Here is a quick list of what I view as the most common mistakes people make when they order custom stickers. They are in no particular order of importance, and by no means, the only “mistakes” made ordering custom stickers. I’ll follow this list of mistakes with what I feel are the 5 most important custom sticker tips for ordering stickers in bulk. First, consider these common mistakes
Common Mistakes Ordering Custom Stickers:
1) Thinking the stickers will be stuck “everywhere”.
We hear this ambitious dream a lot when working with clients at Websticker. The first order of concern should be that your custom stickers are stuck “somewhere” and that the design, size and style is tailored to promote application in certain targeted locations (like cars, or laptops, or water bottles, or helmets, or phones, etc.) Have a realistic plan before ordering custom stickers.
2) Not considering how you will distribute the custom stickers.
If you are going to include your sticker in mailings, you wouldn’t want custom sticker sheets that didn’t fit the envelope (or needed to be folded to fit). Costs may go up – effectiveness of presentation may go down. If you are hoping to distribute through partnerships with stores or other businesses you may want to consider back printing of stickers or co-op advertising before ordering custom stickers.
Sticker Tip: Knowing how most of your stickers will be distributed along with where you want them applied is essential when creating a perfectly tailored sticker for your needs.
3) Ordering custom stickers from a machine not a person.
I think it is important to know who is responsible for the quality, design and delivery of your order of custom stickers. A real person may have sticker tips on saving money with some simple changes or increasing the power of your custom stickers with design assistance. It is also easier to trust and form a relationship with a person – someone who you know will take care of problems, questions and future projects. Order custom stickers from real, accessible and trusted sticker experts.
4) Designing the custom sticker your self.
This ties into #3. Most sticker printers offer design help at no charge – why not get assistance and tips from people that do sticker design every day and know the marketing medium inside and out? It may be fun to use a DIY on-line design tool or play around with your design vision on Canva, that’s fine. But, have an expert fine tune and polish up the final design before you order custom stickers.
Sticker Tip: Promotional stickers (just like advertisements, billboards, logos, brochures, etc.) are reflections of your identity and integral to the power of your overall marketing campaign – make them as effective and professional as possible with available resources and budgets.
5) No guarantees on delivery time and quality.
Make sure there’s a written (and verbal) guarantee, especially if a certain quality (e.g. it has to stay stuck “here” for “this long”) or delivery on a certain date (e.g. we leave for a trade show “this day”) is essential. Read the guarantee before ordering custom stickers. Here’s our Websticker Guarantee.
6) Paying too much, not checking for price breaks.
While there is not a lot of haggling or negotiating of prices in the sticker-printing world, there are factors you should review in order to optimize value. Check prices at more than one company and make sure you’re comparing apples to apples (many different companies have different manufacturing processes with varying quality).
Sticker Tip: If you have followed my advice in #3 and are dealing with a real person, make sure you find out if any slight changes to size, shape, material, or quantity would alter sticker prices. Sometimes going a bit smaller may put you in a different price bracket. Perhaps there is a stock sized sticker or product that can be utilized with a few art adjustments? Perhaps you can drastically cut the per-piece price by paying just a little more and hitting a quantity price break?
7) Getting wrong quality for job – going “cheap”.
I said that these “mistakes” were in no particular order but this, I believe, is the most important when you order custom stickers. If you don’t get the sticker product needed to do the job (be it promotion, equipment tagging, temporary advertising, etc.) then you are wasting money. If going with the “cheapest price” sacrifices longevity, impact, delivery dates, or overall effectiveness, you overpaid. That is why the most important information you can pass along to a printer or supplier is what the custom stickers will be used for.
5 Top Sticker Tips For Businesses – Before You Order Custom Stickers
#1 – Create a sticker badge, not an ad or a label
What does your ideal customer/market want to say, show off, or represent?
#2 – Use sticker sizes and shapes that can go anywhere
Cars, laptops, phones, water bottles, helmets… do your sticker designs cover everywhere you (and your customer) want to be? Custom Sticker Sheets are awesome because you can have multiple sizes and designs on one sticker sheet to cover it all.
