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If you want stickers that last, you’ve got to print them on weatherproof vinyl, and if you want what you print to last on your sticker, you’ve got to cure your inks properly. When we started out in 1993, we hung our stickers to dry. That worked okay, but now we use UV-cured inks, which are completely scratch-proof and fade-proof. When applied properly to a clean, dry, smooth surface, our stickers are there to stay.

 

FREE SAMPLES

Just send a stamp (or stamps! more postage = more samples) to:

STICKER GUY PRICELIST
PO BOX BOX 204
RENO, NV 89504 USA

If you’re looking for samples of a certain material, such as clear, glitter, or paper labels, just enclose a note and tell us what you want to see.


 

ARTWORK REQUIREMENTS

Preparing your artwork by hand?  Good for you — print out these ordering instructions  and shut this thing off!

COMPUTER USERS

  • FORMATS We accept the following PC & MAC* formats
    • Corel Draw
    • Photoshop (please flatten layers)
    • Illustrator
    • TIFF / EPS / JPEG / GIF / PNG / PDF / SVG (300-600 DPI)

    *When sending MAC files, please be sure to save it with an extension (e.g. “filename.ai” or “filename.psd”) on the file name.

    Most customers upload their file during the online order process. We also accept files sent by e-mail or snail mail. Your disk must be accompanied by a paper proof. Please be sure to label your disk with filename, format, and your name & phone number.

  • STICKER TEMPLATES FOR STANDARD SIZES Download sticker templates here. All of our small quantity sticker sizes are offered and they’re all scaled to the correct dimensions and minimum resolution.
  • SIZE Size your artwork to the scale of the sticker size or larger. We can easily reduce your artwork to fit the sticker size you specify. We can enlarge artwork, but the quality of the finished product will suffer.
  • DESIGN Simpler designs come out better! Intricate and super-fine lines (less than 1-pt) tend to dry up in the screen and will not show up on your sticker. For your reference, 1pt lines are roughly the same size as what a medium ball point pen will draw. It is a good idea to keep important elements of your artwork at least 1/8″ from the edge of the sticker to allow for cutting.
  • SERIFED FONTS Please use care when including serifed fonts — especially at small point sizes. Set all type to at LEAST 10 points. If you want a negative image printed, we can reverse your artwork — no problem, no extra charge. We screen all halftones at 55 lpi.
  • CONVERT ALL FONTS TO CURVES …or send us the font files separately. This is extremely important — we cannot be responsible for misprinted stickers if you forget this vital step. (For users of Corel Draw, Illustrator, and similar programs). In Photoshop, using the Flatten Image command before saving will do the same thing.

 

INK OPTIONS

Here are the standard inks we offer. If you need a particular color that you don’t see listed here, we can mix it for you for an additional $15 / color.

(The information in this section applies to BULK orders only)

White
Black
Yellow
Fire Red
Warm Red
Rhodamine Red
Rubine Red
Purple
Violet
Reflex Blue
Peacock Blue
Process Blue
Green
Orange
Important: The colors you see on your computer screen will vary from the finished product, because without special equipment, computers are unable to accurately represent colors. (Because of variables like the brightness setting on your monitor, or the amount of light in the room.) The colors are presented here to give you a general idea of our standard inks. If you are particular about the color you’d like, it’s best to send us a PMS number or a sample of the color you want, pay the $15, and have us mix the ink.
PMS Numbers: If you supply us with a PMS number, make sure that you obtain it from a printed , official, professional PMS swatch (a Pantone Formula guide). A PMS number obtained from a computer screen is never going to be accurate (unless you have one of those very fancy, very expensive monitors calibrated properly in a room with the proper lighting, etc). If you don’t have access to a PMS swatch, you can alternately send (by postal mail) a sample of the color you would like us to match. Please take this warning seriously! If you supply us with a PMS number from your computer screen you will very likely be unhappy with the printed result and will not be offered a reprint or refund.
Also Important: Depending on the vinyl you print on, and which inks you use, the colors can come out a bit darker than normal. Please keep this in mind when choosing your colors. (For example, if you put white ink on red vinyl, it will have a pinkish tone.)

