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Getting Started
Stickers, labels, decals, and transfers can look similar and even use the same materials, but they're built for different jobs. Here's how to figure out which one you need before you order.
What are you looking to make?
Consider... | If... |
Stickers | The design itself is what matters, applied wherever you like |
Labels | You need to identify, instruct, or organise something |
Decals | It's for a specific surface or environment |
UV DTF Transfers | You want a design with no visible edge (ink only) |
DTF Heat Transfers | It needs to go on fabric |
Temporary Tattoos | It needs to go on skin |
Stickers
When the design is the product
Choose stickers when the design itself is the focus and you want a standalone graphic you can apply wherever you like: laptops, water bottles, packaging, or giveaways.
Labels
When the information is the product
Choose labels when something needs to identify, instruct, or organise: product names, ingredients, barcodes, warnings, or inventory tags. Clarity matters more than decoration here.
Decals
When the placement, surface, or environment is what matters
Choose decals when a graphic is going on a specific surface or environment: windows, walls, vehicles, floors, signage.
Need crisp lettering or a logo with no background, rather than a full printed graphic? Look at Vinyl Transfer (Cut Vinyl Decal). It's still a decal, just cut from solid vinyl instead of printed.
UV DTF Transfers
A full-colour design with no visible edge
Choose UV DTF Transfers when you want a full-colour, standalone graphic applied directly to a hard surface without a visible sticker edge: curved bottles, phone cases, or laptops. It's applied with a carrier film. Once the film is removed, only the cured ink and adhesive stay behind.
DTF Heat Transfer
For fabric
Choose this when your design needs to go on fabric rather than a hard surface. It's applied with a heat press, which bonds the ink and adhesive into the fabric fibres.
Temporary Tattoo
For skin
Choose this when your design needs to go on skin. It's water-activated rather than adhesive, and typically lasts a few days.
Still not sure?
What sets stickers, labels, and decals apart is mainly what the finished product is for. Transfers are defined by how the design gets to its final surface: a carrier moves the design into place and is then removed.
StickerApp offers different transfer products for different surfaces:
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UV DTF Transfers: hard surfaces
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DTF Heat Transfers: fabric
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Temporary Tattoos: skin
If you're still unsure which product fits your project, contact us and we'll help you choose before ordering.
Once you know what you need: Ordering covers minimums and multi-design orders, and Design Help covers preparing your artwork.
