

Article Updated: December 2023

A couple of years ago, I wanted to expand my product line to include stickers! There were a few things that were really important to me at the time for me to add it to my store:

• Quality: I wanted my stickers to last! I had come across some other homemade stickers in the past that didn’t stand up in water, peel up over time, or faded in the sun, and I knew that was not what I wanted for my line.
  
  
• Cost: There are plenty of quality sticker production companies that I will always stand behind in terms of quality, like Sticker Mule, but the price of production plus shipping didn’t give small businesses that are just testing a design a lot of profit margin to work with. However, if you value time more than you do cost, Sticker Mule is an excellent option to consider. Plus, you can get 10 sticker samples for $9 if you just want to see how they turn out. 
  
  
• Variety: The ability to create lots of different sticker designs without having to invest in a ton of inventory was also something I considered. As a creator, I dive into every product hoping that every design will be an instant hit, but the hard reality that only a few designs will regularly sell. Making your own stickers will help keep your inventory levels low in case a design doesn't turn over as quickly as you would've hoped.

The Products I Use to Make Stickers

So — what option did I have left? After weeks of research, I decided to invest in a Cricut Explore Machine and make the stickers myself!

The initial investment was high, but I knew that the ability to create products as they are ordered will help me eliminate waste, keep my on-hand inventory lean, and maintain the margins I needed to be successful. 

Cutting Machine for those Die-Cuts

Cricut has added some new machines since then, like the Cricut Joy Xtra, which is a bit more cost effective for those with tighter budgets.

Recently, there have been some issues that I've run into with my Cricut that would make me consider recommending their biggest competitor, the Silhouette Cameo (I've never used the Silhouette, but their machine seems to have addressed these problems):

 

Cricut machines can't seem to cut on glossy surfaces. The scanning tool has a hard time identifying the enclosing box when cutting a glossy surface, so you'll run into countless errors. One way to hack this is to place non-gloss Scotch tape (like the one you use for wrapping gifts) on top of the bold black registration outline prior to cutting.

From time to time your Cricut machine will need to be re-calibrated for alignment. If you don't have a thick border between your artwork and the cutline, it's likely that the cut alignment will get wonky over time.

 

Sticker  + Laminate Paper

For the sticker paper, I use waterproof matte vinyl sticker paper for inkjet printers. I also add an additional non-gloss over-laminate sheet on top of my printed stickers to provide additional protection, rigidity, and another layer of waterproofing for the sticker artwork.

Quick tip: I place the laminate overlay after the stickers are printed on the vinyl sticker paper, before I cut them out with my Cricut. This laminate sheet works perfectly with Cricut and any other cutting machines. 

If you're looking to make holographic stickers, this overlay option (instead of the laminate overlay) has been a lot of fun to work with.

Edit: I was able to find a PRINTABLE holographic vinyl sticker paper that has been highly rated! Just print directly onto the holographic sheet, rather than adding an overlay. It works with both inkjet and laser printers, and are waterproof as well. 

 

Printer & Scanner

I currently use a Canon Pixma Pro-100 to make all of my prints, which I also use to print all of my stickers! It's out of production now, but Canon has released the next iteration: the Canon Pixma Pro-200 Printer. Make sure to select the "glossy" material type setting to achieve the best quality print.

Finally, to scan my paintings, I use Epson's Perfection V39 document scanner. I personally looked for a scanner that was portable, had a relatively large scanning bed, and could scan at high optical resolutions (This scanner can scan up to 4800 DPI. I usually recommend at least 600 DPI).

Was this helpful? Tell me in the comments below! What other sticker making questions do you have?

*Note: I do get a portion on all purchases made through the Amazon links in this article, which help fund my art supplies and small business. Please do not feel obligated to purchase any of the products I recommend.

 

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