Stickers are a 2 part media - They have the backing paper & they have the actual vinyl with a printed design. Simply peel & stick. Stickers are great for product labels, indoor items like laptops and other personal items that aren't exposed to the elements of nature. They are also great for tiny details that decals can't cut/weed small enough. Stickers are a lot easier & much quicker to make. They just print & trim. Some sticker companies even do contour cut so it is the shape of your design, makes it look pretty cool. If they are made for outdoor use, they will usually get a laminate coating over them to help protect against the elements, but it still doesn't last very long outdoors especially in places like Michigan! Stickers have a background when applied, like bumper stickers. I will post a picture below to show you the difference between stickers and decals. Stickers are usually a LOT cheaper than decals because they are quick & easy to make and usually made out of very cheap vinyl. You have to be careful where you buy stickers & decals both. Some people think they can just use their inkjet printer at home to make stickers - We've purchased some printed stickers from a large sticker page on IG just to see the quality. We stuck a few of them just for the good laugh & the rest were tossed in the trash. And that company actually has large format printers! So whether you're buying decals or stickers just make sure you know what materials they use before you send any cash 👌
Decals are a 3 part media - They have the backing paper, the die cut vinyl design/logo, and the clear or paper transfer tape over the top of them. You have to be very careful where you buy your decals just like stickers. Some decal places use the cheapest vinyl they can find to maximize their profits but the decals won't last very long indoor or out - And most likely the company won't last long either. Make sure they use a premium vinyl like Oracal 651, not craft store vinyl they get at hobby lobby or walmart.
To apply a decal, you just lay it face down & squeegee it a few times (as shown in the video at the top of this blog). Then you peel the transfer tape away from the backing paper & the vinyl design should stick to the transfer tape. The backing paper is removed & thrown away. Then you simply stick the decal where you want it, squeegee real good, then peel the transfer tape off. The vinyl design is left on the window/surface and the transfer tape can be thrown away. When die cut decals are applied, they don't have a background, stickers do have background. Die cut vinyl decals are usually single color but multiple colors can be used either in layers or by separating the file during the editing process. Then each part of the design are cut from a different roll of vinyl, then all the elements are transferred to 1 piece of backing paper. Decals are more time consuming to make because after they are cut, they have to be weeded out by hand with a tiny pick, then transfer tape has to be applied to them & they all get trimmed by hand. That's why decals are so much more expensive than a printed sticker. Decals aren't the best for super tiny details. So both stickers & decals have their place in the world, just depends on what you plan on using them for, what kind of quality & look you're going for & what your budget is!
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