Updated on July 23, 2024
How to Make Stickers and Decals with Cricut. Learn how to make different types of stickers with your Cricut machine.
Today, I am going to walk you through step-by-step how to create stickers and decals with your Cricut machine.
Stickers are one of my favorite things to make with my Cricut. I use them all over the house, in my planner, and even sell stickers in my shop!
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How to Make Stickers and Decals with your Cricut Machine
The process of making stickers and decals is similar, but depending on the application is how you will choose your materials.
What Materials Do I need to Make Stickers and Decals?
- Printable Vinyl, Printable Sticker Paper, or Clear Sticker Paper
- Clear Permanent Vinyl (optional to make stickers waterproof)
- Permanent or Removable Vinyl
You can create stickers to use in planners, on notebooks, to give as gifts, etc. However, if you want to make them more permanent and waterproof you will need to cover the sticker with clear permanent vinyl.
Decals and vinyl labels are made with vinyl, rather than a print then cut sticker paper. You can use either removable or permanent vinyl. For labels or making vinyl stickers, I use removable vinyl so I can change them out, as needed.
For decals on water bottles or on the car, I use permanent vinyl. This type of vinyl stands up better to being washed and the elements.
Making stickers and decals is easy and fun, so let’s get started!
How to Make Stickers with Cricut
First, I will show you how to create stickers with your Cricut.
Supplies:
- Cricut Machine
- Printable Vinyl (or sticker paper)
- LightGrip Mat
- Printer
- Clear Permanent Vinyl (optional)
Create Stickers in Cricut Design Space
Start by opening Cricut Design Space and open up a new canvas. To make stickers you can start with any images or designs you like. You can start by searching for Printable Images in the Cricut Library.
You will know it is a print then cut image by the little printer icon in the left corner of the image. Select your images and add them to the canvas.
You can leave the images as is, and the Cricut will cut directly around the outline of the design. However, if you want the design to look more like a traditional sticker with a white border, you can add an Offset to the designs.
RELATED: How to Use Offset
If you add an offset, you need to then select both the image and the offset and click Flatten for the design to be printed and cut together.
You can also convert any cut only image into a printable image by changing the operation to Print then Cut.
Add any cut only image to the canvas. You will know it is a cut image, rather than print then cut by the scissors icon in the bottom left corner of the image.
Again, add an offset to create a traditional sticker with a white border.
Select all the layers of the cut image and the offset, and click Flatten. Continue this process for all the cut-only images.
If you simply select Make It, the Cricut will determine where to place your images on the mat and may result in multiple sheets being cut with some wasted space.
Note: The maximum cutting area for a print then cut project is 9.25″ x 6.75″.
To create a full sheet of stickers you can try this trick. Add a square shape that is 9.25″ x 6.75″ and send it to the back of your canvas.
RELATED: How to Use Shapes
Adjust your images to fit into the rectangle. Remember you can rotate your images upside down and sideways to make them fit.
Cricut Design Space File: Butterfly Stickers
You can see I was able to get all but one butterfly on one page, rather than using two pages. So I will simply delete the extra butterfly before printing. Printable vinyl and sticker paper can be pricey, so filling up the space can really save you money!
Once you have them all fit into the rectangle, delete or hide the rectangle, select all, and click Attach. This will tell the Cricut to keep them on the page exactly as you have them placed.
Print then Cut Stickers
Once you have your design created, click Make It. This will take you to your mat preview page. All of your designs should now be on one page.
Click Continue. Then, click on Send to Printer.
Select your printer from the drop-down menu. Choose the number of copies. Check Use System Dialog.
You can choose to select or unselect Add Bleed. When working with stickers with a white border, I unselect this option. However if you are cutting something in which the color extends up to the cut edge, I suggest keeping this checked.
When your printer options open up, choose Best for the quality, and then click Print.
I print my stickers on Printable Vinyl. I have not had luck with the Cricut brand sticker paper feeding through my printer, but the vinyl works beautifully.
Select Printable Vinyl from the materials menu.
Once the sheet has been printed, place it onto a LightGrip mat, load it into the Cricut, and click Go.
Your stickers will be perfectly kiss-cut. Meaning that you can peel the sticker right off the backing and the design is not cut all the way through the backing.
Make Your Stickers Waterproof
Follow all the steps listed above for making stickers, but before you cut out your stickers, add a sheet of clear permanent vinyl over the printed images.
After the design prints, measure inside the black cut lines. Use these measurements to cut a piece of clear permanent vinyl.
Peel back the top layer of the paper backing off the vinyl and carefully place the exposed edge on your sticker sheet, being careful not to cover the black cut lines with vinyl.
Use a scraper tool to push the vinyl onto the sheet while simultaneously peeling off the paper backing. Using this method will allow you to place your vinyl with no air bubbles or bumps.
If you do end up with any bubbles or wrinkles, you can use a brayer to remove them.
Choose Waterproof Printable Vinyl from the materials menu and cut out the waterproof stickers. Using this setting will cut through the permanent vinyl, printable vinyl, and paper backing to create individually cut-out stickers.
How to Make Decals with Cricut
You can also make decals and vinyl labels with your Cricut. These are even easier than making stickers. I make vinyl labels around my home all the time. And my daughter is always asking for new water bottle decals.
Supplies
Start by opening Cricut Design Space and select an image you want to use for your decal. Phrases, t-shirt designs, and simply typing in a particular image you want all work well for decals.
Monograms also work great for decals. This is what I chose to use for my water bottle decal – a custom butterfly with the letter L for Laura in the middle.
If you are placing a decal on a water bottle or the outside of the car, do NOT select mirror image. However, if you are using window cling on the inside of a car window or glass, then mirror your image before cutting.
Select Premium Vinyl – Permanent Glossy from the materials list.
Place the vinyl on a StandardGrip Mat, load it into the Cricut, and click Go.
I like to weed the excess vinyl while it is still attached to the mat.
Place a piece of transfer tape over the design. Peel the transfer tape with the vinyl attached away from the backing paper.
Start with a clean surface. Wiping the surface with some rubbing alcohol and letting it dry is often a good idea to make sure there is no residue.
Place the design on the water bottle (or laptop, car window, etc.) and then peel back the transfer tape from the surface.
Stickers and decals are a fun way to decorate your space with your Cricut machine. If you have any additional questions about how to make stickers, please leave them in the comments.
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