Set the artboard to the finished size of the sticker, choose a color mode and stay in it, set raster effects to 300 PPI, embed your images, outline your type, and save a PDF or AI file. A cut line, a white layer, and bleed are only needed in some designs, and we can add any of them for you.
Size the artboard to the finished sticker
Sticker size is measured across the cut line, along the longest side, so a 3" sticker is 3" across where it's cut. Make the artboard that size in File → Document Setup → Edit Artboards. An artboard at the true size lets you judge small text and thin lines.
The artboard doesn't set the size, though. The cut does. A bigger artboard won't make a bigger sticker, and empty space around your artwork is never printed. That's also why there's no sticker template to download. See sticker and label templates.
On a die-cut sticker the border sits inside that measurement. A 3" sticker with a Standard 0.09" border leaves about 2.82" for the artwork itself. See sticker border options.
Choose RGB or CMYK once
Use File → Document Color Mode to pick whichever mode the artwork was designed in, and leave it there. We print stickers RGB as RGB and CMYK as CMYK, without converting, so there's no need to switch for print. Switching modes in Illustrator converts every color in the file, and going from RGB to CMYK dulls the brightest ones. See should I send RGB or CMYK?
Set raster effects to 300 PPI
Drop shadows, glows, blurs, and textures become pixels when the file is saved for print, at the resolution set in Effect → Document Raster Effects Settings. A document started from a web or screen preset uses 72 PPI there. Choose High (300 ppi).
Keep soft glows and shadows inside the design rather than at its outer edge, because they fade out with no clear edge for the cut to follow.
Embed images and outline type
- Images: select each placed image and click Embed in the Properties panel, or it stays behind on your computer. Photos and other raster images need about 300 pixels per inch at the finished size. See missing linked images and what to do about low-resolution artwork.
- Type: on a copy of the file, select all and choose Type → Create Outlines, so no font gets swapped. See outlining fonts.
- Small details: keep text at least 6 pt (8 pt for light or script fonts) and lines at least 1 pt, at the finished size. See minimum line thickness.
Bleed and safe area
If color runs right to the edge of the sticker, carry it 0.06" past the cut. On a square, circle, or other shape, set Bleed to 0.06" in File → Document Setup and extend the background into it. A sticker with a white border doesn't need bleed, and if your file doesn't have it, we add it where it's needed.
Keep text and anything that mustn't be trimmed at least 0.09" inside the cut. See bleed and safe area.
Cut lines and white ink, if you want them
Both are optional. Without a cut line, we draw one and show it on your proof. A cut line of your own goes on its own layer as a spot color named Flex or Kiss. Sending your own cut line has the exact setup.
On clear, holographic, glitter, and chrome stickers, you can build the white layer too. See clear stickers in Illustrator and artwork for holographic, glitter, and chrome. When your file carries its own cut or white, we open it in Illustrator and work from it as drawn.
Save the file
- PDF: choose File → Save a Copy → Adobe PDF, with the High Quality Print or PDF/X-4 preset, Color Conversion set to No Conversion, and Use Document Bleed Settings ticked. See exporting a print-ready PDF.
- AI: choose File → Save As → Adobe Illustrator, with Create PDF Compatible File and Include Linked Files ticked.
Send one design per file. The uploader takes files up to 25MB. Above that, use "Artwork over 25MB? Send a link instead" on the product page.