Silver and gold ink is available for the $15 mix charge.


 

VINYL OPTIONS

Vinyls available for BULK orders:
White Vinyl
Yellow Vinyl
Black Vinyl
Red Vinyl
Blue Vinyl
Clear Polyester
Silver Foil
Gold Foil
Prismatic (discontinued)
Brushed Silver Vinyl
Brushed Gold Vinyl
Glitter Vinyl (temporarily unavailable)
Glow in the Dark Vinyl (temporarily unavailabile)
Holographic Vinyl

Price examples for BULK ORDERS on white vinyl / on all vinyls


Turnaround Times

Depending on what you order, it takes from two to eight weeks for us to complete and send out a sticker order. This means two to eight weeks from the date we receive the order with acceptable artwork until the date we send out the stickers. We can’t be responsible for mail delays before or after your order is in our shop. Check our current turnaround times here

If you need stickers by a certain date, the only way we can guarantee that you’ll have them in time is if you order BULK and arrange a rush order.

Having the cheapest prices on great quality stickers, our services are in great demand. We get every order out as quickly as possible, but unfortunately we’re not always able to meet everyone’s needs.

 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

KISS CUT: To custom cut the top layer of the vinyl but not the backing. This allows a custom shaped sticker that peels off of a square or rectangle backing.

DIE CUT: Anything that’s not a rectangle or square. A die is like an industrial cookie cutter that stamps out the custom shape from the printed vinyl. The entire sticker (print and backing) arrives in the sticker shape.

SIGN LETTERING: These are non-inked stickers in which text or shapes are cut out of the vinyl – they are typically applied with transfer tape. We do not offer sign lettering at this time. Please check your local sign shop.

HALFTONE: This is a process of creating shading using a single ink. Basically, it’s a bunch of dots that from far away look like shading (up close, though, they look like a bunch of dots): In most cases we recommend against halftones, but we can help provide you direction to make them work in your design. We screen halftones at 55 lines per inch.

SPOT COLOR: This is printshop and graphic design lingo which basically means a solid color produced by a single ink. If you supply us with a Pantone (aka PMS) Number, you’ll be using a SPOT COLOR to get a precise and solid color. It’s something like the opposite of a PROCESS COLOR, which is created by printing CMYK halftones (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) over each other to create Full Color.

CMYK: This is full color process (the letters stand for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black). With this type of printing process we can print full color designs. Shading is smooth and halftones are unnecessary.

PAPER LABEL: Non-weatherproof stickers that come on a wax roll. Ideal for indoor applications – anything that’s not going to be outside in the elements. For an extra charge we can apply lamination to provide a scratch-proof coating and a glossy finish.

VINYL: Weatherproof material meant for outdoor application. These stickers last 3-5 years in the outdoors when applied to a clean, dry, smooth surface.

PMS: This stands for Pantone Matching System (www.pantone.com). Our standard ink colors directly correspond with the Pantone Basic colors.

DPI: Dots Per Inch. For high quality stickers, it’s best to provide us with artwork that is sized 100% with a minimum resolution of 300dpi. High resolution raster images will look large on your screen.

VECTOR: These are graphics that use geometric shapes, lines, and curves to create designs. Resolution (DPI – see above) is not an issue since any vector based design can be scaled to any size without loss of quality.

SCREEN PRINTING: First invented by the Chinese around 900AD. Ink is squeezed through a silk mesh screen onto the vinyl. Designs using solid colors typically print best, but we can print gradients as halftones at 55lpi.

10% OVERAGE / UNDERAGE: All orders are subject to a +/- 10% overage or underage. That’s pretty standard in the printing industry. Typically we print 10% more than what you order, to compensate for errors and misprints. So for example, if you order 250, we’ll plan on printing 275. The minimum you’ll end up with is 225 stickers, but in almost every case you’ll receive just over 250.

 
 

 

CUSTOM SHAPES

For custom shapes (die-cut stuff), please fax or email us an outline of the size/shape you want the stickers, along with the color/vinyl/quantity info; it takes a day or two to figure out quotes for custom die-cut jobs, so please be patient.

Here are some examples of custom die-cut stickers we’ve made.

