Labels vs Stickers - What's the difference?
Yes labels and stickers are different things. Generally labels are either blank sheets which are printed on or pre-printed and contain information. For example, address information, list of ingredients, company logo etc. Think of when you buy something from Amazon, it arrives in a box with a white label on the front with your address. You open it up and inside the product has a label on the packaging you need to remove before using and a label containing the barcode and maybe price.
Stickers are a little bit different. Stickers are always printed, they usually come individually (rather than on a sheet) and can be ANY shape! Stickers are fun and normally don't contain much if any information. Think stickers for a football annual, or stickers in a kids magazine - they are eye catching designs, fun shapes and you just want to share and stick them everywhere!
Labels
- Perfect for displaying information, such as address, name, company logo.
- Labels are normally a legal requirement for businesses to display warnings and ingredients if relevant.
- Labels are easy to print at home using your printer. Blank label sheets are available in almost any size, shape and quantity. Or get them pre-printed.
- Usually made from a paper based material (although more durable materials are available for different applications).
- Labels are designed to stick and stay stuck, however you can choose between permanent and removable labels depending on the need.
- Labels normally come on an A4 sheet and depending on the size you can fit anywhere from 1 labels to 240 labels per sheet!
- For larger volume or automated processes you can also buy roll labels, which are pre-printed and supplied nicely wound up.
Stickers
- Stickers are great fun! You won't be able to help yourself peeling and sticking everywhere, just like a kid.
- They are pre-printed, normally with a fin design to show brand logo or just a fun design.
- Stickers are normally individual, so they can be bought 1 at a time or in bulk but they would be loose.
- They are easy to give away at events or put in as a thank you with products to add a personal and fun touch.
- Sticker shape is a HUGE difference, die cut stickers allow for the design to be cut around meaning your sticker can be any shape or size!
- Stickers celebrate individuality, stick them on your laptop, notebook or water bottle and own your style!
Why choose a label?
Why choose a label?
- If you want to add information to a package, product or environment a label is what you are after.
- They can be fully personalised and are ideal for containing lot's of information.
- Labels are cheap and easy to buy with very low minimum order quantities - order from 1 sheet!
- Labels offer incredible flexibility, use blank label sheets to print on demand or buy pre-printed personalised labels.
- Need more labels, you can also get them on a roll for quick labelling (or machine automated).
- Easy to create and design your label for FREE!
- Wide range of materials, shapes and sizes to buy from.
- Try Labels
Why choose a sticker?
Why choose a sticker?
- You want to show people your style or highlight your business or interest.
- Choose from some great sticker designs already available or design your own to be really individual.
- Stickers work great with a bold image or design and we love when stickers are contour cut (cut around the design), so you get a really fun shape!
- Materials are key! Choose the material you want to make your sticker pop. Vinyl stickers for ultimate durability, recycled Kraft for ultimate sustainability or metallic materials for ultimate impact.
- Choose the shape you want, custom cut (around the design) or choose a normal shape; circle, square, rectangle etc.
- Die cut stickers are cut around the design they are super easy to peel and look really good.
- Try Stickers
FAQ's
Sure, you can use a sticker as a label. However, generally stickers are designed more to be colourful and impactful and normally cut in an intricate shape - this might not lend itself to all labelling applications.
Usually labels will be cheaper than stickers. When you buy labels you normally buy them on a sheet or on a roll, giving you lots of labels. Stickers are normally bought individually (although they can be bought in bulk), because of this the cost per label is normally a little more for stickers. It is also worth noting that stickers generally are made from more expensive materials such as Vinyl or Holographic and take longer to cut when intricate shapes are involved.
We hope this has helped you identify whether you need a label or a sticker for your project, but if not, most companies offer a sample service for you to test materials and see what looks best and what performs best for your application. Get material sample pack.