Vinyl Decals vs Stickers

The pros and cons of making and selling both.

So I only sell Vinyl Decals but people often ask me questions specific to making and selling stickers. Which I get, because the term Vinyl stickers is used interchangeably, and they are similar, but they also have some significant differences so I thought it was about time I did a post on the main differences between stickers and vinyl decals, plus the pros and cons of selling both. This is just my opinion, but I will try to be as unbiased as possible. 

Either watch the video here…

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Or take a look below…

Which One Is The Most Popular?

So both are actually very popular sellers, and according to the Etsy Marketplace insights for spring/summer 2021 there has been a 92% year on year increase of searches for them…

…and you can sell both at the same time, you don’t have to choose one or the other. But it is good to know the difference. 

The Difference

So this is a very simple comparison, feel free to add more points in the comments if you want, but the main difference is that vinyl decals are usually patterns or wording cut out of vinyl, usually with a cutting machine, and once they’re applied all that can be seen is that pattern or colour, without any background. 

I do have a beginners guide to making decals video if you want to check that out for more info. 

Stickers on the other hand are usually printed on sticker paper or another printable, sticky material, and can be peeled off their backing paper and stuck directly onto a surface.

There is of course some overlap as you can get clear sticker paper, and printed vinyl, but I’m not going to go into that as I feel like it will get confusing. And then there are also labels, which is another term that also gets used to describe both stickers and decals, so again confusing, and I’m not going to cover those. Just your standard decals vs stickers. 

Vinyl Decal Pros

• No background

So one of the main reasons people use decals is so that you can see through or around the design - so for example, a lot of people use them on shop windows for this reason, or if you’re using a mirror, acrylic, or nice wood for a wedding sign for example, and don’t want to cover it up, then decals work well for this.

• Longevity

They also can last a long time without sun damage if you’re using a good quality permanent vinyl, and tend to be more waterproof than stickers so are often used for outdoor stuff and on vehicles for this reason. 

• Large designs

They are also easier to cut as larger designs because you don’t have to worry about the size of your printer.

• Suitable For Stencils

You can also use them as stencils if you want to paint your design on instead but just need a bit of guidance. 

Vinyl Decal Cons

• Need to be weeded

I think the biggest con of decals though is that you have to weed them. If you don’t know what that means, it’s just when you get rid of all of the excess vinyl from both the outside and inside of the letters so that you’re just left with your design on the backing paper. Sometimes this is super quick if you’re making larger designs, but with smaller more intricate designs it can take quite a while. 

• Need Transfer Tape

This also means you usually have to use transfer tape in order to apply your decals, which does create extra waste and means buying extra supplies, and they can be a lot more fiddly to apply than just standard stickers, especially when you create those more intricate ones. 

• Have To Layer For Multiple Colours

Also, if you want multiple colours on your design you usually have to layer the vinyl unless you use printed or patterned material, and layering can take a bit of time and can also be a bit fiddly. 

Check out my video if you want to create your own layered vinyl however…

Sticker Pros

• Easy To Apply

With stickers on the other hand, they are much easier to apply and you don’t need any extra material, you just peel and stick.

Although if you are using large ones they may need a bit of help to make sure there are no air bubbles trapped in them, but definitely still easier to apply than decals. 

• Can Be Made More Eco-Friendly

You can also make them a bit more eco friendly with recycled sticker paper if you’re trying to be more conscious. 

• Can Be Sold In Mass Quantities

If you’re an artist, illustrator or designer then they’re a great way to sell your art affordably and to a mass audience. But also if you sell to businesses or for events, you can sell them in mass quantities as well. 

• Can Outsource

And you don’t have to make them yourself necessarily, they are a lot easier to outsource to places like sticker mule if you don’t own a cutting machine. 

Sticker Cons

• Have To Sell At A Low Cost

Stickers tend to be smaller in nature which is a good thing for selling lots of them, but also can be a bad thing as you usually have to sell each individual one quite cheaply, so you may not make that much unless you’re selling multiples.

• Need A Good Printer To DIY

If you do want to make them yourself at home you do have to have a really good printer to make sure the quality is good. Print and cut, especially on the Cricut, can also sometimes be an issue if you’re not calibrated correctly, plus it’s difficult to cut over a certain size because of both the machines restrictions and how big your printer prints. 

Photo by Joshua Fuller on Unsplash

• Not Weather Proof

Stickers are also usually not weather proof unless you seal them with something else, and can fade in the sun or their design can run if they get wet, so aren’t always the best choice for long term outdoor application. 

Pros & Cons For Both

• Easy To Ship

The pros for both decals and stickers though are that they are easy to ship because they’re flat and pretty lightweight.

• Good Mark-Up

You can get a really good mark-up on them as your base material for making them isn’t usually too expensive, and unless you’re creating custom designs, you can pre-make them. 

See my video here on custom vs pre-made designs if you want to delve a bit more into that subject:

• Not Usually Heat Proof/Dishwasher Safe

They also both usually need extra sealing before they are fully heat proof and can go through a dishwasher, and even if they’re sealed, the adhesive on them will probably break down eventually, although some can last a very long time…

• Not Always Easy To Remove

…and because of this adhesive they’re not always the easiest to remove unless you use removable vinyl or the stickers that peel off really easily. 

So as you can see, there are lots of pros and cons to making and selling both, if you’re torn between the two I hope this has helped!

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, or with which one you prefer!