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Understanding Material Effects: How To Make Stickers, Part 4
We have arrived at the most exciting part of all:
How to transform your cool design into an epic sticker!
Making a great sticker starts with a great idea, but the real magic happens when you understand how materials and material effects work together. Think of it as design plus chemistry plus a little creative flair. Material effects can be added to all our special materials, which means you have endless freedom to play.
TL;DR: Material effects turn flat designs into stickers with depth, shine, and serious wow-factor. Use them to reveal the material underneath, highlight details, or create shimmer and contrast. Plan intentionally, keep a separate effect layer in the file, and think about how your design will look in different lighting.
Effects are available on most materials, and you can order them in three ways:
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Leave us a comment
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Create them in the live editor, or
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Upload a custom effect layer.
Regardless of which option, if you get stuck or need help, our support team will happily handle the nerdy parts for you.
Avoid effect overload, unclear layers, and too many details on tiny stickers. Keep it crisp, intentional, and fun.
Material Effects and Placements
Material effects allow parts of your design to shine through, reflect light, or create depth by revealing the material underneath. This could mean holographic highlights on a character, mirror glints on lettering, transparent parts that look like glass, or bold, glittery shapes that contrast against an opaque background. Effects turn a flat design into an experience.
To get the most out of material effects, start by thinking intentionally.
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Which areas should draw the eye?
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Should the background stay opaque while specific details shimmer?
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Should your stars, outlines, or textures glow when the light hits them?
With material effects, you are not just printing your art; you are sculpting it.
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How to Design and Prepare Your Files
Here is where the magic happens. Prepping your design for material effects is easier than it sounds, and a little planning goes a long way:
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Think contrast: Effects pop most when placed next to opaque areas. Plan your design so the effect has something solid to play against.
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Preview mentally: Ask yourself, How will this look in different lighting? This helps you balance subtle vs bold effects.
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Use a separate effect layer: Keep your artwork layer separate from your effect layer. The effect layer is where you tell us exactly which areas you want to shine.
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Use solid shapes: When you mark effect areas, use solid, non-transparent shapes. This helps keep the placement crisp and intentional.
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Name the effect layer: To make sure we prep your file correctly, naming the effect layer is important. Read more about this below.
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How to Order Custom Stickers With Material Effects
Now, to get the awesomeness going, you have three options to choose from, but most importantly:
ANYONE can order custom stickers with material effects!
If you don’t know how to create an effect layer, or don’t have a design program, please remember our customer & graphic support will do the job for you, free of charge!
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Choose your material. Material effects are available on all materials, except for reflective, Kraft paper, and Glow-in-the-Dark.
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Select your laminate. Glossy, matte, or cracked ice.
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Upload your artwork file.
Comment-based Ordering
You don’t have to be a sticker design pro to order custom stickers with material effects. The easiest way? Just tell us what you want by leaving a comment when you place your order.
For example:
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“Make all green areas with material effect.”
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“30% effect on the light blue parts, full effect on the dark blue parts, the rest opaque.”
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“Full effect on the red hearts, and on the border.”
These are all great examples of clear, helpful comments. The more specific you are, the better we can match your vision, and if anything’s unclear, our team will always double-check before printing. Easy, flexible, and totally in your control.
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Upload a Custom Effect Layer
If you want to have full control of your sticker design, creating a custom effect layer is your best option. This can be done by either including a separate layer in the file or uploading it separately.
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Uploading a separate custom effect layer is possible with these materials: Holographic, transparent, glitter, prismatic, brushed aluminum, and mirror.
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If included in the file, place it in a separate layer, and name it properly: “DO NOT PRINT - 30 % effect on this area” is a great way of telling us exactly what you want.
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Leave a comment saying to follow your custom effect layer so we don’t miss it
That’s it. We handle printing, laminating, cutting, and all the finicky stuff, so you get finished stickers that look exactly as you envisioned them.
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Design Using Our Live-Editor
Our live editor allows you to choose your desired effect placement for all colors. When uploading your artwork, the editor scans the file and prepares it for you to design it live:
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Most colors in your uploaded file can be found under your design for complete creative freedom.
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Choose the color by clicking it, and decide if you want to have it with full color (no effect), colored effect (color-tinted material effect), or full effect (no color, just the raw material).
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If you want the border or the sticker without effect, please leave a comment.
Once you’re happy with your choices, do a final check and place your order, easy as that. Want something extra specific? Leave us a note, and our production team will make sure your sticker turns out exactly how you imagined it.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
Every creator makes a few oops moments every now and then, so here is how to skip them entirely.
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Effect overload: More is not always more. Use effects intentionally, not everywhere.
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Forgetting contrast: If everything shines, nothing stands out. Choose your focal points.
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Unclear effect layers: Blurry, semi-transparent, or low-res effect layers can lead to unexpected results. Keep them crisp.
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Overcomplicating small stickers: Tiny designs can lose detail if you add too many effect elements.
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Ignoring the material: Some materials naturally glow more than others. Let the material and your effect placement work together.
When you keep these in mind, your stickers will look polished, professional, and super fun to peel and show off.
Eager To Learn More?
Don’t miss the other parts of the How to Make Stickers series! Follow the links below to catch up on previous posts or continue reading.
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