Artwork & Design FAQ

Yes. With our design service, our in-house design team can make changes for you, including adding bleed, scaling text, adjusting layouts, modifying colours, and making content changes. 

Simply add this service when placing your order, and add instructions to the notes box explaining what you need. We'll always send a proof for your approval first. 

Yes. With our design service, our in-house design team can create a bespoke piece of artwork to be printed on your stickers or labels. With Pro orders this is free!

Simply add this service when placing your order, include instructions to the notes box explaining how you want it to look, and upload any images or photos to be included (such as a logo).

It can also be very helpful to upload a sketch or a basic mock-up of how you would like the layout, but this isn't necessary. 

We'll always send a proof for your approval first, with the opportunity to request additional amendments as well. 

The 3mm internal safe area means that all important design content (such as text or logos) are kept at least 3mm away from the edges of the sticker or label. 

This is important to prevent misalignment during cutting, ensuring that key text and design elements are not trimmed too close to the edge. 

Why is it needed?

• Material naturally shifts and stretches slightly during production, especially plastics like polypropylene.
• Mechanical tolerances in cutting machines cause minor movement, which can affect precision.
• Helps reduce reprints, misalignment, and material waste.

This is why it's a very common practice in the printing industry.

If you choose to reduce the safe area by putting important design elements closer than 3mm to the edges, just let us know in the notes box and leave a comment confirming liability, but note that we cannot reprint orders if issues arise due to reduced margins.

To provide a cutline for a custom shape, we recommend the following

• For Editable/Vector Files: Create a contrasting stroke/line (e.g., magenta or red) and add a note like "Cutline shown in red".
• For Flattened/Bitmap Images: Do not include the cutline on the same image. Instead send it separately on a layer, vector path or separate vector based file, or provide clear written instructions.

Can't do either of the above?

Not a problem. Just leave a detailed description (with measurements if required). A quick sketch can also be beneficial, even if you just draw it on paper and take a photo. 

Whichever way you choose, we'll always send you a proof showing the cut line before we print, with the opportunity to request amendments if needed.

For the best print quality, your artwork should meet the following resolution guidelines:

• Minimum resolution: 300dpi (dots per inch).
• Preferred for small text or fine details: 600dpi for sharper results.

If you don't meet these guidelines, your printed design won't look quite as sharp and high-quality as it potentially could.

If you're unsure about your file resolution, contact our Sales Team for advice. 

We recommend keeping files under 25MB for smooth uploading. Larger files can be sent via a trusted shared link such as WeTransfer, Google Drive, or Dropbox. If a file is too large to process, our design team will provide guidance on reducing the size while maintaining high quality.

Why is this preferred?

Large files can cause delays in production due to processing limitations in RIP (Raster Image Processor) software, which translates artwork into print-ready data. If a file is too complex, it may slow down or even crash the processing system. If you need help optimising your file, contact our Support team after placing your order.

If you're sending a print-ready design, you can upload the following file types:

• PDF
• JPEG
• PNG
• AI
• PSD
• EPS

PDFs are preferred as the industry standard, but not essential. If you have a different file type, contact us first and we'll do our very best to accommodate it. 

Certainly. We can print gradients on all of our labels and stickers, including metallic and clear materials. Gradients help create smooth transitions between colours, giving designs a premium, dynamic look. They are often used in branding, luxury packaging, cosmetics, and promotional labels to enhance visual appeal.

To ensure the best print quality, we recommend setting gradients up correctly in your design file. If you're using Illustrator, use vector-based gradients and avoid banding by exporting a high-resolution output file. Need any advice? Get in touch. 

RGB and CMYK are two different colour models used for different purposes:

• RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is used for digital screens (monitors, TVs, phones) and produces bright, luminous colours using light.
• CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) is used for printing and creates colours by a mixing ink on a surface

Printing requires CMYK as the industry-standard, so any RGB artwork must be converted to CMYK before production.

For the best print results, always design in CMYK or convert your artwork before uploading it. If you send us an RGB file, we'll convert it for you.

A sticker sheet is a printed sheet containing multiple stickers of the same or different designs. There are two main types of sticker sheet you can create:

Repeated Design Sticker Sheets

• If you want the same sticker repeated on a sheet, simply upload one copy of your design.
• We will automatically arrange the maximum number of stickers that will fit on your chosen sheet size.

Mixed Sticker Sheets (multiple designs on one sheet):

• If you need different designs on a single sheet, set up your artwork at the exact sheet size required (i.e. A4, A5, A6 etc).
• Each sticker must be spaced at least 6mm apart to allow for proper cutting.

For custom layouts or specific arrangements, contact us for help. We can advise on the best setup for your project and adjust your artwork if needed.

For true black in print, we advise using CMYK (0,0,0,100) for small/thin elements like text. For large areas or backgrounds, it's better to use CMYK (50,50,50,100) to achieve a deeper, richer black.

Yes, we can provide a template for your ordered sticker size, complete with bleed, safe area and a cutline for you to follow. Simply request a template when placing your order which we'll send straight to you via email. You can then apply your artwork and upload it, and our design team will review it for any adjustments or further guidance.

• Standard bleed: 3mm
• Optional reduced bleed: 1.5mm. Contact Sales to request.

What is bleed?

Bleed is an extension of your background design beyond the cutline which we will print. This means we'll trim the bleed off to achieve the desired final size.

Why is it needed?

Imagine if your design has a coloured background at the exact size being printed. If the cut deviated by even 0.1mm, you would end up with a thin white line around your sticker or label! 

By including the bleed, we'll cut through the background colour, not just at the very edge of it, to guarantee no unsightly white lines or unwanted borders.

If in doubt, contact us with the final size you would like and we'll send you a free design template to use. 

The best way forward is to ensure that you view your design at the same size it would be when printed. There are two easy ways to do this:

1. Print a copy on your home printer at it's final size (measure it with a ruler and re-print if needed)


2. Open your design on your computer, and zoom in/out until it's the same size on the screen as it would be when printed. You can also place a ruler on your screen to verify this.

You'll then be able to easily tell if all of the text on your sticker or label will be readable!

You can certainly use raster images (like JPEG or PNG). We do recommend vector where possible as it's easier to scale, but this isn't essential. 

It is recommended that you outline fonts (i.e. convert text to shapes). You don't have to do this, but if we don't have the same font in our library, we may have to contact you to retrieve it.