Read all Label Recommendations FIRST!

1.       First of all, you may think I’m a sadist having put everything so close together.  There is a method to my madness.  Before you just start cuttin’ away, look at the sheet.  The major divisions have lines for you, but you will notice that the stickers are set up so that you can run a sharp x-acto blade down the page and make the edge for up to 10 stickers at a time.  And once you are ready to cut out each one individually, cutting precisely between them leaves no excess and makes both edges at the same time again.  And the other bonus is that all your edges are assured 100% straight.  Also, with the proper application of force, you’ll cut through the vinyl, but not the backer, allowing you to simply bend the stickers off the sheet as you normally would with a pre-cut set.

2.       Before even cutting the label sheet, wash the target vehicle extremely well.  You are going to have to remove any old stickers you don’t want, clean off the residue, get off dust and just generally improve the vehicles appearance to how you want it to look permanently once you are done.

3.       Let the vehicle dry completely.  The vinyl stickers I use have a top coat that makes the ink very resistant to running, and I spray the sets with a sealer before sending them to you, so they are not likely to run.  However, wetness will obviously prevent sticking. 

4.       The labels will not smudge or scrape from you holding them, flipping them, rubbing them into place, etc.  However, they are just printed vinyl.  If you crash them into each other after application, or scrape them with a blade, they will scrape as would a real sticker.  Be careful in that regard.

5.       IMPORTANT!  Wash hands very well!  Dry very well.  The oil in your skin will leave your thumbprints one the backs of the clear sticker, and they will be under the sheet after application if you don’t do this. 

6.       Use an x-acto knife and a clear ruler/stencil edge/t-square to cut out the major divisions and the straight edges.  This will allow you to be precise and make the label as small as possible.  Use scissors for odd shapes, and just try to stick fairly close to the printed surface.  Remember that circles don’t need to look perfect because the clear part isn’t going to show; only the print.

7.       Make sure you have your blueprints in front of you!

8.       Once the label is placed, don't use your nail.  Rub a little, but mostly just press evenly.  This will get out any air pockets.

9.    Lastly, I often walk you through the applications on the specific sticker page you may be applying, so go there as well, and read up!

Additional Information for solid (white/paper) decals.

1.       Sometimes the stickers will show up better on white vinyl.  Sometimes I have to print on white vinyl to get the desired effect.  There are a few techniques you can do to maximize the appearance of the white vinyl stickers. 

2.   First of all, the white vinyl often looks better when it is coated with a layer of packing tape.  This provides a gloss, and especially if your vehicle is very shiny, it makes a difference.  It will make them appear more professional, and protect them even better.

3.       It will also help dramatically if you take an appropriately-colored Sharpie marker and run the side of the tip around the edge of the sticker before application.  I do this in order to eliminate any white line you might be able to see since the ink printed on top before you cut it out.  If you are applying a sticker that has a black edge to a tan vehicle, if you run a black marker (Sharpie) around the edge, the seam between vehicle and sticker will not be seen.

If you have a specific question not covered here, e-mail me before you continue and I’ll try to help you resolve it, as I’ve probably already encountered it.