How To Make Waterproof Stickers [All Methods Included]

Table of Contents

Many people including me love to do art and craft work. Needless to say, stickers are an excellent form of artwork. Many know that they should make their stickers waterproof.

But, how to do that? In this article, I will discuss how to make waterproof stickers. Want to know more? Read on!

How to make waterproof stickers at home

Materials you need:

When it comes to making waterproof stickers at home, you must use the right material. Now, there are plenty of options from which you have to choose the right one.

Remember one thing, if you don’t choose the material wisely, your entire sticker project can be ruined. Typically, I need the following materials to get the job done perfectly.

1. Sticker Paper:

The next thing you will require is sticker paper. You will easily find waterproof, matte sticker papers which are printable and compatible to work with most of the popular cutting machines.

2. Printer:

You will also need a printer to print your stickers. Don’t become a fool by buying a low-quality printer. Check the quality of the printer before making the ultimate buying decision.

3. Laminating Sheets:

You want to protect your valuable stickers, right? That’s why you will need laminating sheets for creating an extra layer of protection for your stickers. Always use self-adhesive laminating sheets for better performance.

4. Thermal Laminating Machine:

Another piece of equipment you may need is a thermal laminating machine. Check the features and advantages of the thermal laminator before buying it.

5. Aerosol-Based Spray Sealant:

You may also need an aerosol-based spray sealant to make your stickers waterproof.

5. Cutting Machine:

First of all, you will need a DIY cutting machine for art and craft cutting. These machines are specially designed for giving you a precision cut for artists, designers, and crafters.

Many models of DIY cutting machines from different brands are easily available in the market. So, you should choose carefully when buying a new cutting machine.

6. Wax Paper:

You will also need wax paper to make waterproof stickers without sticker paper.

7. Tape:

Finally, you need packaging tape when you don’t use sticker paper.

How to Make Waterproof Stickers with Sticker Papers

Everybody will agree that making stickers waterproof is quite important. Especially, if you want your stickers to last longer, you must make them waterproof in the correct manner. Now, there are three major ways to make waterproof stickers at home which are as follows-

Method 1- Using a self-adhesive laminating Sheet
Method 2- Using a thermal laminating machine
Method 3- Applying a Sealant

Continue reading to know about the steps you need to follow in each method.

Method 1- Using Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheet:

To make waterproof stickers in this method, you can follow these simple steps.

Step-1: Create an Illustration

You can start the process by creating an illustration. If you are a DIY enthusiast, I believe you would like to make the illustration on your own. When making the illustration, you should make it large in the first place.

If you do so, in a later stage, you will have more rooms to resize. To DIY at this stage, you need to have a good design sense. After making the illustration properly, you need to remove the background and save the file in png format. Even if you download an image, you must save it in png for better output.

Step-2: Make the illustration Print Ready

This step is quite important. Because in this step, you need to finalize your illustration and make it print-ready. There are a couple of ways to do that.

I suggest editing your illustration in Adobe illustrator. Do all the necessary editing staff in the illustration to complete your designs so that you can print them on the sticker paper.

Alternatively, you can use the Cricut design space for designing your stickers. In that case, firstly, you will have to upload the image to the canvas of the Cricut design space. Then, you will need to do the necessary design work to make your image or sticker print ready.

Although the entire process of Cricut might seem quite challenging to you, if you know the techniques, it’s not that struggling.

Step-3: Do the Printing

At this point, you will need to print the stickers. Now, there are several printers you will find in the market. But, But, always try to use the best printers for vinyl stickers for better output.

Here, my recommendation is Epson WorkForce WF-7710 Wireless Wide-format Color Inkjet Printer (view on Amazon). This printer will allow you to enjoy rich, vibrant, and professional printing every time.

To complete the process, you need to use sticker papers. However, most sticker papers are ultimately made of paper. That’s why they will absorb moisture in most cases.

Keeping that in mind, my recommendation is this excellent printable vinyl Sticker Paper which is impervious to moisture. This paper will work perfectly to print stickers. But, it will work only with vinyl inkjet printers.

When you have the right sticker paper and printer, print your stickers. That brings us to the next step.

Step-4: Use Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets

This is the most important step to making your stickers waterproof. So, don’t make any mistakes in this step. You have to use self-adhesive laminating sheets to waterproof the stickers. There are two plastic films in the self-adhesive laminating sheets.

One of the sides of the film has adhesive materials. So, you have to place the sticker paper in the middle of the two films of the laminating sheet.

However, you need to make sure that the adhesive part of the film is on the upper side of the stickers so that it can seal the surface of the stickers to make them waterproof.

