Choose the text size first, for someone reading a dim panel at arm's length with a flashlight, and then find the space for it. If the space won't take that size, make the label bigger, not the text smaller.

Why the text size comes first

Small type has a limit below which it stops being readable, whatever the printer does. Our minimum is 6 pt, or 8 pt for thin (light or script) fonts, and a dim panel calls for more than the minimum. Your proof shows the text as it will print, so you can judge it before anything is made. If it looks hard to read on screen, it will be worse on a panel door.

Dark on light

Dark text on a light background reads better in poor light than the reverse. It also ages better, because reds and bright colors fade first.

Keep it clear of the cut

Keep circuit numbers and descriptions at least 0.09" inside the cut line on stickers, or 1/8" on roll labels. The edge is where a small shift in the cut shows, and a trimmed circuit number is worse than no label. See bleed and safe area.

Fields you write in

If anything is filled in by hand, choose matte. On stickers, matte takes a ballpoint pen as well as a permanent marker, while gloss takes a marker but a pen only to a degree. On roll labels, write on matte only. Give the field real room, not just a printed line.

Panel interiors are hard to stick to

Panel interiors are usually powder-coated steel, one of the surfaces standard vinyl doesn't grip well, and they collect dust. Clean the spot, and choose High-Tack vinyl where standard vinyl has lifted before. Our electrical stickers come in standard vinyl and High-Tack vinyl.

How long they last

Ultraviolet light is what fades print, and there's none inside a closed panel. A sticker inside a panel lasts considerably longer than the 3 to 5 years we quote for full outdoor sun.