#3 – Quality! A quality custom sticker represents a quality company
Use quality vinyls and sticker print methods that hold up for years. Have a back slit for easy peel applications. Your sticker “badges” need to stay shiny and crisp while out representing your brand.
#4 – Encourage applications in the real world
There’s no word of mouth marketing or impressions if your custom stickers aren’t seen. Utilize design, graphics, back printing, contests, community pride, and targeted distribution to encourage displaying stickers.
#5 – Don’t stop distributing and ordering custom stickers
Expand your distribution. Strengthen your connections. Grow your impressions. Reinforce your branding. Nurture trust and pride amongst your core customers, members, fans or ambassadors. Stick with it!
Hopefully this quick-list of common mistakes when ordering custom stickers as well as essential sticker tips for businesses helps in creating and producing the perfect promotional stickers for your individual business needs. The staff at websticker is happy to help recommend product styles, review sticker designs, develop new sticker designs and answer any additional questions you might have. And, if you have questions or want immediate sticker tips from a “real” person, feel free to pick up the phone and give us a call; 1-802-253-2011 (9-5 eastern time). We do not want anyone to order custom stickers before completely optimizing sticker designs and prices.
Other helpful sticker tips & sticker ordering links:
Get Custom Stickers Price Quote
Ask Any Sticker Related Questions
Only Need a Small Run of Stickers?
Jeff Nicholson is the founder and Creative Director at 
13 Responses
Cool info!
It’s good to know that you shouldn’t be designing the sticker yourself for your business. I bet that there are a lot of ambitious people out there who would want to try their hand at making stickers, but I agree that it is good to let a professional handle that. Plus, like you said, a professional can fine-tune or approve a design you’ve made. However, that means you also need to find a professional who has very good tastes.
These are some great words of caution to consider before ordering custom labels. I think your two tips concerning the prices are really smart. I agree that the cheapest option is not usually the best, but at the same time, I would like to get a great deal. I’m planning on getting quotes from different companies before I make and order with one.
Always smart to compare prices and quality for a couple different production options.
Probably true of a lot of promotional products, people have a tendency of going with the cheapest option possible. This oversight doesn’t end up saving money in the end, because whether it is a sticker that fades rapidly or a branded pen that doesn’t work well, it reflects your company/brand. What are you really trying to do accomplish with these promotional tools? Assuming it is to draw people in, it is worth the extra pennies per item to give them a great first impression.
I don’t put many stickers on my car but the ones I do have to be high quality, not fade and well designed. I also put stickers on my laptop and water bottle. I’ve had some on my water bottle that have gone thru the dishwasher countless times and held up. Others degrade after one washing. Websticker makes sure their clients get quality design and quality product.
If I’m about to spend a couple hundred dollars on stickers, I want to be sure I’m getting the best quality for my money – and something that is going to work best for my application. Ordering online without actually talking to someone about what I’m looking for scares me. At Websticker, they always answer the phone and can always point you in the right direction – and not only that, but their stickers are screen printed so you know they’re going to hold up in extreme weather conditions!
I have used 4 suppliers for outdoor stickers. All swore that there products did not fade. Two faded horribly. Funny, that it does not neccessarily have to do with price. websticker.com stickers have held up great and at a much lower price than the other company that held up.
We are looking for someone who can make car window stickers. Do you do this?
Hi George – Yes, if it sticks we can make it. Different people have different meanings in mind when they use the term “window stickers” but whatever the style you are referring to we cover it. The easiest way to get a quote and suggestions is to contact us through the quote form on our site – https://www.websticker.com/custom-quote/
Thanks for all seven steps, “how true”.
Thanks for the advise.
Interesting post!! Really helpful.
Thanks…
I've found it quite helpful to request samples from companies as you're shopping around. Companies with high-quality products are always willing to send out examples of their work. I know Websticker.com is always willing to send out samples!