How to Make Stickers to Sell

Looking for a way to make some extra income online and have a passion for creating? Selling your own handmade stickers and starting a sticker business is the perfect way to do this! How do you actually create these stickers though? 

You can make printable or digital stickers to sell. There are so many opportunities in the sticker niche to stand out!

We are going to cover how to make stickers to sell online.

How to Make Stickers to Sell Online

Before you start making stickers, think about the kinds of stickers you would like to make.

You can create stickers that are printed out, or digital stickers.

Print stickers can be used in planners, for business promotion, in activity books, and in so many other ways!

Digital stickers can be used in a digital planner on a tablet such as an iPad. They can also be given away as promotional items for people such as video game streamers.

Whichever type of sticker you decide to create, just know that you can design both types on a numerous amount of software programs.

Design your stickers 

To get started selling stickers, the first step is creating your designs. There are a few ways to do this, either with free design platforms or paid platforms. You can design digital stickers in the programs discussed below.

You can use free platforms like Canva or PicMonkey, or use paid platforms like ProCreate.

Use the platform that you feel most comfortable with and will work best for the type of design you want to create. 

Once you decide on a place to get started, you can start designing your sticker! 

Canva has sticker templates to help you start with the correct size and potentially give you ideas of where to go with your design. Note though that you cannot sell the sticker templates that Canva provides. Use them for practice and then create your own from scratch.

If you’re using ProCreate, you can use an Apple pen to draw out your design and really add a handmade touch. 

Sell your stickers

After designing, printing stickers and cutting them then you are ready to start selling! There are different ways you can sell stickers, including Etsy, your own website using Shopify, or simply through social media. 

We are going to cover how you can sell stickers online on Etsy, as this platform is perfect for selling handmade products. 

How to Make Stickers to Sell on Etsy

Selling stickers is a great way to make an income on Etsy. You can easily print them off at home on sticker paper and ship out to buyers, sell them digitally, or use a third-party printing service. Whichever way you choose, you can list your sticker designs on Etsy to start bringing in income. 

Printing stickers at home can keep your prices low. You can print as many as you’d need and when you need them, versus having to print a large amount from a third-party service.

Once you have your stickers ready to go, there are a few things to think about when it comes to selling your stickers. 

Etsy Fees

Opening an Etsy shop is completely free, but it does charge a number of fees for listings, transactions, tax, as well as shipping. 

For listings, Etsy charges $.20 on every listing you publish and is charged whether or not you make a sale. 

When you sell an item, you will automatically be charged 5% (6.5% as of April 2022) of the price of your product.

Shipping fees will depend on your shipping option. Sellers can purchase shipping labels to send out the customers orders and this additional fee is covered by the customer.

As for taxes, whether you’re selling digital or physical items, you will be required to pay taxes for said item. The cost of this tax will vary depending on the item and state you reside in. Etsy provides more information on taxes on their website.

How to Make Planner Stickers to Sell

To create planner stickers to sell, you can again use a platform like Canva or PicMonkey or you can create them directly on a Cricut or Silhouette. 

These machines not only have software for creating your designs, but also help you print and cut your designs. 

How do you create planner stickers to sell? It all depends on which type of planner stickers you want to make. 

Here are some ideas of the type of stickers to create for planners: 

• Important event stickers like birthdays, weddings, pay day, etc. 
• Decorative print stickers like washi tape, hearts, emojis, quotes, etc. 
• Organizing stickers like monthly and weekly boxes, checklists, priority lists

There is such a wide range of options for you to choose from when creating planner stickers to sell, and you just need to find a way to make yours stand out from the rest!

When you find specific styles of stickers you want to create for planners, you can then turn these into templates that you can use each time you want to list a new design. 

This way you simply have to change the colors and style and easily add another design to your shop. 

Once you design your stickers, you just need to print onto sticker paper and cut them and list them on a selling platform and you can start making sales.

How to print printable stickers

Once you have your stickers ready to print, you have to figure out a few logistics. If you are printing them at home, you have to decide on which type of paper to use: paper or vinyl. 

Paper isn’t waterproof and is more often used for labeling products. Vinyl stickers are a bit thicker, shinier, and much more durable. 

So it depends on which type of sticker you are looking for!

Inkjet printers are a cheaper option since they’re more accessible. But they are not as cost-effective if you are going to do full prints or saturated images.

Laser printers are more pricey because the quality of the print is much higher. There is no smearing or rubbing off. The hardware and ink is expensive, but you pay more upfront for the quality and something that will last a long time.

