I compare 3 different sticker makers

I'm getting ready to participate in my first in-person market since 2017 (and first ever in Cincinnati), so I've been getting ready by ordering lots of merch. I'm still waiting on delivery for totes and t-shirts, but I've gotten all the stickers in.

 -----> You can purchase them from my website right now. <-------

First off, I want to point out that all four of these designs have been created from photographs of my studio art using a Nikon DSLR camera. They're not digital designs.

I ordered from three different sticker vendors, to try out quality. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turned out that the most expensive vendor made the best (in my opinion) quality stickers, but I definitely like all four.

No. 637 - Sticker Mule

I actually ordered this a while back to use as an add-in for when I ship art to people. I'm fairly happy with how this one turned out, but I wish it was slightly more glossy. I can't remember if there were different options for finishes, and I didn't see anything about finish on my receipt. I discovered Sticker Mule from receiving ads, and this order was deeply discounted through an ad. The company is constantly running promotions on many of their products and cycle through the promotions every week, so if you are not pressed for time, you can probably wait for a promotion for something you want.

No. 799 - Hub City

I was a tiny bit disappointed with the color of the permutation. It looks slightly lavender (more so in person). However, it also feels more vintage-y because of this, so I've come around to appreciating it.

The piece on which this sticker is based sold recently to a stranger from the internet. She told me she found me on Instagram, had been watching me for a while, and had her eye on the piece for months (it was made in December of 2022). It's relatively rare that this happens, sadly. Despite the fact that I've been working for a digital marketing agency for over a year, I am still pretty bad at doing my own digital marketing.

I actually so fully love this piece that when I got the notification that it had sold through my website, I panicked, assuming that it MUST have already sold. It's too good of a piece to have not been snatched up, right? So, in a very silly move, and without looking to verify my impulse, I refunded the sale and started to write an email apologizing that the inventory hadn't been updated. But then I thought about it and looked through my inventory and sure enough, it was there. So, then I had to change the email to be a profuse apology and hope that I could convince this stranger to do the transaction AGAIN.

Fortunately, she was lovely and did what needed to be done, but it just shows how rarely I sell work straight off my website, and thus am a bit bad at it.

No. 869 - Sticky Brand

Everything about this company was superior. The interface and ease of ordering, the communication, and the quality of stickers. I ordered on Memorial day and they got me a proof the same day, which I was not expecting. They also had very clear instructions on how to submit the artwork. I created my offset size, where with sticker mule, I'm pretty sure they set it themselves.

No. 965 - Sticky Brand (again)

I don't know why, but I absolutely adore how this one came out. The color looks great and all the detail is perfect. I also don't think it would make a great t-shirt, so it's interesting.

Like I mentioned, this company was the most expensive. There was a Memorial Day promotion, so they were cheaper than normal, but still quite expensive compared to the other companies, so it's kind of funny that I ordered two different versions from the most expensive place, but I'm glad I did, because I suspect that I wouldn't have liked them as much.

Since I like to include use cases, here are the stickers on my thermos.

I'm spending hundreds of dollars getting ready for the market, but hopefully it will all pay off. If you’re in the Cincinnati area, you should stop by.

It's been fun to change gears and think about other ways of sharing my art.

I also made new business cards and bought these super cute poured concrete business card holders from Etsy. I have to support other makers!

Here’s the item, in case you’re interested.

If you're stumbling upon this post and found it helpful, let me know.