Marketing yourself professionally is just as important as having a top notch product or service that you are selling. A sloppy professional presence can be the difference between trust in your business or a healthy dose of skepticism. One of the ways that I elevated my professional presence is using beautifully designed printed promotional products. Stickers, in particular, have been one way for me to level up my brand aesthetic without a high cost. Paying attention to the details matters. This solution is an easy way to add that extra touch that you just might need.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored blog post. Keep in mind that I partner with companies and their products because of their quality, and not because of any incentive that I receive. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

WHY STICKERS?

Stickers can be used in so many ways. You can feature your logo to promote your brand, use them as a shipping label for packaging, or as a textural add-on to official documents. You can also print designs or artwork on them to sell as individuals items or in packs in your shop. There’s no limit to the imagination on how you can use stickers in your creative business, so think outside the box!

CHOOSING A STICKER SUPPLIER

Now that we know there are many ways you can use stickers, where do you to get them printed? With so many options for companies out there how do you begin to choose? Here are some considerations when choosing a company to print through:

When I was making my own decision, there were a lot of companies that were appealing to me. Ultimately, I decided to go with an online Canadian company called StickerCanada. Not only did they have exactly what I was looking for, but they were a great price point. As the name would indicate, I was also able to pay for my order in Canadian Dollars. While I frequently use American or international companies for various services, not having to pay in a foreign currency was a huge plus for me.

DON’T SKIP THE STICKER SAMPLE PACK

I highly recommend ordering a sample pack from any online printing company before you order from them. This is the best way to get an idea of what your stickers might look like. It also helps you make an informed decision on the quality and finish. You may think you want matte finish stickers only to find that the gloss actually makes your design pop more. 

StickerCanada offers a sample pack for $1 CAD. Honestly, this isn’t a lot to get high quality samples of their products. There’s even is a little pop out on the lower right hand side that will take you directly to page where you can order one. There’s also a short little video that shows you exactly what you get in your pack. On some competitor websites, you have to search to see if they even offer sample packs. I love that this is easy to access right away.

Don’t want to order a sample pack? No Problem. StickerCanada has a gif as part of their product images that shows a hand moving the sample sticker side to side. You can get a sense of the finish from a visual perspective without needing a sample in front of you. 

EASE OF ORDERING

As a graphic designer, my comfort level ordering printed products is high. I’m very well versed in print lingo and the professional programs that are used to create print items. A sign of a great company, in my opinion, is one that sets you up for a successful print whether you are a designer or not. One of the things that I love about StickerCanada’s website is that they provide you with various sized downloadable templates in either Illustrator .ai format or as a PDF.

They also give you and explanation on what all the designy printing terms mean like bleed, trim and safety. If you scroll down further on their Artwork Guide page, it will give you more visual examples of best practices for your design. This is a great feature for anyone without a design background and a great reminder for those who may still be novices.

Now with that said, some graphic design experience is definitely an asset here. I feel like they have explained everything pretty clearly however, and the template makes it fool proof. There are many low cost or free alternatives to Adobe programs, but none compare to the actual programs in my opinion. The StickerCanada template is easy to use as long as you follow their provided instructions even if you are inexperienced in Illustrator.

PROOFING AND DELIVERY

Once you’ve submitted your order, a member of the StickerCanada’s Customer Service team will contact you. They will flag any issues there might be with your file as well as provide a proof of your order. This is an important time to check your proof carefully and make sure that everything looks correct. This is especially important if you have text included.

The turnaround time is super fast and their team is super lovely to deal with. I also love that an actual person takes the time to review your file and send you the proof. If you have any questions or any issues arise, they are able to help you before your order goes out the door. 

They have a very thorough FAQ section on their website which is a great resource. This is essential for any online print provider to have for their customers. 

STICKY CONSIDERATIONS

My last recommendation when ordering from any company is to start with smaller print runs. Typically when you order high quantities of products you get a bigger overall discount. You have to take into consideration if you will actually go through all of the stickers that you order though. If you order 1000 stickers with your logo on it, are you going to go through of them before you decide to rebrand?

You may not be concerned about waste if you have handful left over. Having 500 or more however, is a lot to throw away from a money and physical product perspective. Many sticker types, especially vinyl, are NOT recyclable. It’s important to consider what you might be putting into the environment as potential waste.

When printing stickers with your artwork on it, I would recommend doing a pre-sale on the designs you want to sell. This give you a cash injection to pay for the initial printing costs, and help you get an accurate idea of overall demand for a particular design. 

THE RESULTS

Here are a couple examples of how I use stickers in my business. Both of these samples have been printed through StickerCanada and I love how they turned out. 

The first example is gold embossed stickers that I use for my certificates of authenticity. The gold itself is pretty nice but the embossing ads that extra touch for giving it a seal effect. It’s super quick and easy to just place the seal on my certificates as part of my packing process.

The next example is has my logo seal and an illustration I created with my primary brand colour. This has a multi-purpose use function in that I can use it on the sleeves of prints that I sell, as a seal for the tissue when I’m wrapping a commission or as a brand awareness label on the outside of shipping envelopes. I’m also using them inside the front cover of my sketchbooks. 

The durable and semi permanent nature of stickers make them a great addition to your existing brand materials. Take some time to find the right supplier for you. I can’t stress enough how useful a sample pack is. Look for companies that offer great customer service and who give you tools to help you create a successful order. With so many finish options and customizations available, stickers are a great way to add a little personality and level of polish to your existing brand presence.

For more information on StickerCanada visit their website at: https://www.stickercanada.com/