How to get the best value stickers

We get this question a lot.

This short article will explain the essential points, including which factors impact price & which don't. To help you get the cheapest and best value custom labels & stickers.

What impacts the price the most?

1. The size of your label
2. How many stickers you need
3. The grade of material

1. Sticker size

The price of stickers is directly related to how much material it uses. Most printers' price per m2 used. The larger your sticker, the more expensive it will be because manufacturers of stickers & labels buy their raw materials by the area.

 

2. How many you need

Similar to the size of your sticker, the more you want, the higher the price. However, this is also where economies of scale apply.

The more you buy, the cheaper each sticker or label will be because any setup & fixed costs get spread across more units.

Setup & fixed costs include;

• Design
• Loading the correct media on the printer loading
• Putting matte or gloss film in the laminator (if required)
• Setup of the artwork into the cutter
• Postage & packaging.

 3. Grade of material

A thin paper with no laminate will be the lowest cost option. A premium metallic film with gloss or matte laminate for extra protection will be much more expensive.

Of course, these labels will last a different amount of time & entirely depend on your use. For a complete guide on making the right choice, please download our free guide. 

 

Factors that don't impact price (surprisingly)

1. The number of colors doesn't matter. For quantities less than 20,000, digital printing is usually the best choice, meaning the number of colors doesn't matter as the price differential is trivial.
2. Complex cutlines also do not matter. Digital and laser cutting are becoming widely used, so your sticker's shape can be complex without impacting cost. With these cutting methods, there are minimal setup costs so go for whatever shape you want!