Create high-quality sticker artwork with these best practices
This guide covers best practices for creating artwork for kiss-cut stickers and sticker sheets available in your shop. Stickers are an easy way to personalize your storefront and give fans something fun to rep while subtly promoting your brand.
Fourthwall currently offers two on-demand sticker options:
- Kiss Cut Stickers – single stickers in various sizes
- Kiss Cut Sticker Sheets – a sheet with multiple stickers and an optional custom background
What "kiss cut" means
Kiss cut means the sticker is cut around the shape of your artwork without cutting through the backing paper. If your sheet includes multiple designs, each will be cut individually.
With kiss cut stickers, you have the options of three sizes of printable area that can be used for a single sticker or multiple smaller ones. On the other hand, the sticker sheet only comes in one size for multiple stickers of various sizes, and you have the option of customizing the background of the sheet.
Tip: For kiss cut stickers, we recommend using the full printable area.
File preparation guidelines
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Use high-resolution images – Your final sticker’s quality depends on the quality of your artwork. Use at least 300 DPI.
- PNG: Recommended for designs with transparent or cut-out areas.
- JPEG: Works best for full-background designs.
- Create files in sRGB color profile – This ensures your printed sticker colors match what you see on-screen.
- Define clear-cut lines – Since kiss cut stickers follow your artwork’s outline, make sure there’s a solid visual boundary between the design and background.
- Simplify small details – Tiny shapes or text may not cut cleanly. If your design includes fine lines or small objects, enlarge them slightly. Leave at least 0.25″ (0.64 cm) between separate elements.
- Note on backgrounds – The sticker paper is white, so transparent backgrounds aren’t truly transparent; they’ll print on white. If your design has white elements, consider adding an outline for contrast.
- Fill the printable area – To ensure your sticker prints at the full size you selected, make sure your design extends to all edges of the printable area. Any empty or unused space will be trimmed during production, which may result in the final sticker being smaller than the listed size. For example, if you choose a 3×3” sticker, your artwork should fully cover the 3×3” print area—otherwise the finished sticker will be smaller than 3×3”.
- Sticker sheets only – Avoid placing sticker designs too close to background artwork. They might overlap and print as one element.
Tips for best results:
- Clean up your design: Remove stray pixels or artifacts — anything visible will print and cut.
- Cut-out elements: For shapes with hollow or “see-through” areas (like a donut), make those parts transparent in your PNG file. Leave enough white border space around them (at least 0.25″ / 0.64 cm).
- Test placement: Preview your sticker layout before finalizing to make sure cut lines align correctly.
- Surface use: Stickers are durable and waterproof, ideal for laptops, bottles, notebooks, and other smooth surfaces — just avoid dishwashers or constant outdoor exposure.
If you follow these guidelines, you will create high-quality on-demand kiss cut stickers that your fans will love for a long time!
FAQs
Are the stickers waterproof?
Yes — our stickers are made of durable vinyl that’s waterproof and scratch-resistant. They hold up well to moisture, making them great for bottles, laptops, and other smooth surfaces. However, they’re primarily intended for indoor or light outdoor use. Extended exposure to sunlight or rain may affect their lifespan.
You can verify this by simply searching on Google.
Can I use a transparent background?
You can upload designs with transparent areas (PNG files), but the sticker base itself is white — true transparent or “clear” stickers aren’t currently available. Any clear sections in your artwork will simply show as white once printed.
Can I use white in my design?
Yes, but be mindful that white elements can blend into the white sticker base. To make them visible, consider adding a colored outline or background.
Can I have multiple designs on one sticker sheet?
Absolutely. The kiss-cut sheet allows multiple stickers of various sizes, plus the option to customize the background. Just make sure each sticker has enough spacing between cut lines (at least 0.25″ / 0.64 cm).
Are there size or file limits?
Sticker files should be at least 300 DPI and saved as PNG or JPEG. For kiss-cut sheets, use the provided template size (5.83″ × 8.27″).