Step-5: Cut the Stickers

Now that you already have laminated the stickers with self-adhesive laminating sheets, you need to cut the stickers. Of course, you can cut them with scissors. But, I bet, you won’t want to take a risk with your stickers.

So, we recommend using the best cutting machine available on the market. Nonetheless, we recommend Cricut Explore Air 2 for this job. Because this machine will offer you a super simple precision cut in a very convenient way.

Tips: Actually, the sticker-making process is the same regardless of the method you choose. So, whatever method you use, up to step 3 will be the same always. After printing the stickers, you can choose your preferred method for waterproofing them.

Method-2: Using Thermal Laminating Machine

Now, a thermal laminating machine is also an effective way. However, it will not make the stickers completely waterproof. To work on this method, firstly, you need to get a good quality thermal laminating machine.

In this case, my recommendation is the Fellowes Saturn 3i 125 Thermal Laminator Machine. I found this laminator quite effective and comes with a very user-friendly design.

Using a thermal laminating machine is quite easy.

Firstly, you need to wait for the light to turn on. There is a thermal laminating pouch. All you have to do is insert the printed sticker paper into that pouch.

That’s it. When the paper comes out of the machine, it will be laminated. After completing the laminating, you should cut the stickers.

Method-3: Applying a Sealant

Another good method of making your stickers waterproof is applying a sealant. I always recommend using an aerosol-based sealant for better output. You will end up getting a glossy or matte finish if you follow this method. The application process is quite straightforward.

Place the printed stickers on a surface.
Get an aerosol-based spray sealer.
Then apply the coat in a batch. You should do it slowly.
After applying the sealant, you have to wait at least 24 hours. This drying time is very important.
After the sealant is properly dried up, you need to cut the stickers the next day.

How to Make Waterproof Stickers without Sticker Papers

Yes, you can make waterproof stickers without using sticker paper. There are also two methods which are as follows.

Method-1: Using wax paper and tape
Method-2: Using laser-printed images

All of the methods are explained below in a detailed manner.

Method-1: Using Wax Paper and Tape

The following steps are included in this method.

Step-1: Print the Images

As you don’t have the sticker paper, you should print your selected images on a normal sheet. The sheet should be thick enough so that you can work with it easily. The images should be color printed. After that, you should cut the images in your preferred shape and size.

Step-2: Turn Images into Stickers

First, take wax paper and lay it on a surface. Then, you need to stick the tape on the surface of the wax paper. After that back of the tape, you need to attach the images with a glue stick.

Then, stick another layer of tap on the surface of the images. So, you have found your waterproof stickers here.

Step-3: Cut the Stickers

Cut the stickers by using a scissor. Finally, you need to remove the wax paper carefully so that you can use your newly made stickers.

Method-2: Using Laser Printed Images

In this method, you have to follow these steps.

Step-1: Laser Print Your Images

Choose your images and print them using laser printers very carefully.

Step-2: Stick Tape

Stick tape carefully on the surface of all of the images. Make sure that the surface of the images is completely covered.

Step-3: Soak them in Water

In this step, you need to soak the images in the water. Let them soak in the water for five minutes at least.

Step-4: Remove the back paper

After five minutes, you have to remove the back part of the images. Then dry them on wax paper. That’s it, your waterproof stickers are ready to use.

make my stickers waterproof

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How can I make my stickers waterproof?

Answer: You can easily make your stickers waterproof. There are several methods to do that. You can use a self-adhesive laminating sheet which is quite easy to use.

It will seal your stickers properly. You can also use a thermal laminator. However, it will not make your stickers completely waterproof. Alternatively, an aerosol-based sealant can be used to get the job done.

What paper do you need to make waterproof stickers?

Answer: To make waterproof stickers, you will need sticker paper so that you can print your design on it. To get the best level of user experience, you should always use printable vinyl sticker paper.

Can you print your waterproof stickers?

Answer: Yes, you can print your waterproof stickers. To do that, you will need a vinyl inkjet printer in your home.

Does Mod Podge make stickers waterproof?

Answer: No, Mod Podge can’t make stickers waterproof completely. It contains vinyl acetate. To be honest, using Mod podge can make stickers a little bit water-resistant, but it will not be completely waterproof.

Do laminating stickers make them waterproof?

Answer: Yes, laminating stickers will make them waterproof. But, to make it completely waterproof, you should use self-adhesive laminating sheets. If you follow the thermal laminating method, it may not become completely waterproof.

Conclusion

Making stickers is an excellent art and many people love to do that. But, you should make your stickers waterproof so that they can sustain water damage.

There are several methods of waterproofing them. I hope after reading this write-up, you know well how to make waterproof stickers.