Transparent sticker printing is a subset of digital label printing, which is ideal for creating product packaging that features transparent areas so you can see the contents. You might also call this see-through sticker printing or even see-through label printing. Either way, it’s a specific type of print job with very particular requirements regarding the transparency of the ink used to create the final product.
But don’t let the complex technical details scare you away from exploring this cost-effective option for your business. Once you understand why transparent sticker printing is beneficial, working with an expert in label design will be much easier and more enjoyable. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about transparent sticker printing:
What You Need to Know About Transparent Sticker Printing
Transparent sticker printing is a subset of digital label printing, which is ideal for creating product packaging that features transparent areas so you can see the contents. You might also call this see-through sticker printing or even see-through label printing. Either way, it’s a specific type of print job with very particular requirements regarding the transparency of the ink used to create the final product.
But don’t let the complex technical details scare you away from exploring this cost-effective option for your business. Once you understand why transparent sticker printing is beneficial, working with an expert in label design will be much easier and more enjoyable. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about transparent sticker printing:
Transparency
The transparency of the ink must be considered when designing labels with transparent areas. The opacity level and how well it will work with your printer will depend on your ink type and print settings. In general, inks that are designed for use on clear surfaces are best for use with transparent stickers for labels because they are highly opaque and can create solid blocks of color on clear substrates.
Why Print Transparent Labels?
The ability to see the contents of a package is crucial for many businesses. For example, if you sell cosmetics, you might want your customers to be able to see all of the shades inside a compact. If you sell food products in glass jars, it’s even more important to show what’s inside. With transparent sticker printing, you can print labels with any color background and transparency percentage (e.g., completely see-through, translucent). This means that you won’t have to sacrifice product visibility for the sake of design aesthetics the way you would when using regular sticker printing methods.
What Does Transparency in Sticker Printing Mean?
There’s a lot happening in your package design, and many of those elements need to be seen in order to tell the story you want. So what does transparency in sticker printing mean? Basically, it means that a certain area on the sticker is see-through, so you can see the contents inside.
3 Steps to Producing Transparency in Your Print Job
The transparency of the ink in your print job will vary depending on the type of label you’re printing. Generally, plastic and vinyl labels are more transparent than paper labels. We recommend gloss ink for these types of labels because it provides an optimal level of transparency that won’t wash away over time.
For paper labels, a matte or satin finish is recommended to produce much less transparency in your final product. There are three steps involved in producing transparency in your print job: post-production, pre-production, and production. You need to plan ahead for the type of label you want to produce so you can produce the desired results in pre-production and production.
2 Things to Remember When Designing Transparent Stickers
It’s important to remember two things when designing transparent stickers: the ink and the substrate. Ink is the color used in the printing process, and the substrate is the surface to which you are applying the ink. When it comes to transparent sticker printing, you need a substrate that is transparent or has at least one clear area large enough for your design. You also need ink that will print clearly on clear or transparent material.
The most popular types of substrates used in this type of label printing are polyester film, cast acrylic, and polyurethane film. All three materials provide excellent opacity so your product’s contents aren’t visible through the packaging when applied correctly.
3 Common Mistakes When Designing for Transparent Labels
Mistake 1:
Printing on paper instead of transparency film Printing a label on paper and cutting out the design can seem like an easy way to make stickers. However, it won’t result in a transparent sticker because the ink will be visible from both sides of the paper label. The same goes for using clear tape to create stickers. While this method may work for some items, it doesn’t produce a truly see-through sticker.
Mistake 2:
Using an opaque background color If you want your item to appear translucent, you need to use an opaque background when designing your sticker labels. If you don’t want your image or text to show up over the color, then you should choose a white or transparent background color with a light font and dark images. The opposite also applies; if you want your image or text to show up underneath the color, then use dark colors (black or navy) on a white or light-colored background.
Mistake 3:
Not rendering shadows This mistake often occurs when designers import their logos without rendering shadows before exporting their files onto transparency film. We recommend saving your logo file as SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) so that you can easily scale and tweak your design while maintaining sharp lines and curves during printing.
Conclusion
Transparency in sticker printing is easy to attain with the right know-how. Remember that the design of your stickers will determine the level of transparency achieved, so take care in designing the layout and making sure that there is an even balance of negative and positive space. Designing for transparency involves careful consideration of the substrate and the material you are printing on, as well as the type of transparency desired.
Some considerations to keep in mind when designing transparent stickers are the thickness of your design as well as how much detail you can see through your design. Keep in mind that transparency should be a consideration to make from the start, rather than an afterthought. Once you know what you need to do to achieve transparency, it is much easier to get it right.
References:
1-Vinyl
Published 8 June 2022 By Ailsa Kay
https://bit.ly/39dZlIZ
2-Highly robust and transparent flexible cover window films based on UV-curable polysilsesquioxane nano sol
First published: 25 January 2020 By Do-Gwan Kim
DOI:doi.org/10.1002/app.49012
