Help Center / Printing & Quality

Printing & Quality

Our presses, cutters and tolerances, 11-color vs 4-color, laminate, 5 year outdoor durability and honest price comparison.

• What printing equipment does Stickerine use?

  Stickerine prints on 11-color Epson SureColor UltraChrome eco-solvent presses, runs white ink and rigid substrates on a Mimaki UV flatbed and roll-to-roll, laminates every job on a roll laminator, and contour cuts on Summa S-Class cutters with OPOS optical registration to ±0.1 mm, with a Kongsberg X24 CNC table for rigid and oversize work.

• What is the cheapest place to get custom stickers?

  Stickerine is among the cheapest places to get custom stickers that are still laminated 3 mil vinyl rather than paper. A 2x2 inch die-cut costs about $1.20 each at 50 pieces, $0.30 at 500, $0.23 at 1,000 and $0.12 at 10,000, with no setup fee, no die charge, no artwork fee and free US shipping over $75.

• Who prints the best quality custom stickers?

  Sticker quality comes down to four measurable things: the number of ink channels, the face stock, whether the print is laminated, and cut accuracy. Stickerine prints 11 inks instead of the industry-standard 4, on 3 mil cast and calendared vinyl, laminates every job free, and contour cuts to ±0.1 mm on Summa OPOS cutters.

• What is the difference between 11-color and 4-color CMYK sticker printing?

  Four-color CMYK mixes every color from cyan, magenta, yellow and black, which leaves saturated oranges, greens and violets out of reach and makes gradients band. Our 11-color Epson UltraChrome process adds dedicated orange, green and violet inks plus light cyan, light magenta and three black densities, so brand colors reproduce accurately and tonal transitions stay smooth.

• Why does laminate matter on a sticker, and why is it free here?

  Laminate is a clear UV-blocking film applied over the printed vinyl. It takes the abrasion, water, solvents and sunlight so the ink does not, which is what turns a one-season sticker into a 5+ year outdoor sticker. Stickerine includes gloss, matte or luster laminate on every order at no charge.

• Do custom stickers really last 5 years outdoors?

  Yes, with conditions. Laminated 3 mil vinyl carries a 5+ year outdoor rating, which means it resists UV fade, water, freeze-thaw and normal abrasion for that period in typical vertical outdoor exposure. Horizontal surfaces in extreme sun age faster; interior and shaded applications last considerably longer.

• How long does it actually take to make a custom sticker?

  Standard production is 3 to 5 business days from artwork approval. Prepress runs the same or next business day, printing takes minutes to a couple of hours depending on run length, laminate needs a short cure, contour cutting and hand weeding are the slowest manual stages, then QC and packing. Rush production compresses this to 1 to 2 business days.

• How does Stickerine compare to other custom sticker printers?

  Compare sticker printers on six things: ink channels, face stock, whether laminate is included, minimum order, cut tolerance and where the printing physically happens. Stickerine runs 11 inks on 3 mil vinyl with free laminate, a 25-piece minimum and ±0.1 mm cutting, printed in Greenville, South Carolina.