Designing Your Own Stickers

We're your UK sticker printing professionals. With our industry experience, we see the difficulties customers experience when designing personalised stickers. Whether you have limited access to design tools or little design experience, we don't want this to be the roadblock to creating your ideal custom labels. Our Sticker Maker allows you to make your own stickers online, stress-free. When creating stickers, remember that size and shape are very important. They're meant to catch attention and as such, play a crucial role in the design process.

Handy Labels Sticker Maker

Handy Labels' Sticker Maker makes creating personalised stickers incredibly easy. With pre-made, free sticker templates, which you can edit to your custom requirements, you don't need a background in artworking to create professional labels.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make stickers using Handy Labels' free design tool:

  1. Go to the "Sticker Maker" page (available from the navigation menu), or just click here.

  2. Choose your shape, select your free template and choose your required material. We offer various sticker options, including round uncoated paper, custom shape textured paper or oil-proof laminated vinyl.

  3. Follow the order process to the artwork stage, where you can use our design tool to personalise your template.

  4. Save your design and proceed to the quantity stage.

  5. Review your order and add it to your cart. Checkout and pay for your order. Then, watch your inbox for your PDF proof for approval.

If you'd prefer to make your own design from scratch, you can use our design tool too. Simply follow the order process from a shape, material or product page, choose 'I will use the online design tool' and select the blank template.

Free Editable Templates

Sticker design doesn't need to be complicated. Our label templates have made it cost-effective and time-effective to make your own stickers. We have specific product-related templates, so you can brand your candles, food products or jars, for example.

free sticker design templates

Top Tips for Using Handy Labels' Free Design Tool

Here are some additional tips for making stickers using Handy Labels' free design tool:

    • Use our vast image and font libraries to make personalising your template super simple.

    • Think about the size. Bear in mind that the whole point of using stickers is to grab attention and size plays a big part in that. Consider where you’re planning to use the sticker to guide you here, and remember that bigger isn’t always better.
    • Make sure your text is easy to read. We recommend a font size no smaller than 4 point for legibility.

    • Nothing catches the eye like bright, bold colours. That said, sometimes a calmer colour palette can attract more attention in a crowded marketplace. You’ll know which you prefer based on its purpose, so just remember to keep any fonts simple and easy to read.

    • Let your creativity run wild. Branding your products should be an expression of you and your company.

    • If you are uploading your own media, choose high-quality images or graphics for your designs. This will ensure that your stickers look their best.

    • Consider sticker material, and again this will be primarily based around the purpose of the final label. We offer a wide range of sticker materials that feature fantastic durability, adhesion and UV resistance. Again, if you’re unsure what to choose here, get in touch with our team for expert guidance.

    • Have fun! Making stickers should be an enjoyable experience.

Label Design and Printing FAQs

how to make your own labels

Can my stickers be any shape or size?

Yes for sure, any shape is possible in our entire material range. Simply choose custom at the shape stage, input your largest height and width measurements and upload your artwork with a custom vector cut path following your shape.

How much do our stickers cost?

The great news is we try our best to keep our costs low, without hidden extras. Whether you are ordering custom shape or template stickers, the price you see is the price you pay.

Do you offer cheap sticker printing?

Cheap is not a word we like to associate with our products. Maybe it’s our pride getting in the way! That being said, Handy Labels are one of the most competitively priced sticker and label printers in the UK, so there’s sure to be a way you can find an ideal solution to your needs well within budget. We also offer an online discount to new visitors and a generous loyalty point scheme for returning customers.

What are stickers made from?

The majority and most popular choices consist either of paper or some form of plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride PVC or polypropylene with the addition of an adhesive backing and printed ink. We offer both material options, paper and vinyl to cater for all budgets and uses.

What’s the best sticker type to choose?

This depends on its final destination, purpose and budget. All of our material choices have a place in society whether it’s gloss paper labels for a beer bottle, neon vinyl for logo brand stickers or a waterproof laminated vinyl option for a label in an unusual shape. With so much choice on offer, we’re confident we can find your perfect match.

sticker label design

What’s the difference between paper and vinyl stickers?

