How Are Holographic Stickers And Labels Made?
If you’re in the market for holographic rainbow stickers or are curious to find out more about them, you’re in the right place.
We’re going to explain to you how they are made and how you can design awesome holographic stickers.
Firstly, what is a holographic sticker?
The term ‘holographic’ simply means your design is printed on iridescent vinyl, giving your design an eye-catching rainbow effect.
The holographic material we use to print your sticky beauties is vinyl-based and already comes with a rainbow effect. That means we do not have to add foil or print any metallic effects onto your stickers.
You can the holographic effect here:
How are holographic stickers made?
Holographic stickers are made like most other stickers. Ink is printed onto the holographic vinyl. Then a clear laminate is applied over the printed layer. This protects your design and makes your sticker durable, waterproof and resistant to fading in the sun.
Finally, your stickers or labels are cut into the shape you selected when you ordered your stickers. This image shows the construction of a holographic sticker:
Can you print on holographic vinyl?
Yes, but Holographic stickers and labels are special.
We can use the iridescent effect of the vinyl to create some incredible stickers. We do this by printing different colours on top of the holographic vinyl, see some of the colours that can be created.
How is holographic vinyl made?
Holographic material starts its life as a metallised polyester film (a very thin layer of metal is applied to a thin polyester film). This metallic film is then run through a set of rollers with a textured surface.
This process is called embossing. This embossing is so thin (around 10 microns, about 1/5th of a human hair) that it cannot be perceived by touch. The altering of the top surface causes the light to diffract on the surface of the metallised vinyl, causing us to see an iridescent effect.
This embossing process can be done using a wide range of different patterns giving us various effects, such as; holographic (rainbow chrome) stickers or silver stickers. Learn more about the difference between holographic stickers vs silver stickers.
Do your holographic stickers have a gloss or matte finish?
Our holographic stickers have a premium gloss finish. We find that a glossy laminate enhances the reflective nature of the material much better and give you the best possible result.
If you are looking for a matte finish instead, please contact us before placing your order.
Security hologram stickers – how are they different?
What is a security hologram?
Security hologram stickers are often used in official documents like diplomas or certificates to show authenticity. They are also commonly used on various products and packaging. These stickers are hard to counterfeit, giving brands a level of original product protection.
How are security hologram stickers made?
These stickers are made using a metallised film. This is a thin layer of clear plastic, usually polyester, with an ultra-thin layer of metal applied to it. This material is run through a set of embossing rollers to add your design It can also be done with a laser. This embossing, or etching, shows your design when light hits the surface & diffraction of the light occurs.
These stickers do an amazing job, however, to get custom security stickers made is not a cheap process. Embossing rollers have to be made with your design engraved onto it. As you can imagine this is not a cheap or quick process and is only economically viable for large quantities of stickers. For example, starting quantities can be 30,000, with a cost close to £2000.
A good alternative, allowing you to create low cost similar-looking holographic stickers, is to print a design that imitates a security hologram. This allows you to get a small quantity of 50 stickers from only £28.
Are you ready to start using holographic stickers and labels to improve your packaging and represent your business the right way? Then head over to our holographic stickers page and get inspired.
If you need some more information about all things sticker printing before making your decision, check out our blog.