Are you looking for an easy and affordable way to make your own stickers? Custom kiss cut stickers are a great option! With kiss cuts, you can design unique shapes that can be peeled off from the backing paper. This makes them perfect for adding personality to any project or product.
Creating kiss cut stickers is actually easier than you might think! All it takes is some preparation, materials and a few simple steps. In this guide, we’ll walk through each step of the process so that you can create your own kiss cut stickers in no time. Let's get started!
Create a design
Of course, all great stickers start with a great custom design. You can create that from scratch or use free online tools like Canva or Graphic to work with pre-made templates and design elements.
The design process for kiss cut stickers is similar to any other stickers, with one exception. That is why it can be useful to learn the kiss cut meaning before designing.
When you create kiss cut stickers, you have the option to print additional information or designs on the border around your sticker. This could be a social media handle, email address or any other information you want people to see without disturbing the design. The image below shows a perfect example of this.
Add a kiss cut line
To create this border, we have to add the right cutline to your design. Cutlines represent vector paths around your artwork that tell your printer of choice how and where you want your stickers cut.
You can create two different cut lines: a thru-cut or a kiss-cut - hint, that's the one we want. To learn about what differentiates the two, check out our article on kiss cut vs die cut stickers.
Your kiss cut line indicates that you want your stickers only cut through the material layer. So let's set that up:
- Put your design into a single layer and name it "Print"
- Duplicate this layer
- Re-name the duplicated layer “KissCut”
- Lock the original Print layer
- Open the Properties tab > “unite” into a single shape
- Click “Object” > “Path” > “Offset Path”
- Set the offset to 2mm - or whatever you like best
- “Select all” > “unite” to create a single shape
- Remove fill and set the stroke to green 1pt
- To round your cutline, add another offset path by clicking “Object” > “Path” > “Offset Path”. Remove the internal lines. Then repeat this and set the Offset to -2mm
The result could look like this:
If this sounds a little too much, we can create a cutline for you. Simply upload your design and let us know where you want your cutline and we will action that for you.
Set your dimensions
Now it is time to think about what size you want your kiss cut stickers to be. When you order custom stickers or create your own, you are free to create any size you want. But sometimes being spoilt for choice doesn't make it easy, does it?
So here are some pointers to find your perfect kiss cut size:
- Think about what your stickers will be used for. Do you want to hand them out? Should they end up on laptops and water bottles? Then any size between 4cm and 7cm is a great choice that will fit plenty of applications while still being visible.
- Ensure that the text and elements included in your design are legible when printed. To check that, view your design at scale. That means zoom out until what you see on the screen has the exact dimensions as your intended sticker size. Is the text too small to read? Then you need to size up.
- Consider the sizing difference between the peelable part of your sticker and the entire kiss cut sticker. The overall size your stickers will be printed at is the total size of your kiss cut. The peelable part will be smaller. So if you have specific sizing for that part in mind, make sure you match the total size of your sticker to it.
Pick your material
Before you start printing, you have to make one final decision: what material do you want to print your stickers on?
Here, you can let your personal preferences take over and choose anything from metallic over fluorescent colours to a clear vinyl.
But if you are handing those kiss cut stickers out as part of your branding or selling them in your own shop, you want to choose a high-quality material with a medium-strength pressure-sensitive adhesive. This combination will represent your brand in the right way and allow customers to stick your stickers to plenty of surfaces without leaving adhesive residue.
Also, consider how durable you need your stickers to be. Will they be used outdoors and exposed to the elements? Do they need to be waterproof? Or maybe you want them to be eco-friendly and plastic-free? Then you need to choose a suitable material.
Get printing and cutting
Now, let's get to the nitty-gritty. Until this point, it does not really matter how and where you want to print your stickers, you will still need your design, cutline, dimensions and material.
But now, you have to decide whether you want to print your own stickers or if you want to outsource that to a professional sticker printer.
DIY printing
For a DIY approach, you will need:
- a printer with excellent print quality
- a laminator (if your material of choice is not laminated)
- a cutting machine or an Xacto knife and a cutting matt
The printing process is relatively straightforward. Ensure that your design's colours are set to CMYK and that you work with a vector format. Then, feed your material of choice to your printer and press "print".
Lamination is an optional step if a) your material is not laminated and b) you need your stickers to be resistant and durable.
And then, it is also time to kiss cut. Remember, the magic of kiss cutting is that your stickers are not fully cut through all layers.
If you have a cutting machine, you can simply choose a material setting that will not cut through your entire sticker. The washi tape setting usually works if you are using standard sticker paper for your kiss cuts. We even have an entire article on how to kiss cut stickers on Cricut.
Don't have a machine? Then it's time to - carefully - get that knife out. Use a Xacto knife and a cutting matt and modify the pressure you apply to only cut through the top and adhesive layer for the best result.
Professional printing
Does that sound a little too time-intensive? Or maybe too hands-on? Don't worry, we have got you covered.
Instead of dealing with knives and cutters, you can simply lean back and let a sticker printing company (maybe us?) do the work.
All you have to do is find their kiss cut stickers page, enter the size of your overall stickers, choose your material and select the quantity you need. This will generate an instant quote. Play around with the quantities a little to get the best price.
Once you are happy with that, upload your artwork and click "continue". Then, you can leave instructions for the design team. This could be anything from requesting specific white layers added to a custom cutline.
Then, our designers will get to work and send you a digital design proof within 12 hours. This proof will show you exactly what your kiss cut stickers will look like when printed. You can either approve it straightway or ask for unlimited changes. Once you have approved your stickers, we will print, laminate and cut them within 4 working days.
Creating your own kiss cut stickers is easy, whether you decide to go the DIY route or outsource it to a professional printer. Whichever option you choose, make sure that you pick the right material and dimensions for your desired results.
If you need help creating custom kiss cuts and don't know where to start, our team of experts are ready to assist in designing and producing high-quality sticker products that represent your brand perfectly. Let's get started today.