Sticker File Setup 101: DPI, Bleed, and File Formats That Actually Print Well

Most proof delays come down to three things: low resolution, missing bleed, or a file format the printer cant read cleanly. None of it is complicated once you know what to check before you upload.

This guide walks through exactly what print ready artwork means for custom stickers, labels, and magnets, in plain language, so your first proof is your last proof.

Sticker DPI: why 300 is the number and why screenshots fail

DPI stands for dots per inch, basically how much detail is packed into your image at its final printed size. For stickers, 300 DPI at the actual size youre ordering is the standard. Go lower and edges get soft, text blurs, and small details turn to mush once printed.

Heres the trap: a screenshot or a random image pulled off the web is usually 72 DPI, built for screens, not print. It might look sharp on your phone because your phone is a small, low-detail canvas. Blow that same file up to a 3 inch die cut sticker and youll see pixelation immediately. If your file is under 300 DPI at full size, we will flag it before printing, not after.

• 300 DPI at final print size is the safe target for any custom sticker or label
• 72 DPI screenshots and social media images are almost always too low res to print sharp
• Logos pulled from a website are frequently raster and small, ask for the original vector file if you have one
• When in doubt, the bigger and higher res the source file, the safer you are

Sticker bleed and safe margins, explained without the jargon

Bleed is extra artwork that extends past your final cut line, usually about 0.125 inch (roughly 3mm) on custom stickers. Printers dont cut with laser precision every single time, theres always a tiny bit of shift. Bleed means that shift reveals more of your background, not a white sliver at the edge.

Safe margin is the flip side: keep any important text or logo elements a bit inside the cut line, so nothing critical gets trimmed off if the cut shifts the other way. For die cut stickers especially, this matters because the cutter follows your shape closely, and a background color or element that stops exactly at the edge often reads as a mistake once trimmed.

• Extend background colors and images past the cut line by about 0.125 inch
• Keep text and logos comfortably inside the cut line, not hugging the edge
• Die cut stickers need bleed on the shape itself, not just a rectangle around it
• No bleed usually means a white line sneaks in on one side, this is the most common proof fix we make

Vector vs raster: which one to send us

Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG, or PDF built from vector art) are made of math, lines and curves, so they scale to any size with zero quality loss. This is ideal for logos, text, and simple graphics, its why we can resize a vector file from a business card to a 6 inch sticker with no DPI worries at all.

Raster files (JPG, PNG, TIFF, PSD) are made of pixels, and thats totally fine for photos, gradients, and painted or hand drawn artwork. Just make sure the raster file is high resolution, meaning 300 DPI at the actual size you want printed, not the size it happens to be on your screen.

• Vector: best for logos, text, flat colors, line art. Scales infinitely, no DPI math needed
• Raster: best for photography, gradients, textures, painted illustrations. Must be 300 DPI at full size
• Not sure which you have? Send us the file, well tell you, no charge for checking

Transparent backgrounds for die cut and holographic stickers

If youre ordering die cut stickers, meaning the sticker is cut to follow your artwork shape rather than a plain square or circle, we need a transparent background. That means PNG with the background removed, or a vector file where the background is simply not there, not white, actually transparent.

This is also true for holographic stickers with a die cut shape: the cutter needs a clean outline to trace, and a white box around your art usually means the white prints as a visible edge instead of showing the holographic vinyl underneath. If your file has a solid background right now, flag it when you order and well sort it out with you during the proof stage.

• PNG with transparency or vector with no background fill, for any die cut shape
• White background left in by accident is the single most common die cut file issue we catch
• Holographic stickers especially benefit from a clean transparent file, since the shimmer effect shows at the true edge

File formats we accept (and the ones to avoid)

We work with the formats most people already have on hand. No need to buy new software just to order stickers.

If your file is a Word document, a PowerPoint slide, or a screenshot embedded in Canva at low export settings, its worth double checking the export resolution before sending. When in doubt, export at the largest size and highest quality your tool allows, then let us take a look.

• Accepted: AI, EPS, PDF (vector), PNG, JPG, TIFF, PSD (raster, 300 DPI at size)
• Best for die cut and holographic stickers: PNG with transparent background or vector PDF
• Avoid: low res screenshots, files under 150 DPI at final size, compressed JPGs saved multiple times
• Not sure your export is clean? Send it anyway, we check every file before it goes to print

Why order from a Canadian sticker shop instead of a US site

Every price at Stickerie is in CAD, what you see is what you pay, no surprise currency conversion fee from your card, no guessing what the exchange rate did overnight. Custom die cut stickers start around 73 CAD for 50 at 3 inches, and shipping is free over 35 CAD within Canada.

Everything is printed in Canada on waterproof, dishwasher safe vinyl, which matters for water bottles, laptops, and anything that ends up outside or in a bag. And because were Montreal based, you're not waiting on customs or duties that can hit US orders shipped north.

• Prices shown in CAD, no FX fees or surprise conversion at checkout
• Printed in Canada: no customs delays or duty surprises
• Free shipping over 35 CAD
• Waterproof, dishwasher safe vinyl on die cut and holographic stickers

We check every file and send a free proof before anything prints

This is the actual safety net: even if your DPI is borderline or your bleed is a touch off, we review every file manually and send a free digital proof before your order goes into production. Nothing prints until you approve it.

If something needs fixing, a low res logo, missing bleed, a background that should be transparent, well tell you exactly what and usually suggest a fix, rather than just rejecting the file and leaving you guessing.