Outsourcing printing

You also have the option to use a printing service for printing your stickers. Some online printing services that are popular for stickers are:

• Sticker Mule: offers durable vinyl, slightly less pricey than Sticker Ninja
• GotPrint: the cheaper option, but does not do vinyl printing
• Sticker Ninja: also offers durable vinyl, more pricey than Sticker Mule

This is a way to take printing off your hands, but is definitely a bigger expense that you would have to factor into your sticker price. 

This is something that you can consider as an option for your sticker business. 

Cut your stickers

There are plenty of cutting tools out there but the two most common machines used by sticker sellers are the Cricut and the Silhouette Cameo. 

Yes, these are very pricey and are definitely an investment for your business. You can attempt to use scissors for your stickers, but for selling these and making your product look professional, you’ll need something higher-quality. 

Plus, having to sit and cut out each sticker when you have dozens of orders isn’t practical. 

So either the Cricut or Silhouette would be the best option to cut out your stickers. 

Packaging your stickers

Packaging is an important part of running a business on Etsy, and really can set your shop apart from another shop. 

But it also doesn’t matter how pretty your packaging is for your print stickers, if it doesn’t arrive in one piece to your customer. If it arrives damaged, that will take away from the work you put into making your packaging look nice. 

Simply putting your sticker in a letter envelope with a regular stamp may be tempting, but it may not be the best choice for your business. 

Yes there may be extra costs to ship it otherwise, but it is a better option than having to refund a customer’s order, remake it, or end up with a bad review that affects future orders. 

So instead, don’t comprise the package’s protection for style and opt for rigid mailers. 

You can even place your stickers in cellophane bags or little paper bags for another layer of protection, wrap it up in tissue paper, and some fun washi tape to close it. 

You also should include some type of business card or thank you card along with your stickers to encourage the buyer to return to your shop, or share with a friend!

Shipping labels

When shipping out your order from someone on Etsy you have to generate your shipping label, print it, cut it out and ship the item. Which can be very time-consuming! 

One way to save some time would be to purchase adhesive shipping labels, that are easy to print on and quickly adhere to your packages. 

Another option is a label printer, like the Rollo printer. This can print out dozens of labels in just under a minute and doesn’t use up ink. It can work with UPS, USPS, and FedEx. 

How to Make Digital Stickers to Sell

As we have already mentioned, there are a few different ways that you can make digital stickers to sell. There are many platforms to choose from and much of it depends on what platform you find easiest and best fits what you want to create. 

Below we will discuss some of our favorite programs for creating digital stickers and how to use them.

Canva

Creating stickers with Canva is extremely user-friendly, as they have templates exactly for this purpose! Simply go to Create a Design and search for “Sticker”. 

This will pull up some different shapes of stickers and once you select your style, you will be directed to a blank canvas where you can begin designing. 

Here, you can start adding text or graphics. To add text, click on the text menu on the left-hand side. Here you can add in a text box where you can change the fonts, colors and size. 

You can also add images or graphics by selecting Elements and searching for the type of image you are looking for. 

There is also an option to upload images, which is helpful if you created your design in a different platform or purchased any type of graphics or clipart. 

Finally, if you need some type of inspiration or ideas you can view the sticker templates that Canva offers. 

Once finished, you can download your design, or print your stickers directly through Canva. 

Powerpoint 

Microsoft PowerPoint is actually useful for more than just powerpoints, which includes creating digital planners and stickers. 

To create a sticker design you start with a blank presentation and delete the title box inside the first slide. 

You can insert a desired icon or text and fully customize everything by changing colors, adding shade effects, adding outlines, etc. 

This is where you can really go wild. Change the color, add shade effects, outlines, anything you want goes.

Then, to use this sticker design, you will select Save As and export the document as a PNG file. 

PicMonkey

PicMonkey is another platform very similar to Canva that works great for creating digital sticker designs. It has the option of a free version, as well as a paid version. 

You can do everything you need using just the free version, but if you want just a few more abilities then you can opt for the paid version. 

To start creating your sticker design you can either search for a clip art or drawn design, or choose from elements already on PicMonkey. 

Open up a blank canvas and choose custom size. From here you can select Graphics and add in a chosen file to your canvas. 

If you have a color theme in mind that you want to use, you can create a color palette on PicMonkey and even use it for future stickers. 

You can change the color of the shape by selecting the shape and using the eyedropper tool to pick up and save colors you want. 

Once you’re finished, simply download your design and it’s ready to use!

