Print Files for Stickers: Format, Resolution, Bleed, Contour Line

On screen the logo was pin-sharp. On the finished sticker the curves are jagged, and a thin white strip runs along one edge. In cases like this it's usually not the printing press but the file.

Print files for stickers follow a few rules on file format, resolution, colour, bleed and, for custom shapes, the cut contour. File guidelines often just list these points. We explain why they exist, so that you can also judge an unusual file correctly.

We describe what is common practice in the industry. Where values differ between print shops, we say so in the text. We'll give you the values for an order with us before you order, most easily via our contact page.

Print files for stickers: what the print shop needs from the file

A good print file can be processed without detours, stays sharp at the required size and is set up in the right colours for print. Its background extends beyond the cut edge, and for a custom shape it shows the machine where to cut.

You choose the material when you order. It usually makes no difference to the file. One exception is clear vinyl with white print; there's a short note on that below.

The right file format for stickers

Print shops generally want a print-ready PDF. Having a PDF printed as a sticker is therefore the normal case. Not every print shop accepts open working files from graphics or layout programs, including EPS. If in doubt, export your layout as a PDF in print quality, meaning not with the "smallest file size" or "for web" setting.

There are standardised variants for PDF export, the PDF/X standards. Two are especially common. PDF/X-1a is the older standard and is designed for CMYK data. The newer PDF/X-4 can also contain transparency and colour-managed data. Which standard applies varies from print shop to print shop.

Fonts should be embedded in the PDF or converted to outlines. Otherwise a substitute font may step in when the file is opened, and your lettering looks unfamiliar.

Vector or pixels: why the logo makes the difference

A vector logo consists of lines and curves that the program recalculates at every size. It stays sharp whether it fits on a ballpoint pen or a vehicle door. A pixel image works like a mosaic with a fixed number of tiles. If you enlarge it, you see the tiles, and the design becomes blurred or jagged.

That's why logos and text should be created as vector data. Photos stay pixel images, and there's nothing wrong with that. A quick test shows whether you have a vector: zoom in a long way on screen. If the edges stay smooth, it's very likely a vector. If small steps appear or the curves blur, it's a pixel image.

Resolution and colour

With pixel images, what counts is the resolution at the size it will be printed. The figure in dpi (dots per inch) tells you how densely the dots sit on the finished sticker. An image that looks good on a website often has too few dots for a larger area. When enlarged, the same number of dots is spread over more area and the design goes soft. Simply turning up the dpi value in the program doesn't add any new detail to the image. A postage-stamp photo won't become a poster that way.

Normally you create print files in CMYK. The screen mixes colours from light; print mixes them from ink on the material. That's why bright screen colours can't always be printed one to one. If you supply RGB, it gets converted, and colours can shift in the process. A strong green on the monitor may look duller on the vinyl. If you want to see this beforehand, switch on the soft-proof view in your graphics program. It shows roughly how the colours change in print.

As for the colour profile, the older standard profile ISO Coated v2 is still valid and in use. The newer PSO Coated v3 has been available since 2015. Both were developed for offset printing on coated paper, not specifically for vinyl. If your company has fixed colour values or spot colours in its corporate design, mention this before you order. Why fixed colour values matter across all channels is covered in 5 Tips for Consistent Corporate Design. Slight deviations due to material and process are still possible.

Bleed and safety margin for stickers

No cut is accurate to a tenth of a millimetre; there is always a little play when cutting. That's why backgrounds and design elements that should run to the edge are extended beyond the final size. This extra is called bleed, and the design is said to bleed off the edge.

2 to 5 mm of bleed per side is common. What counts is the requirement of the print shop you order from. Without bleed, a white edge may show after cutting. On white vinyl with a dark background it jumps out at you straight away.

The tolerance works inwards too. So text, logo and other important elements should not sit right on the cut edge but inside the design with a little safety margin. Otherwise the tail of the "g" in your company name ends up missing.

Cut contour for custom-shaped stickers

A round or rectangular sticker is quickly described. If the sticker is to follow the exact shape of your logo, the cutting plotter needs an instruction on where to cut. That's the contour line, also called the cut contour.

