out of 5 based on
Sticker Jargon
Hey, newbie. When making your stickers, you’ll probably come across a word or two that might seem like a load of mumbo jumbo. If so, just take a quick peek at this list to find the word you’re looking for. If it’s not here, please holler at us and we’ll make sure to add it to the list.
Oh, and why not check out our Youtube-channel, where you’ll find some handy tutorials to help you with things like effect layers.
Sticker Dictionary- FAQ
Back Paper → The stuff you peel your sticker off of. Why not print something fun on it with our back paper print?
Bleed → A safety margin that leaves a little wiggle room for the machine when cutting your sticker, to make sure that there are no unprinted spaces.
CMYK → Stands for Cyan / Magenta / Yellow / Key (black), the color mode used for print. Make sure to change the color mode on your computer to CMYK when making your design, to get the correct color reproduction.
Contour → the outside edge of your design. When cut this way, it’s called Contour-Cut/Die Cut.
Crack Back → The back paper has a slit that makes it easier to peel off.
Cutline → The edge of your sticker, i.e. where the cutting machine cuts it. Want to learn more about cutline?
Die-Cut → These individual stickers are cut through both the vinyl and back paper, and can be printed in any shape or size to make your custom sticker.
Digital proof → An overview of your design in the editor to provide an idea of what a finished product will look like post-production. We offer digital instant proof on custom stickers in our editor that will show your art and the cutline. Leave us a comment if you have any special requests.
DPI (dot per inch) → A term to describe the resolution/ sharpness of an image. The standard dots-per-inch resolutions for printed imagery is 300 dpi.
Full-color print → Printing process that combines different percentages of the four CMYK colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black) to create any color you can imagine.
Hi-tack adhesive → a pressure-sensitive adhesive. It enables a very strong bond between the sticker and the surface it's applied to. Great for skateboard stickers and Industrial strength stickers.
Kiss-Cut → These individual stickers are cut through the vinyl, but not the back paper. The sticker has a backing that’s bigger than the design, usually a square. Make your own kiss-cut stickers here. Used on the custom sticker sheet
Layers → When making your stickers, you’ll need to submit your file in layers. This is especially important if you want a material other than white vinyl, so we know where to add the effect.
Low-tack adhesive → a pressure-sensitive adhesive. It creates a mild bond that makes the sticker easy to remove from the surface it’s applied to, great if you want a sticker on the wall. Want this? Go to Removable Stickers!
Low-resolution image → A low-quality image with a low level of sharpness achieved by a lower amount of dots per inch, which will make your sticker blurry in print. We recommend to create your file in 300 dpi for the crisp outcome.
Micron → short for micrometer is used for the thickness of the material.
Opacity → The transparency of a white layer measured in percent, the strength of the effect. It allows you to lower the effect of the special material to not overpowering your design.
PET-laminate → a sturdy film that protects the sticker from weather elements.
Premium PP film → A 100 % recyclable thermoplastic from which almost all of our stickers are made.
Proof → A complete digital mock-up to provide an idea of what the finished product will look like post-production. It will show the art and the cutline and also what parts of your design will have the effect if you choose any of our special materials. The gray area represents a white layer of what parts of the design will be flat colors/white, while the parts that are showing as normal will have the effect.
RGB → Stands for Red / Green / Blue, the color mode used for digital work. If you’re making your design on your computer, you’re probably working in RGB. Make sure to change it to CMYK to get the correct color reproduction.
Sticker Sheet → Pretty much what it sounds like. Multiple designs on one single sheet. All sticker sheets are kiss-cut.
Vector → Shapes and lines that are built by algorithms (points) instead of pixels, which will not reduce in quality when expanded or reduced in size.
White layer → A layer printed under colors that should remain a solid color and where the chosen effect material will not show through.
Looking for some inspiration?
Check out some of the fine-looking work below, all made by you folks. A whole array of different shapes, sizes and materials that just goes to show that our die-cut stickers are just as customizable as we make them out to be.
