Did you enjoy drawing Ben 10 characters, Super Mario/ Power Rangers as a kid? Are you the one who used to make stickers out of his/her/their artwork? If so, why not turn your passion into a profession? If you know how to make stickers, you can turn it into a profitable small business.
There is a vast online marketplace growing steadily and rapidly. People need stickers for their laptops, mobile phones, or office desks.
All you have to do is find your niche in making stickers and your platform where you can sell them. This article will help you with DIY sticker-making guides and a simple guide to building a small online business. So, keep reading.
How To Make Stickers?
These are your simple DIY steps to making stickers at home. Follow these steps to make the stickers you want to make effectively.
Ready Your Image Cutouts
It is easy to make DIY stickers. But you have to first find out the images you want to make as stickers. You can choose to print them out, or you can cut them out from magazine graphics. Cut those pictures into different shapes as to how you want to make the decal sticker.
Use Packing Tape On Parchment Paper
Now, you have to place a packing tape on top of the parchment paper. No, you cannot use wax paper. Most of the tutorials do not suggest using wax papers. Wax papers leave a waxy residue on the sticker, which also reduces the sticking power of the sticker. So it does not stay on the surface you use the sticker on. Also, place the sticky side of the packing tape down.
Arrange Those Image Cutouts
So, you are done placing the packaging paper on top of the parchment paper? Good, now you have just to arrange the images you want as stickers on top of the packing tape. You can arrange a single image or more.
Take Another Piece Of Packing Tape and place It On Top Of The Images
Now you need another packing tape cut out ( about the same size you used in step two. Next, you have to place it on top of the images you arranged to make a sticker out of. Smooth the tape out so as not to leave any bubble residues inside the sticker. You can use a plain card and place it on top of the sticker and smooth it out evenly.
Cut Out The Sticker Decals
Your stickers are now ready. All that is left is to cut the sticker decals. So, cut them out and ready your stickers. But remember to leave out enough amount of extra space to keep the sticker waterproof and make them more durable.
Peel The Parchment Paper Off
Your sticker is ready. Now you know how to make stickers. But how to use them? First, flip the sticker and peel the parchment paper off from the back. Use the DIY sticker and press it firmly on top of the surface you want to decorate.
Go over the sticker using something like a spoon or a plastic gift card. You can even use your nails. While following this step, ensure not to leave any bubbles underneath.
Viola! You’ve successfully made some stickers and decorated your desk, fridge, or any similar object you wanted to decorate.
Make Stickers That Sell: 5 Easy Steps
How to make stickers? Well, that was your DIY guide to making your own sticker at home. But you can take it to the next level by investing in the necessary equipment and raw materials. You can invest in a good printer and high-quality paper.
Draw your stickers digitally and print them out to make stickers. You can also use professional print services to get your sticker oriented in bulk. Next, you can price them accordingly when selling. As the business grows you can choose either direct marketing or digital marketing to grow your brand awareness.
But how do you structure this whole process and turn your passion projects into a solopreneur’s dream business? Here are a few steps to help you –
1. Pick Your Niche & Draw
Are you an artist yourself? If yes, choose a niche to start drawing your stickers. You can also hire a designer and get them to design for you. Draw fine pieces of artwork to create stickers out of.
2. Decide How You’ll Print Your Stickers
Now that you have the sticker drawn, you have to make a bunch of printouts if you are going to sell them. The first method here is to print them at home using an inkjet printer.
But, if you want to make them look professional, choose a professional printing service instead. You can go for apps like Sticker Giant or YourStuffMade. Or, there are dropshipping services where you can order your stickers from.
3. Find Your Marketplace
You know how to make stickers and how to print them. But what about the sales? When you choose a niche, you choose your audience. You can sell your stickers to them. But how do you sell them? There are different selling platforms, such as Shopify and Etsy. You can also sell them through printing portals like Redbubble or Society6.
5. Put A Price On Your Stickers
Next up is your pricing for the sticker. If you are going to make money off of selling stickers, you need to price them reasonably. Usually, most sellers price their stickers around a range of $2 to $6. You can price the sticker based on their size, quality of materials used, and complexity of the design. However, keep the price reasonable compared to your competitors.
6. It’s Time To Ship Your Stickers
Once your customers place orders, it is time to ship them. You can collaborate with a courier partner or mailers to make an amazing and special buying experience for your customers. Stickers are not heavy materials. You can easily ship them without spending a lot on the logistics.
Why Make Sticker?
Of course, you can turn it into a profession. But your passion is reason enough to just make a sticker. However, if you want to take it a step further, you can sell them as well. As mentioned earlier, there are different online marketplaces where you can sell your stickers. They come in different varieties and materials, including Glossy paper or vinyl, Matte, Prismatic, Mirrored, and Clear.
You don’t always have to be a digital artist to make stickers. You can turn your on-paper drawn art into stickers by scanning and printing them out. Also, the market of stickers does not have a huge entry barrier. If you want to make money from it, you can start anytime from anywhere.
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