Stickers are currently among the most popular products in artist shops, art shows, and as Patreon goodies.
To save you hours of research, in this post, you will discover the best printers for sticker printing based on my research and what I’ve heard from my friends. So keep on reading!
Top 4 Printers for Vinyl Stickers Compared
This is a quick comparison of my favorite printers that print stickers.
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Budget Pick
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Upgrade Pick
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My Pick
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Art Studio Pick
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Description: Budget Pick for Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper 4-color dye-based ink system :: 1200×600 DPI :: Prints up to 8.5″×14″ (A4) :: Supports vinyl stickers :: Mid 2018 model :: Wireless & AirPrint |
Description: Upgrade Pick for Stickers, Vinyl, Cricut, and Transfer paper 6-color dye-based ink system :: 9600×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Supports vinyl stickers :: Early 2014 model :: Wireless & AirPrint |
Description: My Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl and Transfer paper 8-color dye-based ink system :: 4800×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 23.6mil (0.6mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint |
Description: Art Studio Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper 10-color pigment-based ink system :: 5760×1440 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 17″×22″ (A2+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 60mil (1.5mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint Smaller version: SureColor P700 13″ Inkjet Color Printer |
Budget Pick for Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
4-color dye-based ink system :: 1200×600 DPI :: Prints up to 8.5″×14″ (A4) :: Supports vinyl stickers :: Mid 2018 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Upgrade Pick for Stickers, Vinyl, Cricut, and Transfer paper
6-color dye-based ink system :: 9600×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Supports vinyl stickers :: Early 2014 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
My Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl and Transfer paper
8-color dye-based ink system :: 4800×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 23.6mil (0.6mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Art Studio Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
10-color pigment-based ink system :: 5760×1440 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 17″×22″ (A2+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 60mil (1.5mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Smaller version: SureColor P700 13″ Inkjet Color Printer
Table of Contents
- Overview: What is The Best Printer For Stickers And Printing Onto Vinyl?
- Main Criteria for Choosing a Printer for Stickers
- What is the Best Vinyl Sticker Paper for Inkjet Printers?
- What’s the Best Laminating Material for Vinyl Stickers?
- What is the Best Cutting Machine for Cutting Stickers?
- FAQs – Best Printer for Stickers
- Conclusion
Overview: What is The Best Printer For Stickers And Printing Onto Vinyl?
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Here are my recommendations for the best printers for stickers on vinyl, all of which will have beautiful print quality on vinyl or other media, offer real material quality, reliability, and long-term durability, and great overall value for the money.
Budget Pick: Brother MFC-J497DW Multifunction Inkjet Printer
Budget Pick for Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
4-color dye-based ink system :: 1200×600 DPI :: Prints up to 8.5″×14″ (A4) :: Supports vinyl stickers :: Mid 2018 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
The best beginner-level printer for artists and crafters, and one of my most frequent recommendations, the Brother MFC-J497DW is, in fact, really, really cheap – but only in price.
It is, in fact, a surprisingly high-quality printer in every way – print quality, materials, construction, and versatility.
The MFC-J497DW is a multi-function printer, with a great high-resolution printer, scanner, and copier all together, and so becomes much more than the best budget printer for your home or studio – even a decent scanner, which is invaluable and an almost required tool for artists and crafters, can cost much more than this little Brother.
For printing stickers, the Brother MFC-J497DW has an advanced five-color ink system, which offers absolutely unprecedented accuracy, brightness, and saturation of colors at this price point. While these are dye-based inks, they are remarkably fade-resistant and really last.
The high resolution will also make your vinyl stickers really pop, and the quality of the rollers and mechanical parts will ensure that sticker paper is handled precisely and that the printer won’t jam or wear out even with fairly heavy volume.
With its simple and intuitive LCD user interface panel, wireless, cloud, and USB connectivity, all in one design and superb overall quality, this is an automatic recommendation for anybody who wants an inexpensive printer for any or every task and is my choice for the best printer for stickers (vinyl) on a budget.
