Time to learn how to prep your
Personalised Stickers

How do you prepare your file? What file types can you use? What is the difference between RGB and CMYK and all of the other questions you may have - you'll find the answer here!

What file types do we accept?

We accept PDF, PNG, JPG, SVG, TIF, GIF, BMP, AI, PSD files when making custom stickers.

We suggest a CMYK PDF for the most accurate colors and clear printing. 

 
What if my art is low resolution?

Once you upload your artwork, you will receive a warning if your artwork is low resolution.

It is up to you to decide if you are ok with having them printed in low resolution. Otherwise, you can simply upload a new file with high resolution.

With the warning of "average resolution" your stickers should come out ok as long as you are not super picky about sharp lines. However we suggest uploading a vector PDF or image of 300 DPI in the size of your printing.

You can email us if you are concerned about it and we can see how we can help.

What is the difference between RGB and CMYK?

These are the two main color models. RGB and CMYK.

RGB stands for red, green, and blue and is compatible with screen viewing. RGB colors will appear brighter since they are formatted with the brightness of a computer screen to enhance these colors. 

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. This is compatible with printing and this is the color mode that we print in. The richest black when printing with us will be 40,40,40,100.

The takeaway, create your artwork in CMYK so your file's colors will be accurate to the final print. RGB allows for very bright and vibrant colors while CMYK is a little duller, convert your color profile in your file to CMYK so you are not surprised by your printed stickers' colors! 

Here is an example of the color conversion from RGB to CMYK.

How do I make a true black?

We suggest using the CMYK values 0,0,0,100 to make a pure black for black on your stickers. 

How do I choose which parts will have the material effect?

For our special materials, we have endless possibilities on how your stickers can turn out. Here are some ways to help make sure your stickers come out as imagined.

Beginner: 

You can include a comment on the order and explain which colors or parts of the sticker should take on the effect. The more clear and simple the comment is, the better chance we will understand it and be able to make the final product as you envision. If the instructions are not clear enough or the selection is too complex for us, we will get in contact via email and can take it from there. 

Intermediate:

You can upload your art with transparency for where you would like your material effect to show through. If you have parts that are completely transparent then it will be the pure material effect, for example, holographic. You can also have colors or other parts to have a lower opacity and we can fix your printing file to include those parts to come out as colored holographic (or respective material). It is always helpful to include a comment if you have specific directions, otherwise, we will fix the order as we see fit with your transparency.

Advanced:

You can include a mask layer in your file or email us a mask layer. A mask layer is sometimes necessary for a very complex file with very specific parts to take on the effect. We can make the print files as complex as you want, as long as you can provide us with the mask layer. We suggest a PSD, AI, TIFF, or PDF with layers. You can also save the mask as any other file without layers and we can layer it on top of your art to make the print file.

Leave a comment:

If you include clear comments, transparency, or a mask layer, we will be able to take that info and get your stickers into production without having to send a final proof, this gets your stickers to you the fastest possible. If you would like to see a final proof, please include that in your comment and we will email you a proof. Please note, we make the printing files manually so we can show you which parts will take on the material effect with a flat grey color. 

Can you print gradients on stickers?

Yes, gradients are no problem for us to print! Here are some examples.

Can you print in RGB?

No, RGB is for screen use such as your computer or phone.

We use a 4 color CMYK printing process. For the most accurate colors create your artwork in CMYK colors.

Can you print photos/illustrators as stickers?

Yes we print all images, including, photos, illustrations, gradients, or anything else!

Can you print white ink on transparent stickers?

Yes we can print white on transparent stickers.

Can you help me touch up my art?

We do offer some assistance for helping you prepare your files for printing.

You can send us your highest resolution file and we can see what we can do to help you fix it or change it how you would like. Send us an email with your file and desired changes and we will see how we can help.

Can you help edit artwork or create designs?

Once you place your order, we will make sure all things look the best for printing. This would include help with unwanted backgrounds or make sure the colors are going to be correct. 

If you have a special request, you can add it in a comment on the editor page. 

If you need help from the beginning, you can email us your questions and we can see how we can help before you place your order. 

Can you print stickers with Pantone colors?

We print everything in CMYK. You can save your colors as PMS colors and we will print as close to that as possible. Some pantone colors are hard to reproduce in CMYK, especially some shades of green or neon colors. Please ask us if you need a close match to a specific pantone. 

How can I make a white layer for non-white stickers?

A white layer is where white will be printed on your sticker behind your design on special materials such as transparent, mirror, or brushed alloy.

To make colors opaque, we need to print this white behind the colors, however for brushed alloy or mirror if there is a white layer behind the colors they will be solid and not reflective.

To make this white layer in Adobe Illustrator, you can select what you want white and fill it with a swatch color named “HPI-White” with CMYK values 25, 25, 25, 25 and save it as a Spot Color.

You must also make these parts marked with “Overprint fill” in the Attributes tab.

You can save this in your CMYK PDF and upload the file.
We suggest making a note about your spot color so we can make sure it is correct before we print it.