 

We also have some other custom dies available, including:
  • 4″ x 2″ round corner rectangle
  • 3.3″ x 3.4″ round corner triangle
  • 4.25″ x 2.75″ oval
  • 5.75″ x 2″ oval
  • 5.75″ x 3.75″ oval
  • 6.2″ x 2.89″ oval
  • 2.5″ circle
  • 3.5″ circle
  • 4.25″ circle
  • 6″ circle
  • 12″ circle

 

Type and Fonts

You can use any typeface (font) you desire, but be extremely careful when using serifed typefaces. A serifed typeface has decorative curves and points that become thicker in places, such as Times New Roman, Garamond, and Bookman. Avoid using Serifed Fonts, especially in small sizes. If you wish to use a serifed font, be sure to make it bold and larger than 12pts. Otherwise you will risk losing the line of the letter at the thinner points.

examples:

Note that Arial is not serifed (the thickness of the letters remains consistent). These fonts are much more reliable, even at small point sizes. (Others include Swiss, Humanist, Futura, etc.)


 

Halftones

Any image that has shades of a color, as opposed to or in addition to the solid ink color, must be halftoned. This includes gradients, photos, and shadows. A halftone is basically a dot pattern that is created to simulate shades of the printed ink. All halftones are ‘screened’ at 55-LPI (lines per inch). TIP: When designing our own stickers, we tend to avoid using halftones, because they rarely come out perfectly on every sticker.

                                                   – example of a gradient (blend) with close-up at 55 LPI

(top) example of a photograph; (bot) halftoned at 55 LPI

see more halftone examples


 

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I create my artwork for the best printed result? Well, there are a million different ways, but here’s some hints:

  1. Make your design simple! Intricate and super-fine lines (less than 1pt) tend to dry up in the screen and will not show up on your sticker. For your reference, 1pt lines are roughly the same thickness as what a medium ball point will draw.
  2. Serifed fonts can be a nightmare for us — especially at small point sizes. Set all type to at LEAST 10 points. (Click the link to learn more about serifed fonts and view examples.)
  3. Don’t forget that the ink for your image will be screened onto your stickers through a 55-lpi (lines per inch) screen. That means that all halftones will turn out at 55-lpi (Click here to see more halftones, see examples of how they screen and how to use them well.)
  4. Unless you’re really handy with Photoshop, avoid using the Photoshop filters that make your artwork fuzzy – it will create halftones that tend to not print nicely. More to the point, if you’re not very comfy with your computer skills, keep your image limited to true blacks and whites and stay away from greys altogether.
  5. If you’re sending a computer file, please download one of our templates here . They’re all scaled to the correct dimensions and all have the correct minimum resolution of 300dpi.
  6. Please remember , we print directly from artwork you provide; we don’t usually design or lay out stickers unless you’re looking for something extremely simple. (We’re just too busy actually making the stickers to spend time on design).
  7. If you want a negative image printed, we can reverse your artwork — no problem, no extra charge. Our minimum quantity is 250 stickers for black and white stickers, and 250 for red and black stickers.

What is the +/- 10% overage/underage?

Due to unpredictable and unpreventable circumstances in the production of your stickers, the quantity ordered is subject to a +/- 10% overage/underage. This means, if you order 250 stickers, you will receive between 225 and 275 stickers. While it is extremely rare that a Sticker Guy! customer will actually receive a full 10% less than what they order (in fact it is more likely that he/she will receive a small percentage more), it is a standard practice in the printing industry to maintain this policy. If you require a precise number of stickers, it is recommended that you order at least 10% more than this number. For example, if you are making 1000 records and need stickers for each record, you should order 1100 stickers.


Can you bleed off the edges of the stickers?

Yes, no problem at all. Be sure to make crop marks at the corners of your sticker so we know exactly how to orient the art on the sticker. There is no extra charge for bleeds. You can also send us your art and have us reverse it (for no charge) to make it bleed.


Can I email the artwork to you?

Yes, it’s possible for us to check over any artwork prior to any order.

We don’t accept new orders over email or the phone, just through snail mail or via online order. We can do reorders over the phone.


Is black ink considered a color?