Brother MFC-J497DW Specifications:
- Printer Type: All-in-One Inkjet Printer with Scanner and Copier
- Maximum Paper Size: 8.5 x 14 Inches
- Resolution: 1200 x 600 DPI
- Ink System: 5 Individual Color Cartridges
- Print Speed: 12 PPM (pages per minute) B&W, 6 PPM color
- Connectivity: USB, Wireless, Cloud
- Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty
Upgrade Pick: Canon Pixma IP8720
Value Pick for Stickers, Vinyl, Cricut, and Transfer paper
6-color dye-based ink system :: 9600×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Supports vinyl stickers :: Early 2014 model :: Wireless & AirPrint :: Alternative name IP8750
An inexpensive printer with absolutely beautiful printing – rich, deeply saturated, accurate colors and exceptionally high resolution – the Canon IP8720 is widely known as a near professional level printer at an affordable price.
Getting a 6-ink dye-based system at this price is pretty amazing, but it is almost unbelievable when the inks are as high quality as these Canon inks.
Really long-lasting and resistant to fading and elements, they are the perfect choice for making vinyl stickers and making any art print or photograph a beautiful, premium quality piece. And the Canon IP8720 will make borderless prints up to 13 by 19 inches.
An exceptionally high-quality printer with beautiful and long-lasting printing and excellent overall quality and reliability, the Canon IP8720 is way better than its price suggests and is my pick for the best medium-priced printer for vinyl stickers or any art prints, photography, or crafting – a great value, and enthusiastically recommended!
Canon IP8720 Specifications:
- Printer Type: High-Resolution Inkjet Color Printer
- Maximum Paper Size: 13 x 19 Inches
- Resolution: 9600 x 2400 DPI
- Ink System: 6 Individual Color Cartridges
- Print Speed: 14.5 PPM (pages per minute) B&W, 10.4 PPM color
- Connectivity: USB, Wireless, AirPrint, Cloud
- Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty
My Pick: Canon Pixma PRO-200
My Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl and Transfer paper
8-color dye-based ink system :: 4800×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 23.6mil (0.6mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
We’re getting into the realm of true professional art printers with next-level print quality, construction, and durability.
The Canon Pixma PRO-200 may be a little more than twice the price of her little sister, the Canon IP8720 listed above, but if anything, the PRO-200 may represent an even greater value.
For one thing, while the less expensive Canon has a brilliant six-color system, the Pixma PRO-200 has eight separate premium inks for absolutely incredible colors and essentially archival quality printing. If you want your stickers to really stand out, with bright, sharp images that will last and last, the Pro-200 is the printer for the job.
The Canon Pixma PRO-200 is also a better product in terms of material quality, engineering, construction, reliability, and durability.
Don’t get me wrong – the less expensive IP8720 is a really well-made printer, especially for the money, but for reliable long-term use, quality in printing and media handling – again, for instance, those sometimes slippery vinyl labels – the professional level Pixma Pro 100 has no rivals under a thousand dollars.
Some people can easily afford an $800 printer, but this is a big deal for most of us.
If I were going to spend that kind of money on a new printer, though, I can’t think of a better choice – or a better investment for my art and my business – and to me, it makes way more sense than a merely decent printer for a bit less.
My choice, then, for the high-end best printer for sticker printing on vinyl among the printers for stickers, the Canon Pixma PRO-200 is also my recommendation for best printer under a grand for the commercial or fine artist, designer, photographer or serious crafter, or for anybody who wants the next level of quality.
Canon Pixma PRO-200 Specifications:
- Printer Type: High-Resolution Inkjet Color Printer
- Maximum Paper Size: 13 x 19 Inches
- Resolution: 4800 x 2400 DPI
- Ink System: 8 Individual ChromaLife100+ Cartridges
- Connectivity: USB, Wireless, AirPrint, Ethernet, Cloud
- Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty
Art Studio Pick: Epson SureColor P900
Art Studio Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
10-color pigment-based ink system :: 5760×1440 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 17″×22″ (A2+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 60mil (1.5mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Smaller version: SureColor P700 13″ Inkjet Color Printer
You actually have to make quite a jump to find significantly better quality than the Canon Pixma above. Still, when you arrive at the Epson SureColor P900, you will find that the effort – and the money – are well worth it.