ProCreate

ProCreate is a software that gives creatives and non-creatives an opportunity to make digital art. It is a paid app, a one-time payment of $10, and does require an iPad. 

It works even better with an Apple pencil, but that isn’t a necessity to use the app. 

Basically this app is like drawing with traditional mediums that you’d use on paper, but on a digital screen instead.

To create sticker designs you can freehand your design, import images, or do a combination of both by cutting and pasting or tacting the image. 

From here you can really customize the design. Remove the background, add a white outline around your sticker, and any other details to make your sticker stand out. 

Once you’re done, just save the file as a PNG!

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is another great option if you are looking for a high-end and quality program that is similar to Photoshop or Illustrator, but without a high price tag. 

The cost for this program is $50 for the computer version and $20 for iPad. So it is much higher than every other option, but does give you a wider range of tools. 

To create a digital sticker with Affinity Designer, start by inserting your dimensions or choose a template canvas. Click the “transparent” option for the background. 

You can choose to either draw an image with the brush tool, or use the library filled with shapes. There is also an option to upload your own image and crop around it to remove the background.

Continue to customize the design as desired, and then export as a PNG file.

How to Make Stickers to Sell with Cricut

Cricut is a great way to not only design your stickers, but to print them out as well. You can create your own artwork straight on Cricut, or upload your design. 

You can add shapes and words right on the platform, or upload a design you drew by hand and turn into a digital design. 

Something to note is to make sure you make the design one layer and flatten it. This is at the bottom right hand of your screen when you are in the Cricut software.

A few things to consider when creating sticker designs on Cricut: 

• Use a cohesive style and palette. Especially if you are creating a set of stickers, you want them to have a cohesive look, as well as having a branding style. 
• Make the art bigger than it needs to be. Start with a large canvas and you can resize it in Cricut. This will allow you to use the art in other ways if needed. 
• Remember that Cricut Print then Cut has a size limit. The designs need to be smaller than 6.75″ x 9.25″ to print on an 8.5 x 11” piece of paper. 
• Have a delicate design? You may want to add a white background around the edge of your design to make it sturdier. 

You can export a design individually, or resize to fit multiple stickers on a page. Then you can use the Cut operation on Cricut and select Print then Cut to easily complete your sticker. 

How to Make Stickers to Sell without Cricut

Although Cricut is a very convenient way to create and print out designs, not everyone can afford the price tag. There are plenty of other ways that you can create and sell sticker designs that are free or at a lower price. 

We have already mentioned some of these other options, but here are a few ways you can create stickers without a Cricut: 

• Canva
• PicMonkey
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• ProCreate
• Affinity Designer
• Silhouette Cameo

These are the best options for you to create your own stickers to sell, with both free and paid platforms. 

How to Make Vinyl Stickers to Sell

You know how you can print on paper in your desktop printer? You can print on vinyl too, which is the best option for printed stickers! 

But… what about regular vinyl? Nope! If you try printing on regular vinyl, it won’t soak into the vinyl. It just pools and runs off the page. 

So it is best to just use printable vinyl, as it comes with a special coating on one side that can be printed on beautifully.

When you design with printable vinyl, you don’t need to cut out the insides of letters or the centers of objects to make them visible. 

This way, you can get color effects and details that just won’t work with regular adhesive vinyl, like watercolor, shading, and intricate line work.

When you’re using a vinyl cutter, like a Cricut or Silhouette, you can make vinyl stickers even easier. Since it takes the hard work of printing and cutting it for you!

You can also make printable vinyl waterproof by adding a layer of clear vinyl on top. This way you can use it on mugs, water bottles, your bike, etc. 

Vinyl stickers give you a lot of options for use and is better for buyers!

Is it Profitable to Sell Stickers? 

The answer is definitely yes! If you have a design that is unique and in demand, then you can definitely make a profit on your stickers!

If you choose to only sell a digital file of your stickers, it can be especially profitable since you only have to create the design once and sell it over and over again. The price would be lower to sell the product, but can give you the opportunity to sell it easier!

If you are selling physical stickers, as long as you take into account your expenses and use cost-effective supplies, then you can still make it profitable. 

It all depends on how quality your design is, how you market your designs, and how you make yours stand out among the many, many stickers already on the market. 

But, it can definitely be profitable to sell stickers!

Final Thoughts

Selling stickers is a great way to use your artistic abilities and turn it into an income! There is such a wide range of ways to create your designs. This gives you an opportunity to find out which works best for you and decide what you like best. 

Start creating stickers and bringing in those sales!

share this: