How To Make Your Own Stickers

Stickers have always been a staple in pop culture and trend in some fashion countercultures, but in recent history, the sticker-covered water bottle has become a staple accessory for the masses. 

Favorite sports teams, bands, companies, and even pictures of friends are now pieces of homemade sticker collages everywhere. 

If you’re late to the party and want to catch up, making your own stickers at home is a great way to adorn that iPad or nightstand with some of your favorite images, or to make some last-minute sentimental gifts. 

Here’s a look at how to make homemade stickers!

What Do I Need to Make Homemade Stickers? 

If you’re going to make your own stickers at home, you first need to take an inventory to make sure you don’t have to run to the store mid-stickerage. Here’s a list of items you need to make homemade stickers:

• The image/art - choose a photo or create a drawing (permanent marker recommended) that you’re going to turn into a sticker masterpiece.
• Clear packing tape - this is where your size limits come in. You can overlap the tape, but it does add a little line to your sticker. There are enormous rolls of tape that can be ordered, though, if your local hardware store options don’t stick.
• Parchment paper - it’s in the baking aisle!
• A nice pair of scissors - any good pair will cut it.

5 Steps to Make Your Own Stickers

Once you’ve trimmed the edges on your design and collected all of your materials, it’s go time. This is how to make your own stickers at home.

Lay Out Parchment Paper

First, take a nice cut of parchment paper. It should be a few inches larger than your art on all sides to allow for some wiggle room. Lay it out flat. 

Cut Some Tape

Next, put your tape, sticky-side-down (SSD for those in the know) onto the parchment paper, covering enough space to put your design on top of the tape and only tape. Overlapping the tape is a-okay, but your final product will have a little line on it.

Lay Your Homemade Sticker Design Down

Next, place your design face-up on top of the tape. If it doesn’t fit, it’s fine to add more tape to your first layer! 

Cut Some More Tape

Now cut about the same amount of tape and carefully place it SSD (sticky-side-down, in case you forgot), keeping the picture in place.

Smooth it Out

Next, take out that credit card… and use it to smooth out any bubbles formed on the tape. 

Trim To Perfection

Time to break out those scissors again! Once you’re happy with the smoothness, trim around your image, leaving a small border. When you’re ready to use them, peel back your parchment and stick away!

How Long Do Homemade Stickers Last? 

Though fun, and very inexpensive, homemade stickers certainly aren’t the most durable option on the market. If you do them well and keep them away from the elements, they can last a very long time, but if you are adding them to that water bottle, be ready to make some replacements in the not-so-distant future. 

For longer-lasting stickers, Fathead has got you covered.

Skip Homemade Stickers and Call in the Professionals 

If you’re not satisfied with your creation or want to scale it up a bit, consider using a service like Fathead. They create custom wall graphics in a wide range of sizes that will certainly last longer than your homemade stickers. 

Still want to Make Homemade Stickers?

Now that you know how to make your own stickers, it can become a fun event for parties or a nice budget holiday gift idea (but get the people you really love a custom Fathead). 

With a few materials most people already have at home, and a bit of creativity,  you can put homemade stickers everywhere.