We have a comprehensive set of instructions on our Applications Instructions page and a set of these instructions will be mailed with each sticker order.

The life of a sticker depends on the type of sticker material and where its placed. Stickers made out of vinyl and adhesive have a lifespan of up to 5 years while stickers made from cling last up to 6 months. Some specialty materials such as glow in the dark vinyl is not intended for long term outdoor use however it will still last indoors for up to 5 years. Perforated film that creates one-way visibility with its perforated vinyl pattern will last up to 3 years.

For more detailed information on the types of materials we offer check out our stickers materials page.

Uploading an existing image or design to create a custom sticker is easy! However, there are some common issues with uploaded files that can hold up the production process. Below are a list of best practices for uploaded files that can help you avoid delays in receiving your order.

When you place an image or file into your illustrator document, make sure the file is embedded. With the placed file selected, you can see whether the image is Linked or Embedded in the top left corner of the document.

After you’ve designed your sticker in Illustrator or other design software, make sure that your fonts are outlined. When artwork is submitted without outlined text, we may not have the fonts needed to print your design as you created it.

If you are ordering a sticker where the only color in the design is white, you can choose from a white transfer sticker or a clear vinyl sticker with the design printed in white. Transfer stickers have the design cut out of a piece of white vinyl and then have the background elements removed. Clear vinyl stickers have the design printed in an opaque, white ink and can either be die cut around the shape of your design or cut to a standard shape, such as a circle, square, or oval.

**In some cases, where a transfer sticker is too small to cut, we may recommend changing to a sticker printed on clear vinyl.

While ordering a sticker sheet, cut paths are signified by a 1 pt. stroke around your artwork. The stroke must be a spot color with the name “CutContour." For detailed instructions on how to add cut paths to your artwork in Adobe Illustrator, please view this short tutorial video.

If you would like a sticker sheet, but don’t want to worry about setting up your own cut paths, simply select the “I need cut paths” option.

We often receive white artwork on a black background from customers who want to purchase a white transfer sticker. Please submit your artwork as a black image on a white background. Once you upload your file you will be able to select the color of your sticker.

You can check your file type by looking at the extension at the end of your file name. Example: transfer_sticker_file.eps

One way designers get around being stuck with one size is to design in vector art programs (typically Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw). Vector art programs use paths and shapes instead of pixels (Raster images) to determine shape and color. These shapes and paths can be enlarged and are not dependent to a pixel size, so their quality remains intact when sized. Typically people use vector programs to create logos and text, but are popular amongst designers because of their friendliness towards scalability. Visit our vectorization to find out about getting YOUR artwork vectorized.

Our stickers come in a variety of thicknesses based on material type and lamination options. Please see the table below to find the thickness of the sticker material you are looking for. We have included the thickness of the sticker alone as well as when it is still secured to the backing.

Sticker Material Thickness

At Carstickers.com, we measure and price all our stickers based on square inches. The easiest way to figure out the square inches of a sticker is to multiply the width by the height. For example, a sticker that is 4”W x 4”H (4 inches wide and 4 inches high), and a sticker that is 2”W x 8”H (2 inches wide and 8 inches high), will cost the same because they are both 16 square inches.

These measurements are based on the widest and tallest areas of the sticker's shape when a straight line is measured from left to right and top to bottom.

Please note: The measurements are taken when the design is upright and in the same position as it will be applied. This ensures the sticker you order will fit in the space intended. In theory, a diamond-shaped sticker could be rotated 45 degrees and measured as a square, but a 3”x3” diamond and a 3”x3” square rotated 45 degrees are not the same size and will not fit in the same space.