Read it for the decisions you're approving: the layout, the size, the cut line, and where the white ink goes. The proof page also simulates the material catching the light, but it's a simulation. The real shimmer, sparkle, or mirror changes as you move the sticker, and a screen can only suggest it.
This applies to Holographic Stickers, Glitter Stickers, and Chrome Stickers, and the white ink parts apply to Clear Stickers too.
What the proof can show
- The layout and size. The measurements are the finished size, measured on the cut line.
- The cut line and border. A White Border on these materials is printed in white ink, so it looks white. See sticker border options.
- Where the white ink goes. This is the most important thing on the page.
- A simulated effect. The proof moves with your mouse, or with a tap on a phone, to show the material catching the light. The page says "Move your mouse over the proof to see the glitter effect, or tap around it on a phone", with the word changing for each material.
- A matte finish, roughly. Under a matte finish, the simulated effect is dulled. On a matte Clear sticker, the parts with nothing printed look frosted.
Under such a proof, the page says it's a simulated effect (for example, "Simulated Glitter Effect"), and that the actual product may not exactly match the proof.
How white ink shows on the proof
The proof is a picture of what the finished sticker will look like. If you see white, that's white ink. If part of the design doesn't show the holographic, glitter, or chrome effect, or isn't see-through on Clear, that's because there's white ink behind it. Wherever the effect or the see-through film shows, there's no white there.
If the proof has white ink, press "Show White Ink" on the proof page. It lays solid white over the proof wherever the white ink goes.
The "Live Sticker Proof" on product pages is only for White and High-Tack vinyl, so for Clear, Holographic, Glitter, and Chrome, the proof we email after you order is where you see all this.
Try it
Switch between the white ink choices below to see how each one changes which parts shine. How to use the sticker layers view explains every control.
What the proof can't show
- Real movement. Holographic shifts through the rainbow as it tilts, glitter catches light from every angle, and chrome reflects whatever is in front of it. The proof's moving effect is only a simulation of that.
- How color looks over the film. Where a color is printed with no white under it, the material shows through: darker ink covers it more, and lighter ink lets more of it through. A red over Holographic shifts with the rainbow, and a blue over Chrome reads metallic. A screen can only suggest that.
- Exact printed color. Screens make color with light, and stickers make it with ink. See why screen color and printed color never quite match.
What to check before you approve
- Everything that has to be read has white under it. Text, phone numbers, and QR codes need white to stay legible on a busy surface.
- The areas meant to shine have no white. If the background, a highlight, or the inside of a letter should shimmer or reflect, the white should be left out of exactly those parts.
- White in your artwork does what you expect. With Partial Base or None, white areas in your file become the bare material, so they come out shiny rather than white.
- The proof matches what you asked for. Compare the proof with your "White Ink Backing" choice and anything you wrote in the "Where would you like white ink?" box.
- Fine detail holds up. Hairlines and small script compete with the effect and usually lose. Bold shapes and heavier type read best.
Where white ink should go explains each choice, and the proof checklist covers the rest of the proof.
If you can't tell from the proof
Ask before you approve. In the "Notes for us" box, say which part you're unsure of, then press "Request Changes". For example: "Should the lettering be solid, or show the holographic through it?" See requesting changes to your proof. Reply promptly: if we haven't heard back 36 hours after we send the proof, we may go ahead and print what it shows.
Seeing the material in person
Holding one is the best way to judge these films. A small first run of 25 shows you the real material. A Sample Pack with all six sticker materials, Holographic, Glitter, Chrome, and Clear among them, is also coming to our samples page. The 15 Custom Sticker Sample prints on white vinyl only, so it can't show these materials.