What is Printable Vinyl

If you are considering having stickers or labels printed, you may want to consider printable vinyl as an option.

But hang on for a minute; what is printable vinyl in the first place? Worry not because we have got you covered!

In this post, we’ll explore the benefits and some ideas for using printable vinyl.

What Is Printable Vinyl?

Printable vinyl is a type of adhesive material that you can print on using a standard home desktop printer. Printable vinyl is easy to use and closely resembles what you may consider a “peel and stick” sticker. One side has a special material that you can print on, and the other side has a normal adhesive backing.

Printable vinyl is very similar to normal vinyl, with the only difference being that you can print beautiful designs on it and then cut it out with a pair of scissors or with your preferred cutting machine from brands such as Silhouette or Cricut.

You can use it to make waterproof stickers for bottles, laptops, tumblers, mugs, car decals and more! If you always wanted to make DIY stickers, decorations or crafted products that you can sell on Etsy, this is the material for you!

Silhouette cutting machine. [Photo Credit: nanukis.arte on Instagram. Also visit her Etsy store]

Printable Vinyl vs. Sticker Paper

Printable vinyl is not the same thing as sticker paper. Printable vinyl sheets are not made of paper and are polymer based, which makes them waterproof and chemically resistant. On the other hand, sticker paper are plain sheets of paper with adhesive on the back.

The main difference between printable vinyl and sticker paper comes down to durability. When sticker paper get exposed to moisture, they typically get damaged. So, if you want your stickers to stay intact when exposed to moisture, you are better off choosing printable vinyl stickers.

Benefits of Using Printable Vinyl Paper

1) Incredibly Versatile

Unlike other materials, printable vinyl can withstand water without losing its appearance or quality. This makes this material ideal for use in a wide variety of products.

With pigment based inks and a protective layer such as laminates or spray coating, vinyl stickers can be used outdoors. However do expect their lifetime to be shorter compared to commercially printed stickers.

2) No Special Skills or Prior Experience is Needed

You don’t need to learn any new skills or have prior experience to print on vinyl. Just print on them like you would with a plain piece of paper. Frankly, the only obstacle you have when using this material is your imagination. Artists and crafters can use printable vinyl in a wide variety of ways like making vinyl decals, home decorations and more. Printing vinyl stickers at home is both fun and easy. No cutting machine? Grab a pair of scissors and you are good to go!

3) Easy to Create Colorful and Complex Designs

Unlike regular vinyl where you have to layer one color on top of the other, with printable vinyl, you can get a perfect design with just one pass on your desktop printer.

Ideas for using printable vinyl

Now that you know a little more about printable vinyl, all that is left is to get yourself some high-quality printable vinyl sheets and get to work. You can use these vinyl sheets on a wide range of projects, such as:

• Making custom labels that you can use to organize your cleaning and kitchen supplies.
• Starting a business where you make stickers of your artwork.
• Starting a business where you customize and sell items like phone cases, coffee mugs, tumblers and more.
• Decorating your personal items such as phones and laptops using trendy vinyl stickers.
• Making vinyl decals to make your office or workplace livelier.
• Making promotional stickers or product labels for your business. Etc.

As you can see, the list of application is endless. Printable vinyl stickers definitely has a lot to offer! Visit our Instagram page for more ideas here.