The SureColor P900 has quite possibly the finest image quality you can get from an inkjet printer, with Epson’s Ultrachrome® Pro10 color archival pigment-based ink system for indescribably beautiful colors, 3 levels of black and white printing, commercial quality mechanical movement and print registration, and stunning resolution, detail, dynamic range, and energy.
It is also a commercial quality machine regarding reliability, durability, large volume capability, connectivity, media size, media handling options, and more.
The P700 can accept up to 17-inch wide media and will take normal cut sheets, rolls, canvas, art board, cardstock, vinyl labels, and many other materials, all with the same ultra-precise registration and incredible image quality.
If you are a commercial artist, making vinyl stickers or any other products on a large scale, or if your true aim is to make simply the very finest quality art pieces you possibly can – archival, museum-quality canvas prints, for example – and if you are willing to make a fairly substantial investment to do so, the Epson SureColor P900 will surely prove to be one of the best professional investments you will ever make.
The Epson SureColor P900 is the best commercial printer for sticker printing today, or at least the best reasonably priced commercial printer for vinyl stickers. It is one of the finest printers I have ever used – a true asset for any serious commercial or fine art studio, which will perform at the highest levels for many years.
Epson SureColor P900 Specifications:
- Printer Type: High-Resolution Inkjet Color Printer
- Maximum Paper Size: 17 x 22 Inches (A2+ with user-definable length)
- Resolution: 5760 x 1440 DPI
- Ink System: UltraChrome PRO10 pigment ink; 10-ink, 10-color Cyan, Light Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Vivid Light Magenta, Yellow, Gray, Light Gray, Violet, Photo Black, and Matte Black
- Connectivity: USB, Wireless, AirPrint, Ethernet, Cloud
- Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty
Main Criteria for Choosing a Printer for Stickers
Here’s a little secret!
Getting the right printer for stickers is not “absolutely essential” for printing stickers. In fact, with good vinyl sheets for inkjet printers, pretty much any inkjet printer will work.
How well it works depends, of course, on that particular printer, including its print quality, age, and condition.
So, now that we’ve cleared that up, we can say that if you want to get the best printer for stickers (or if you are going to buy a new printer for general art and crafting use anyway and want to make sure it will work great with vinyl stickers), it may not be “absolutely essential,” or “a matter of life and death,” but it’s at least “a really good idea” to look for a few things:
Print Quality and Color Accuracy
Bright, saturated colors and sharp details are particularly important for printing stickers. So you will want to ensure your new printer can reproduce colors accurately in the highest print quality on the vinyl art medium.
Inkjet printers are especially capable of the highest color accuracy on all types of media, especially vinyl, which is important for sticker making.
Archival Quality Inks
For the most durable and long-lasting stickers (even if you’re laminating them) you should get fade-, water- and sun-resistant inks.
The printers I put on my list all have long-lasting colors, and the Epson SureColor P900 has full pigment-based inks which can last for hundreds of years.
Supported Media Types
It’s important to ensure your new printer supports the vinyl medium. It’s not a good sight when sometimes the slippery sheets slip and jam the printer. Fortunately, most modern inkjet printers support glossy mediums, including vinyl.
Workload
Your printer should also handle a larger volume (since your new stickers will be a huge hit) or at least last for years.
And I guess that’s about it. You can also think about a larger format printer or other features like connectivity, speed, and such – basically:
If you purchase a printer for sticker making, ensure it is great for all your printing needs, including creative, personal, and business printing.
How To Print Awesome Vinyl Stickers?
The best stickers for durability, quality feel, and attractiveness when printed are vinyl stickers.
While you don’t necessarily need a special printer for stickers, there are some good things to look for if you buy a new printer.