Yes, definitely. If you order stickers with black and blue ink on white vinyl, that is considered two colors (2c). The color of the vinyl, on the other hand, is NOT considered a color. Using the same example from above, black, white, and blue stickers are considered to be two-color (2c), provided that you print on white vinyl. If you were to print black, white and blue stickers on clear vinyl, that would be considered three colors (3c).


What does R&B stand for?

It means red and black ink on white vinyl. You can incorporate all three colors into your design however you want (i.e. you can have a red background and a white logo with a black outline).


What does 1c, 2c, 3c stand for?

It means one color of ink (1c), two ink colors (2c) and so on.


Can you print with different shades of black? (sometimes called “grey tones,” “tints,” etc) Yes. We never recommend it, but it usually comes out okay. The problem is that we have to make a 55-lpi (lpi means line per inch) halftone screen of all the shaded colors, and depending on the design it sometimes doesn’t look so hot. If you have Photoshop, you can change the image mode to bitmap, then select 55-lpi halftone and you’ll get an idea of what the sticker will look like once we print it.


What color inks can you use? Can I have a special color ink? Can you make full color stickers? We have several standard inks that you can choose from. We can also use a certain color if you can supply us with the PMS number – there is a $15 per color mixing charge for non standard inks.

We screen print up to 4 spot colors. Since 2011, we’ve had equipment to do full-color stickers, so YES, we can make full color stickers.


What kind of press do you use? Where did you get it?

We have two 1-color presses: one manual and one semi-automatic. We bought them used from a print shop that closed down.


Can I split my order and get one half black on white and the other half reversed?

Yes, if you order 500 or more B&W stickers. No extra charge for this service, just please be sure to make clear, explicit notes for us!

We cannot split orders of 250 black and white stickers.


Can you print me just one sticker?

Yes we can. Look for FULL COLOR STICKERS.


I want my logo to be white and the background to be black. Can I get white ink on black vinyl?

Yes, we can, but we recommend using white vinyl with black ink that bleeds off the edge of the sticker. It’s cheaper and the resulting contrast is better between the white and the black.


Does the listed price include tax?

There is no tax unless you live in Nevada. If you are a Nevada resident please add Nevada State sales tax to your order. (Our online order system will do so automatically)


Can I use my Sticker Guy! customer credit to pay for my order online?

Yes!

  • Use our online ordering systemPlease be sure to read the ordering instructions and artwork requirements on our site before beginning.
  • On the CONTACT INPUT page (where you enter your address), in the notes section please mention the fact that you have credit with us and the name  of the sticker guy or girl you’re working with.
  • Choose “Payment by Mail” as your payment option
  • Be sure to go all the way to the end of the order process and click the Send Order To Stickerguy button.

Is shipping included in the prices? How much is shipping? 

No.

Shipping is not included in the prices you’ll see on our website. Your shipping options are presented during checkout on our online ordering systemShipping is no longer included in B&W and R&B pricing. 


What about international orders?(outside the USA)

For international orders , shipping costs for all orders are calculated by our online order system. The easiest way to figure out how much it will cost to ship your order is to go through the ordering process during which you will be presented with all of your shipping options. Alternately, you can contact us for a quote.


Where are my stickers?

We are happy to answer this one all the time. All you need to do to find out is email or call us and we’ll let you know your order status. Click here for our contact info. Please remember that we do not make any guarantees for non-bulk orders and that all turnaround approximations are just that – approximations.


Can I make stickers in sizes not included on your pricelist? What about custom shapes?

We can easily do custom sizes for bulk orders. We can’t usually make vinyl stickers smaller than our smallest standard sizes (either 4.25″ x 1.38″ or 2.13″ x 2.75″). We can make paper labels smaller than that; please call us for label quotes. We can’t make stickers bigger than 12.5″ x 18″.

For custom shapes (die-cut stickers), please email us an outline of the size/shape you want the stickers, along with the color / vinyl /quantity info; it takes a day or two to figure out quotes for custom die-cut jobs, so please be patient. We can’t do plotter cut stickers (the kind where just the letters peel off). (Click the link to view examples of custom shaped stickers we’ve made.)


Can I cancel my order?

