How to Make Stickers: An Author's Complete Guide

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Posted on November 25th, 2024 by Leah Jubilee.

Please keep in mind that this is just how I did it and there are many roads to sticker success. :)

If you're an indie author like me, you've probably put some thought in to how on earth to manage things like merchandise for your books.

Well, let me be the first to tell you that it isn't easy and you'll probably have a TIME of it trying to figure out where to start, what to do, and how to do it.

Hopefully, I can help with all of that. (I'll give the summary of my points at the end of each section so that you don't have to wade through my sad story if you don't want to.)

What I Make

Before you read any further, you might want to take a look at what I make because that is the only process I know how to talk about.

These are the stickers I make. Pretty cute, right? They're waterproof, dishwasher-proof, scratch-proof, and sun-proof! You can't take a pair of scissors to it and expect them to survive, but they will hold up to daily use, and they will do it admirably. Mine have been on my water bottle for a month and they're still perfect!

If these are the kinds of stickers you want to make, buckle in. This was an arduous process for me, but I'll do my best to make it simple for you. Keep in mind that my process assumes you already have sticker designs ready to go, be that character art, quotes, or other designs,

My Process

Everyone's process is different, but this is what I did to finally get consistent results that I'm proud of:

Step 1. Buy a Machine

That's right. I bit the bullet and I got a machine. I hand-cut enough stickers to decide that this was a priority for me. If you're okay with hand cutting, you can probably skip to the very bottom when I talk about papers and laminating and all that jazz. Most of this process is figuring out how to work the friggin machine.

"What machine, Leah?? There are so many on the market!"

Good question. You're going to see two prominent ones, the Cricut and the Silhouette. Thanks to a very generous FB Marketplace seller, I was lucky enough to be able to try both major brands, which means I feel equipped to recommend the Silhouette with a hefty amount of weight.

The Cricut Explore Air 2 was awful. I spent so many hours reading, watching videos, and trying to make it work for me and it was just no good. I had done lots of research before buying anything, but the Silhouette I got off of Marketplace didn't come with a power cord (I'm pretty sure the seller didn't even consider that everything wasn't inside, so I'm not mad) and I had an order waiting on me, so I had to try the Cricut.

Despite giving it my all, I failed miserably. The Cricut was clunky, finicky, and wretched to work with. I went to three stores looking for a power cord and ended up ordering one from Amazon.

When the cord came in, I discovered that it was a night and day difference between the Cricut and the Silhouette. I could actually work the Silhouette! The design studio was easy to find my way around, easy to work with, and comprehensive.

Summary: Buy the Silhouette Cameo 4 with the AutoBlade. Avoid Cricut for your own sanity.

Step 2: Buy a Mat

You need mats for these machines. Specifically, if you're going to print your own sticker designs on the Silhouette Cameo 4, you need the 8x12 Print Then Cut mat. This mat allows your machine to better track and cut your stickers exactly as you will see in Silhouette Design (the design program).

Summary: Don't bother buying any mats other than the 8x12 Print Then Cut mat. You won't need them unless you're planning on expanding your business beyond stickers.

Step 3: Buy Paper (So Much Paper......)

(This is about a third of what I purchased)

I don't even want to type the amount of time and money I spent on sticker paper. It's truly awful.

So, instead, I'll just say that it was a lot. I did many late night, early morning, mid day trips to Walmart, Joann, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Target. I bought a lot of paper that I won't use for ages (I did find a purpose for it though, and I'll tell you in a little bit). I wasted a lot of sheets trying to get things right, and I made a lot of stickers that went in the trash.

The biggest trap, in my opinion, is authors wanting to reach for the more affordable "sticker paper" not knowing that "printable vinyl" is the only option for truly waterproof stickers! If it isn't vinyl, it isn't waterproof. Even if you laminate it, it will not be waterproof. Ask me how I know...

You don't have to ask-I'll tell you. I read online that laminating your stickers would make them waterproof even if you printed them on sticker paper. That's not true. The top layer is technically waterproof, but water will seep into the sides and soak into the non-waterproof material, breaking down the barrier, and weakening the overall integrity of your sticker.