The most obvious characteristic differences between the two are paper stickers can be easily torn in half and are not waterproof, whereas a vinyl label will stretch if tearing is attempted and they’re happy to live outside open to the elements for many years.

Paper stickers have been the mainstay of the labelling industry since the first commercial ones started appearing in the early Nineteenth Century. Paper is friendlier to the environment and cheap which is why it was used for this and a myriad of other purposes.

Vinyl is a relatively recent addition to the labelling world and has several distinct advantages. As mentioned, durability is an obvious advantage of vinyl over paper but there are other effects that are desirable. The matt or gloss effect is so much more pronounced and noticeable on vinyl and for extra protection, it can be laminated to make it oil and solvent resistant and novel effects can be used like brushed metal or a glittery finish for something a bit different.

What’s the difference between die-cut stickers and kiss-cut stickers?

Although both die-cut and kiss-cut stickers will look exactly the same when applied to your product, below explains the main differences between the two and why we choose a kiss-cut process over die-cut.

The term die-cut refers to any shape, be it standard or custom, that has both the sticker material and the backing sheet cut all the way through to create a single sticker to the exact shape of the design. Great for giving out as individual units at a promotional event but leaves them vulnerable to folding at the edges and makes peeling the back off a bit fiddly.

We prefer the kiss-cut method where during the cutting process, the sticker material is cleanly cut but the backing sheet is just “kissed”, leaving it intact. This process offers a more durable solution as the sticker edges are protected by the surrounding paper backing and removal from the backing is quicker, making for an easy peel and use action.

If you would like to know more, please read our blog post "What is the Difference Between Kiss Cut and Die Cut Stickers?".

kiss cut and die cut design example

How to measure an irregular shaped sticker?

To order on the website, you will need the overall dimensions to give an accurate price. The total height and width of your artwork are required to calculate the amount of label material needed to print your order. If you’ve already created your sticker design successfully, then you probably don’t need this advice but if you’ve yet to decide, read on.

The size of a sticker is dependent on the packaging or product that it will be stuck to. If the surface is flat then the decision is easy, just lay a ruler across the face that is to be used and simply measure the width and height, done. If the surface isn’t flat then we’ve got a handy solution for you, print and cut out the paper ruler below.

handy labels printable ruler

You can then measure the dimensions of the area that the sticker will be applied, as demonstrated in the video below and decide on the best size for your project.

Full instructions on printing and using this technique can be found in our measuring bottles guide.

What are the differences between the adhesives?

We supply a range of adhesive strengths from the easy-peel, removable labels to the extra permanent, high tack glue. If you need the customer to be able to take the label off without leaving a residue or damaging the product in any way then easy peel is your glue of choice.

For example, you may need to add a removable sticker to a book cover to promote sales, price labels, special offers, coupon stickers or return address labels are all routinely removed. Please note, the removable adhesive is low tack, so use wisely or ask for a handy sample pack to try before you buy.

In normal circumstances, our customers opt for permanent adhesive as it provides a best-of-all-world solution. Most uses are catered for and in practice choosing this glue provides the best all-round answer. Permanent adhesive will keep most labelling material firmly stuck to most packaging in all but the most extreme conditions.

If your sticker is liable to be exposed to extra-tough environments or the surface of the packaging has low surface energy such as LSE plastics or waxed surfaces then a super sticky adhesive is what you need. Extra permanent or high-tack is used when the label needs a bit of extra help. If a product will be left out at the mercy of the elements, especially here in the UK where the weather can go from one extreme to another or your product spends most of its life in wet conditions, then a bit of extra stickiness will keep the label firmly fixed.

Lastly, our adhesive-free, window self cling or static cling option. A perfect choice for retail window displays to promote seasonal sale offers with the beauty of being ‘peel and re-use’, also very popular for car windscreen stickers.

Top tip:

All you need is a smooth glass surface that has been pre-sprayed with a light mist of water, applying the stickers will be bubble-free and can be removed time and time again free from sticky residue.