Luckily, as this often works, the best inkjet printer for printing stickers is usually the best for any artist or crafter.
Vinyl, unlike other materials, is strong, flexible, resistant to fading, water, and elements, has a premium look and feel, and can pop with the right design.
There are lots and lots of things you can do with stickers:
- Premium quality stickers to sell online or in shops as a small business owner
- Beautiful give-aways for customers
- Unique promotional items which showcase your talent and style
- Advertisements that you can stick anywhere
- Decorations for home, studio, car, or anywhere else
- Deluxe embellishments for packaging customer orders
- Labels for organizing and identifying
The first item on our list, printing stickers to sell, is a brilliant idea with which many artists have succeeded and become accomplished small business owners.
You can stretch your imagination and design skills and make beautiful custom art stickers with premium quality vinyl; customers will love them.
You’d be amazed at how popular stuff like this is and how well it sells!
But the main answer to why you should print stickers is that they’re just so much fun!
How Can I Print My Own Stickers
This makes me laugh a little – a few days ago, I sat down to write an in-depth tutorial about screen printing and describing and detailing the overall process took a couple of hours, several pages, and dozens of steps. Now I sit down to explain how to do vinyl sticker printing and…
- Design Sticker
- Print Sticker
- …I’m done! 🙂
Ok, there is more to it than that – you should have the proper vinyl for inkjet printers, you should insert the vinyl sticker sheets the right way so that you don’t print on the backing instead of the front, and if the stickers are for outdoor use, you should consider laminating them.
This last, the laminating, is a much more technical process, so perhaps we should go into a bit of a proper in-depth tutorial about laminating stickers.
How To Laminate Stickers
- Remove Backing from Laminating Sheet
- Apply to the Front of the Stickers
- Rub Out Bubbles
See? That one took three steps! Where would you be without me? 😉
What Supplies Do You Need to Print Stickers?
Ok, I’ll be more serious now! There aren’t a lot of steps to making even the best quality stickers, and not many supplies are required, either. Here is a basic list:
- Vinyl Sticker Paper
- Laminating Paper
- Best Printer for Stickers and Printing onto Vinyl
- A Cricut Machine
Now let’s go over these in a little more detail.
What is the Best Vinyl Sticker Paper for Inkjet Printers?
- Printable Matte Vinyl Sticker Paper
- Printable Transparent Sticker Paper
8.5" X 11" Blank Custom Label Sticker Sheet - Water Resistant - Tear Free Labels - 10 White Sheets for Inkjet Printers
8.5" X 11" Blank Custom Label Sticker Sheets - 10 Clear Sheets - for Inkjet and Laser Printers - Weatherproof - Tear Resistant
You should ensure you get good quality vinyl sticker paper – cheap paper will look bad to customers, won’t last as long, may not take ink as well or look as good printed with your design, and may not even stick!
Poor-quality paper may also be more likely to jam or damage your printer.
But the best sheets for printing vinyl stickers don’t have to be expensive. I recommend Neato vinyl, which takes ink well, has great adhesive, and looks and feels like a premium product.
What’s the Best Laminating Material for Vinyl Stickers?
This is optional but a great idea for longer sticker life and is necessary if your stickers may be used outdoors.
When selecting the best laminating sheets for your vinyl stickers, you want to ensure that you don’t get thermal laminating material – just basic sheets with adhesive on one side.
The brand I would recommend is Royal Elements, and while their basic pack is a little expensive, it is good quality and will last a long time.
What is the Best Cutting Machine for Cutting Stickers?
