Whether you’re trying to advertise your business, promote a new product, or simply give something away, sticker printing is the perfect way to get your logo and message onto something that’s small enough to fit in someone’s back pocket and endearing enough to be kept there.
Even better, sticker printing is a very cost-effective way of doing so – after all, stickers are much cheaper than mugs, t-shirts, or other promotional items. The only drawback is that many people assume sticker printing is an easy process.
Transparent sticker printing is a great way to promote your business or product and is an affordable way to get your logo onto something that is small enough to fit in someone’s back pocket.
On the contrary – it can be rather tricky when you consider that unless you want your stickers printed on a single sheet of transparent film, with no background colors showing through from underneath, the design has to be reversed in order for the finished article to look right.
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- What Is Transparent Sticker Printing?
The simplest way to put this is that with normal sticker printing, you’re printing on a white surface that’s then covered with a clear film. When the film is peeled off, the white of the paper shows through and your design is printed on a white background.
If you want to produce a design on a transparent background, you’re going to need to do reverse sticker printing. This is because the ink you use is transparent, and so when you print your design as normal, you’re printing on nothing.
To get around this, you need to put a piece of paper behind your design, then flip both the design and the paper over so the paper appears on the top.
The Right Way To Do Transparent Sticker Printing
The first thing to remember is that you’ll need to create your design in reverse. This should apply to your images, text, and just about everything. However, there is an exception when it comes to barcodes.
When printing a barcode on a transparent sticker, you should use the format specified in your country’s GS1 standards. If you’re printing on a white surface, you can use the direct-to-paper method. This basically means you print your design as normal on your computer and then feed it through the printer again, paper-first.
If you’re printing on a colored surface, you’ll need to use a method known as ‘positive/negative’ printing. With this, you’ll create your design the normal way, but you’ll then create a reverse image of that design and print it on the same paper.
2 Things to Remember When Designing for Transparent Stickers
It’s important to remember two things when designing transparent stickers: the ink and the substrate. Ink is the color used in the printing process, and the substrate is the surface on which you are applying the ink.
When it comes to transparent sticker printing, you need a substrate that is transparent or has at least one clear area large enough for your design. You also need ink that will print clearly on clear or transparent material. The most popular types of substrates used in this type of label printing are polyester film, cast acrylic, and polyurethane film.
These materials are typically waterproof and scratch-resistant, making them ideal for use in packaging applications where they might be exposed to wear and tear. All three materials provide excellent opacity so your product’s contents aren’t visible through the packaging when applied correctly.
What Are The Benefits of Transparent Sticker Printing?
The benefits are pretty significant – with the right design and the right amount of ink applied, your sticker printing can be incredibly durable. You can expect a life of several years from them if they’re applied correctly – and that’s without the benefit of being kept in a high-humidity environment.
If you want to be really thorough, you can apply a laminate that’s scratch-resistant and that can even be printed on. Laminate can also be used to make the sticker more weather-resistant.
If you want to go all out, a UV-resistant laminate can make your sticker completely weatherproof and even stop it from degrading in sunlight.
Why is Transparent Sticker Printing So Tough?
To a certain extent, this is a question of logistics. You need a printer that can handle double- and triple-stacked paper, for example. You also need a printer that’s capable of producing high-quality prints on both sides of a piece of paper and the best printers have a double- or triple-decking capability built in.
Another important thing to remember is that you’ll need to factor in plenty of time to get your order right. Your designs will need to be checked, retested, and double-checked before they’re sent off to be printed.
Then you’ll need to factor in delivery times and make sure you allow plenty of time for any reprints.
Conclusion
It is important to remember that you will need a printer that can handle double- and triple-stacked paper and that you will need to factor in plenty of time to get your order right.
References:
1-UV-resistant GFRP composite using carbon nanotubes
Received 22 November 2018, Revised 24 March 2019, Accepted 27 May 2019, Available online 24 June 2019, Version of Record 24 June 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.05.167
