Stickers are one of the first print products most of us ever handle. As kids we collected our favourite pop-star or cartoon stickers and stuck them all over our notebooks, textbooks and diaries. All grown up, we still can't get away from them — loyalty stamps, charity flag-day stickers and event giveaways all lean on stickers.

Slap another brand's sticker onto almost any product and it instantly looks brand-new, the way a change of clothes transforms us. With so many stickers out there, big and small, how many types could you actually name? This article zeroes in on the three you'll meet most often.

Common Sticker Types

Coated Art-Paper Stickers

Coated art-paper stickers are the most common sticker of all — most of what you see on the market is this type, from charity flag-day stickers to the cartoon stickers sold in stationery shops. They're made on glossy coated (art) paper, and they're so widely used because they're affordable and print in bright, vivid colour.

Most coated-paper stickers are laminated to protect the surface, and you can choose gloss or matte lamination. Once laminated, the sticker is more durable and water-resistant, and the printed colours are far less prone to fading.

Another big plus of coated-paper stickers is that they take almost every finish — hot foil stamping and UV both work on them.

Coated art-paper sticker with matte lamination

Coated art-paper sticker with gloss lamination

Uncoated Paper Stickers (Writable)

The defining feature of uncoated paper stickers is that you can write on the surface — something most stickers simply can't do. They print with a more matte finish and carry an understated, artsy feel. Uncoated paper isn't a great match for very dark designs, though: the paper takes ink poorly, so heavy dark areas are prone to white specks or white edges.

Most finishes work on uncoated paper stickers — the two exceptions are lamination and UV. Lamination robs the sticker of its natural paper feel, and UV ink just gets soaked up by the paper.

Clear (Transparent) Stickers

Clear stickers are arguably the most popular of the common stickers. They blend seamlessly onto whatever you stick them to without ever looking out of place, which is exactly why so many brands print clear stickers to give away to customers.

The artwork on a clear sticker is semi-transparent, so on a dark surface its colours are easily thrown off. And if your design uses very light colour values, the print can come out extremely pale — sometimes barely legible. The fix is a white-ink underbase.

A white-ink underbase blocks out light, just like printing on white paper, and stickers printed with a white underbase come out noticeably more vivid.

Clear sticker (with white-ink underbase)

Clear sticker (cat design); clear sticker with a white-ink underbase

So Many Stickers, So Many Finishes — Know Before You Choose

Different stickers have different characteristics, so before you settle on the right one you need to be clear about where it will be used and the effect you're after. For outdoor use, choose a water-resistant sticker such as a laminated coated-paper sticker or a clear sticker. If you need to write on it, go with an uncoated paper sticker.

Ordering stickers for a brand or event? We print coated art-paper, uncoated paper and clear stickers, with delivery across Hong Kong and Macau — browse our sticker options or WhatsApp us at +852 3001 5678 (English is fine) and we'll help you pick the right material and finish.