That depends on how far your stickers are into production. Up until the design gets placed on a sheet, you can change or cancel your order. Once they are on a sheet and added to the print calendar, they will print. Please do not contact us after you receive the “your stickers are scheduled to print” email and try to cancel. If you have received this email, your stickers are definitely scheduled to print and it is too late to pull them without facing cancellation fees to cover our costs.


Can I get a refund?

Our refund policy is as follows: if the reason you want a refund is because we made a mistake, then we will refund the entire payment amount. Otherwise, there will be a 3% service charge deducted from the refund.

For example: you place a $100 order for stickers for your band, but then you break up the following week. You cancel your order in time (see above “Can I cancel my order?”) and would like your money back. We will kindly send you a refund, but since it is due to no mistake of ours, the refund will be for $97.

This 3% fee covers the credit card / banking fees we paid in order to process your payment.

Refunds can take up to two weeks for processing.


Can I get printing on the backs of my stickers?

It depends on the vinyl you’d like to print on. Normally, we can print on the back of white vinyl, but lately, white vinyl with printable backing is not always available from our supplier. Please contact us and we’ll let you know if we can do it!


I received an email with my print date. Is there any way to print them sooner?

No, we’re very sorry but once you receive notification of your print date, it’s often very difficult to change it. Moving one order up means moving other orders down, which affects our other customers and distracts us from what’s most important: printing stickers. No one wants that. Under some circumstances, we can make rush arrangements for BULK orders –but it’s always best to let us know ahead of time — when you place your order — so we can plan accordingly.


What types of files do you accept?

Nowadays, we accept just about any file you can send us. The ones that will work the best are PDF, PSD, EPS, CDR, Illustrator, TIF, JPG (300-600 DPI)… just to name a few.


I’m unhappy with my sticker order. Can I get a refund?

If the reason you are unhappy with your stickers is because we made a mistake, we would prefer to make it right by fixing the mistake and printing the stickers again, or offer a credit for another order of stickers — but a refund is otherwise available if you return the stickers to us.

If you’re unhappy with your stickers because of an issue with the artwork supplied to us, our customer service team will work with you to determine the best resolution.

If you’re unhappy because we didn’t meet a deadline that we never promised to meet, there isn’t a whole lot we can do for you except offer our apologies and an explanation of how our rush arrangements and fees work.


FULL COLOR STICKERS - FAQs

Custom shapes will peel from a rectangular or square backing. We’ve found that doing this provides a cleaner cut and can provide a more detailed sticker shape. It’s also easier to peel and apply.

All custom shaped sticker artwork requires a solid line showing us the custom shape you want to order.  In this example, a red line is the cut-line and does not print, but shows the custom shape.

Our digital printing equipment is great for printing small quantities of stickers — with whatever colors you like, in any shape and size  — but it’s not really suited for larger quantities. If you need a bigger order, order in BULK and you’ll get a great price on higher quality, screen printed vinyl stickers.

Two reasons; they don’t look good and they don’t cut well.  We’ve found that tiny designs print very blurry.  Also, since there is always slight shifting with any cutting, it’s far more noticeable with tiny dimensions.  We recommend if you do print a small size, such as 2″ x 2″, to stay away from thin lines and small text.

MONTHLY SPECIAL STICKERS - FAQs

FOR THE PINK ON BLACK SPECIAL:

You can send your art in color, or in B&W. In almost every case we can use either — but, in order to avoid delays, please be sure to make it clear in your order notes which color you want where.

🔘 The PINK (or WHITE) in your design will be the PINK INK.
🔘 The BLACK in your design will be BLACK VINYL.

It’s best to submit artwork in Pink and Black so that we know exactly how you want your stickers to print. Like this:

However, if you submit artwork that is only black & white, the white portion will print as pink unless otherwise specified in your Order Notes. So, to get a sticker like the above, you should send your artwork like this:

FOR THE WHITE ON CLEAR MONTHLY SPECIAL:

Let’s keep it simple – send your art in B&W:

🔘 The WHITE in your design will be the CLEAR STICKER.
🔘 The BLACK in your design will be WHITE INK.

For example, if you send your artwork like this:

… it will print like this:

Thanks for reading!

Custom Design
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