The line gets its own solid colour, in other words a spot colour. What this colour has to be called is set by each print shop. On screen it is often shown as 100 % magenta. Depending on the requirement, you set the line to "overprint". Set up correctly, the contour line does not appear in print, because it is only a cutting instruction.

The cutting tolerance applies here as well. Don't place the contour skin-tight around text or fine details, or the cut may end up in the design. How much distance and how much bleed beyond the contour are needed is among the values we'll give you before you order.

If you'd rather not create your own contour, a simple shape such as a rectangle or circle often works well. When cut vinyl is the right choice and when digital print is, is explained in our article Foil Technology or Digital Print?

Single or several on one sheet

Stickers come individually or several to a sheet. For several stickers on one sheet there is the kiss cut. The machine cuts only through the vinyl and leaves the backing paper intact. The sheet stays in one piece, and each sticker can be peeled off individually.

White print and clear stickers: a quick explanation

Four-colour printing has no white. White appears where white material is left unprinted. On clear vinyl there is no such white; it is printed as a separate colour and needs its own instruction in the file. If the design is to be applied to the inside of a window and read from outside, it is printed mirror-reversed and then overprinted with white. That's why you clarify before ordering whether it will be applied inside or outside.

Checklist before uploading

It's best to go through these points yourself once before uploading.

• Is the file a print-ready PDF in print quality?
• Does the size match the final format ordered?
• Are logo and text vectors, and is the resolution of photos sufficient for this size?
• Is the file set up in CMYK?
• Do backgrounds run into the bleed?
• Do text and logo keep a distance from the cut edge?
• Does a custom shape have its contour line as a separate spot colour?
• Are all fonts embedded or converted to outlines?
• For windows: has it been clarified whether it goes inside or outside?

Four problems in one file: the logo from the website

A typical case: a plumber wants company stickers for his toolbox and the van door. He saved his red logo from his own website. It's a small pixel graphic in RGB, the coloured background ends exactly at the edge, and the sticker is meant to follow the shape of the logo.

This one file contains four problems at once. Enlarged to toolbox size, the logo goes blurred. Without bleed, a pale edge may appear at the border. Without a contour line, there is no cutting shape. And the red from the website may look different in print than on the monitor.

Repairing the file is usually the wrong approach here. It's better to ask the designer who created the logo for the vector file. It's often part of the company's corporate design package. If there isn't one, you have the logo redrawn and check with the original designer beforehand that this is all right. Then it can be used equally well for stickers, vehicles and signs.

The problem starts before printing

A good file is cheaper than any reprint. Many problems on the finished sticker start on the screen, long before anything is printed. A blurred logo can't be magically sharpened in print. If you have your logo properly set up as a vector file once, the matter is settled for most future stickers and lettering.

If you don't have a print-ready file, our graphic design team can redraw it on request, provided your company holds the rights of use to the logo. This is a separate service and not part of the free file check. How such a logo is created is shown in Professional Graphic Design: From Briefing to Final Logo.

The file does most of the work

With a print-ready PDF, logos as vectors, CMYK, bleed and, for custom shapes, a clean contour line, most of the work is done. Before you have stickers printed, three questions remain. How big will the sticker be, and is the file good enough for that size? Will a simple shape such as a rectangle or circle do, or does it need a custom shape with a contour line? And should it be white vinyl or clear vinyl with white print?

Not sure? With the free file check we look at your file before it goes to print. Custom stickers can be ordered online at koeck-print.at.

Frequently asked questions

Which file format is suitable for stickers?

Print shops generally want a print-ready PDF exported in print quality. Not every print shop accepts open working files, including EPS. Which PDF/X standard applies varies from print shop to print shop. Create logos and text as vectors, and embed fonts or convert them to outlines.

What resolution do print files for stickers need?

That depends on the size at which it will be printed. A pixel image has a fixed number of dots and goes blurred when enlarged. Turning up the dpi value afterwards adds no new detail. With logos you avoid the problem with a vector file, because it stays sharp at any size.

What is a contour line, and do I need one?

The contour line tells the machine where to cut a custom shape. It gets its own spot colour, whose name each print shop sets itself, and it is not printed. You need it for custom shapes that follow the outline of a logo. If you'd rather not create your own contour, a simple shape such as a rectangle or circle is often the choice.