Sticker singles vs. sheets: What's the better option for your business?

Sticker singles vs. sheets: What’s the better option for your business?

Have you come across the term sticker singles, sheets, labels, and die-cut and are unsure of the differences?

By the end of this article, you’ll understand precisely what these are and when it’s best to use them.

What is a sticker single?

A sticker single is simply an individually die cut sticker.

The term die-cut means to cut around your design’s perimeter in a custom shape through all the layers.

Die-cutting doesn’t change the material your sticker’s printed on – it can be paper or plastic. Here’s an example of a die-cut sticker single:

What’s a sticker sheet?

Sticker sheets are more commonly known as sheet labels.

What’s the difference between stickers & labels, I hear you say. The answer is nothing, really! Both labels & stickers are self-adhesive printed pieces of plastic or paper.

However! Stickers get cut individually, whereas labels come on sheets or rolls.

Does it matter which I choose?

Absolutely! Getting this decision right can be a big timesaver. 

Sticker it tested how long it took to stick 1000x 1.18″ die-cut stickers vs. sheet labels and recorded the time it took.

1000 stickers took 2 hours and 17 minutes to apply. However, it took just 48 minutes to apply 1000 sheet labels. That’s an incredible saving and 65% faster!

Now we’ve explained the differences between labels and stickers; here’s a short guide to help you make the right choice:

Individually cut stickers

Go for stickers if you’re giving them away or selling them. They’re cheap to get in small amounts, & a vast range of materials, finishes, and other possibilities are usually available. Holographic stickers are a hugely popular choice.

Labels on sheets

If you’re applying the sticker or label yourself in-house to your product packaging, for example, go for sheet labels.

It’s the quickest way to peel & apply labels – you won’t be disappointed. Sheets are also the best to store and distribute, mainly if you got standard sizes, such as A4 or A5.

Labels on rolls

The reason to get labels on rolls is for a machine to apply them. Machines can be fully or semi-automatic, for example, a dispenser.

Here are some examples of machines to help apply labels on rolls:

And that’s it! Now you understand what custom sticker singles are and what sheets are, and when to use them.

If you would like to find out more or have any questions about something we’ve said, please fire away! Just leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you.

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