I did try the printing label hack (I used these), and I didn't love it. The stickers were too thick and not terribly sticky. I prefer to use actual sticker vinyl that's going to bend easily (for water bottles and other curved surfaces) and stick for a long time.

Summary: Make sure your printing material is vinyl if you want waterproof. If you don't want waterproof, any old adhesive paper will do. Printing labels aren't all they're chalked up to be.

Step 4: Buy a Laminator (and Then Change Your Mind!)

I got a cheap laminator off FB Marketplace (that's really the place to find deals, guys), and I got laminating pouches from Amazon. The machine ran perfectly, the pouches did their jobs. I just didn't like it how it went down.

No matter what I did, I couldn't get that perfectly clear lamination that I like to see on stickers. The heat process just wasn't cutting it. Also, it could be in my head, but I think the heat messed with the stickiness of the adhesive because my stickers weren't very sticky at all.

I went to Joann, Michael's, Target, and Walmart (in that order) and finally found Scotch self-seal laminating sheets at Walmart (of all the places) that I took home and applied over my printed sticker sheets. On my first try, I got a crispy clear lamination that was glossy and perfect. I will never go back.

The self-sealing lamination sheets are more expensive than the thermal laminating pouches, but I vastly prefer the outcome, so I'll stick with it.

You may be wondering why to laminate at all! In my opinion, it's important for the durability of your stickers. Without the top layer of protection that lamination provides, your stickers will be easily scratched, smudged, and faded. Do everyone a favor and boost the quality of your stickers in literal seconds by laminating the sheets.

You will need a felt-lined "squeegee" for best results (like this one). The felt is to prevent the scraper from scratching your pretty lamination. It just helps smooth out air bubbles and keep the lamination even.

Summary: Buy self-sealing adhesive laminating sheets and skip the machine. You'll thank me later. Also, please do laminate. You'll thank me later. Also, buy a felt squeegee. You'll thank me again later.

Step 5: Print the Stickers

I used my mother's Epson ET-3850 to print these beautiful, crispy, photo-quality stickers. That's right! Your home printer might be capable of a whole lot more than you think.

I used the Epson app, messed with a few settings, and adjusted the quality from "Standard" to "High." It took some tries to figure out what paper settings and sizes to use for the best outcome, but I got it!

And then I discovered that all that was completely pointless.

There is just no easy way that I could find to print a sheet of stickers outside of the Silhouette Studio. Remember that this entire process hinges on the Print Then Cut feature within Silhouette Studio.

The picture to the left shows as close as I could get when I printed through the Epson app and then tried to cut.

Instead of that mess, here's what you're going to do:

• Open Silhouette Studio

• On the right-hand side panel, the top option is Page Setup - open it

• On the top of the Page Setup section, choose the right-most option which is Registration Marks

• Turn the Registration Marks on

• Once that's done, you can choose to adjust the sizing, length, and border width to suit your needs

• Next, get your sticker design and open it in Silhouette Studio

• Silhouette Studio will probably make your sticker huge, so size it down to whatever you want (2.5 inches at the largest point is pretty common for stickers)

• Select the Offset feature on the lower righthand side (it looks like a little star)

• Choose your offset settings (the red line will be what's actually cut, so just choose whatever looks nice and fits your sizing requirements)

• Select both the offset cut line and the sticker by clicking and dragging, then use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D to duplicate the group

• Fit as many stickers inside the Registration Marks as you can!

Once your page is ready to go, the next step is easy. In the top left corner, you will see a little printer icon. Click it and send it. When the print dialogue opens (which it does on my Windows computer), make sure you choose the correct paper (glossy or matte, depending on which you purchased, which is probably glossy), and, if it gives you the option, choose a higher DPI for better quality.

Your printer should do the rest of the work.

Tip: Don't let your sticker sheets stack to avoid smudging. I always set one aside before the next one is spit out by the printer.

Summary: There isn't really a summary. You just have to read this part to know what the heck is going on.

Step 6: Laminate the Printed Stickers

Place your sticker sheets on a flat surface that won't get damaged by adhesive and grab your self-laminating sheets, as well as your felt squeegee. Follow the instructions on the packaging and use the felt side of the squeegee to avoid scratching the laminate.

