Custom shaped stickers are a great option for logos and creative illustrations in sticker packs – but they require a couple of extra steps when it comes to setting up your artwork for print. Designing your own custom shaped stickers has never been easier with instantprint. In this guide, we’ll go through exactly how to set your artwork up for whatever shape sticker you like, plus some of the ways our artwork team can help simplify the process.
Setting Up Your File
Please set your file up to the following specifications:
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Resolution : 300dpi
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Print: Full Colour
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Colour: CMYK
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Format: PDF
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Fonts: Outlined or Embedded
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Bleed: 3mm
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Safe Zone: 3mm
First things first, you’ll need to set up your canvas to the correct size. Please set up your artwork as a 100mm x 100mm (or 10cm x 10cm) square.
You can use a number of third-party tools to create your artwork. Popular ones include Microsoft Word, Adobe Illustrator and Canva, but as long as you can set the size of the document up and save as a PDF, any design tool is fine.
Check out our beginner’s guide to creating artwork for print to learn the basics.
Start designing
Create your sticker design using your design tool of choice, making sure to keep the design within that 100mm x 100mm canvas.
If you’re creating a logo sticker, this could be as simple as copying and pasting your company logo into the document. For jar and bottle labels, keep in mind the size of your font, and zoom out to real size to make sure text is legible.
Creating the custom sticker shape
Here’s where the design process may differ from creating standard size and shaped stickers.
At this point, you’ll need to add a separate layer with a cutline in a spot colour (like magenta) to show us the custom shape you’d like us to cut.
We know that some design tools don’t allow for adding extra layers, or you might be unsure of the best way to set this up. If that’s the case, we’re happy to do this for you. Place your order without artwork, then send us your design in an email to artwork@instantprint.co.uk with your order reference number as the subject line. In the email, tell us where you’d like the outline of the sticker to go and we’ll set this up and send over an artwork proof for you to approve.
After Design
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Our online proofing tool will check for common issues and generate a ‘proof’ – simply check and approve this proof to confirm your order!
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Send your artwork in after purchase to artwork@instantprint.co.uk and we’ll get back to you ASAP with a proof
Once you’ve approved your proof, a member of our team will check your artwork for these 10 key things before it’s sent to print.
Top Tips from the Studio Team
Design with the sticker stock in mind
Our standard vinyl stickers are printed on a white gloss adhesive, meaning any blank areas of your design will be left white – we also won’t print with white ink on these stickers for that reason.
Alternatively, any blank areas of your design on holographic stickers will be left with a glossy, rainbow-effect, so these types of designs look best with this stock. Similarly, our clear stickers are transparent in any areas where there is no design, which can be great for glass jar and bottle labels as customers can still see the contents of the bottle under the sticker. For holographic and clear stickers, we’re able to use white ink in your design, so feel free to add white elements!
Get creative with the shape
Our high-precision die-cutting technique means we can cut your stickers to virtually any shape. Popular sticker shapes include hearts, circles and more custom options such as a company logo or illustration.
Use stickers indoors or out
The durable vinyl material we use for custom shape sticker printing is waterproof, making them suitable for use indoors and out. We apply UV stable inks onto a heavy duty vinyl with a strong adhesive backing to create your full colour vinyl stickers. Not only are the stickers designed to last, but so is the artwork!
Choose Your Custom Shaped Stickers Today!
Whether you’re after classic custom shaped vinyl stickers or want something more creative like a holographic or transparent sticker finish, we’ve got something for everyone. Check out our full sticker collection here to find your perfect match.