I have found that the best results come when I use the squeegee to go over the laminate several times with quite a bit of pressure. I go over it until it's shiny and smooth.

Peel the paper up and stack your sheets in such a way that they can be easily pulled apart. I stack them criss-cross so that there's always an edge for easy access.

Summary: Follow the instructions and use the felt side of the squeegee.

Step 7: Cut the Stickers

You now need your Silhouette machine turned on and your mat out.

Tip: If you haven't calibrated your machine, go ahead and look up how to do that before you go any further. It's an easy process, but it will take a few minutes. PSA: It does make some weird noises. That's perfectly normal. Don't freak out like I did.

On the very right side of the inside of the machine, there is a little roller with a little lock icon. Above that roller, there's a little lever. Push the little lever down to release the metal rod. Once the rod is unlocked, take the little roller, push the little lock button, and move the roller toward the center of the machine where there are two little arrows. The roller with click in place when you get it in the right spot. Once that's done, re-secure the little lever and you're ready to go.

Your 8x12 mat will have the main section marked in inches, and then you'll see little lines outside of that main area. Line up the PAPER (NOT the extra laminate) with the line that says "Letter." This is used to indicate Letter sized paper, which is the standard 8.5x11 that most printers print on.

It could take a few tries to make it straight but do make sure it's straight. If the paper isn't straight, neither will your cuts be. I'll say it one more time... make sure you're lining up the PAPER and NOT the LAMINATE. If the laminate is crooked, it doesn't matter one bit.

Once your paper is lined up and stuck to your oddly sticky mat, load your machine by pushing the up arrow on the bottom of the panel on the right.

Before you leave the "Design" area of Silhouette Studio, you will have to make sure the machine only cuts what you want it to cut. You do this by ungrouping the stickers from the outline and deleting the actual sticker graphic. Leave the red outline, delete the picture. The machine doesn't need the picture to cut out the stickers, it only needs the single red outline you created earlier. If you leave the picture, the machine will try to cut it out, and it will be a messy thing to witness.

DO NOT MOVE ANY OF THE OUTLINES. If you move the outlines, it will mean what you printed and what you're cutting are no longer lined up. All you need to do is delete the pictures. Nothing more.

NOW you're ready to actually cut the stickers. Go back to Silhouette Design, click the "Send" button on the top right corner, and prepare your settings. Which means... I guess I lied... you can't cut the stickers yet. But you're close!

I set my material to "Sticker paper, vinyl (glossy)", then I set the blade depth to 3, and the force to 25. When I'm not feeling impatient, I'll set the number of "passes" to "2", but I don't always. I haven't noticed any difference, but It's nice to have some assurance of a clean cut if you have the time. Below, you'll see my pre-saved settings.

You will probably mess with these settings to find what works for you. Just keep adjusting little by little until you find the perfect combination.

NOW you're ACTUALLY ready to cut the stickers.

Send it.

Summary: This part is messy. Pay attention to the details and you should be all right.

Step 8: Peel the Paper.

Once your Silhouette is done, comes the moment of truth.

Unload your mat by pushing the down arrow on the bottom part of the righthand panel.

Peel off the paper.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the extra comes off and the stickers stay. Hopefully, the cuts are clean. Hopefully, the stickers are perfectly shaped.

However, even if everything doesn't turn out perfectly, don't be discouraged! It took me literally two weeks to get my first perfect sticker. This guide is meant to prevent you from having to do the same, but it might take a couple of shots to sort out all the little things.

Above all else, don't give up hope. If I can do it with no context, no experience, and not a single crafting bone in my body, anyone can do it. I'm so very grateful for the people who helped me throughout the process and who encouraged me (you know who you are). I couldn't have done it without you!

If you're going through this process now, let me be that person who can guide and encourage where guidance and encouragement are needed. I would love to know how it goes for you!

P.S. If your AutoBlade randomly stops working (literally worked perfectly on one sheet and then wouldn't cut the next with the exact same settings and materials), instead of doing what I did (search the internet for every possible reason and try them all without success), my advice is to make your first step resetting your machine, your second step checking for updates, and your third step purchasing a new blade. It might just be the simple solution that's the correct one.

Thanks for being here and thanks for reading!

~ Leah Jubilee