- Cricut Maker 3 Deluxe Arts and Crafts Cutting Machine
- Cricut Explore 3 Arts and Crafts Cutting Machine
- Cricut Joy 3
Can cut over 300 different materials, includes 13 tools (cutting, writing, scoring, foiling, debossing, engraving & more), maximum material size 13 inches by 12 feet
DIY Machine Compatible with Matless Cutting Cricut Smart Materials | Make Custom Vinyl Decals, Custom HTV Iron On T Shirts, and Intricate Paper Projects Fast
Compact and Portable DIY Machine For Quick Vinyl, HTV Iron On and Paper Projects | Makes Custom Decals, Custom T Shirt Designs, Personalized Greeting Cards, and Label Maker
And now we’ve come full circle. The interest so many people have shown in the Cricut cutting machines and how these amazing little devices have inspired people to explore vinyl sticker printing are why I wrote this article in the first place.
If you want to make the nicest, most professional vinyl stickers you can, and if you are going to sell them in shops or online, you really should consider getting a Cricut – which is a computer-controlled cutter that will cut vinyl stickers – or a zillion other materials, from sheer fabric to thick leather and even wood – in the shape of your design, and with beautiful precision and neatness.
You can try to hand-cut your stickers, and you may be good at it, but nobody can come close to the Cricut’s sharp, clean edges and perfect accuracy.
It would be well worth the money if you just used your new Cricut to cut vinyl stickers.
Any artist, crafter, or DIYer will find tons and tons of different uses for it and be inspired by new ideas, projects, materials, and a lot more.
If you want to see my full article on the beloved Cricuts, which are unquestionably the best cutting machines for vinyl stickers and the best cutting machines for any art or craft project, check the article about the best sticker maker machine. Still, for today’s article, I’ll point out the two most popular models:
These are both wonderful machines, incredibly well made, useful and precise, and super-popular.
Still, my first choice, as the best cutting machine for vinyl stickers, is the Cricut Maker, which is newer, faster, stronger, has better control and handles a much wider range of lighter and heavier materials, including even leather and some wood.
FAQs – Best Printer for Stickers
An inkjet printer is the best for printing art stickers. A laser printer is the best for printing office stickers and labels. Depending on the sticker paper you use and if you laminate your stickers, you can use a dye-based or pigment-based inkjet printer. My favorite is Canon PIXMA PRO-200, and I also recommend Canon PIXMA IP8720.
An inkjet printer is better for stickers if you print art stickers. I recommend Canon PIXMA IP8720 because it reproduces colors more accurately and produces higher-quality prints. A laser printer is better for stickers if you print office stickers and labels. In such case, don’t forget to get sticker paper for laser printers!
You don’t need a special printer for stickers if you already own an inkjet printer. Depending on the complexity of your artwork, you will want a minimum 6-color inkjet printer. And depending on what sticker paper you use and if you laminate, you will want either a dye-based or pigment-based inkjet printer.
To print high-quality stickers, get quality vinyl sticker paper, laminating paper (optional), a printer for stickers and printing onto vinyl (e.g., Canon PIXMA IP8720 or Canon PIXMA PRO-200), and a cutting machine such as Cricut.
Conclusion
Get inspired by other sticker artists, their ideas, techniques and processes. Watch on Skillshare!
★ Click below to get a FREE Month of Skillshare (look for "redeem" on top)
To sum up, here are my recommendations for the best stickers printers on the market today:
- Budget Pick: Brother MFC-J497DW Inkjet Multifunction Printer
- Upgrade Pick: Canon Pixma IP8720 13″ Inkjet Color Printer
- My Pick: Canon Pixma Pro-200 13″ Inkjet Color Printer
- Art Studio Pick: Epson SureColor P900 17″ Inkjet Color Printer
Whenever I’m thinking about an investment, I consider many factors, including the fun factor and the creative fulfillment factor – is this something I really want to get into?
Will it be fun, spark, inspire, and even make me a better or more complete artist?
I don’t always think of making money, though – well, let me explain that.
Suppose I would spend a few hundred dollars on a new printer, a Cricut, and a few dozen dollars more on paper and other supplies.
In that case, it is entirely possible that I could make such great stickers and that they would be so popular that I would return my investment in no time.
And for sure, making attractive promotional items and freebies for good customers is always a financially sound idea.
But I don’t really let myself think that way, or at least too much that way. For one thing, it might not happen that I make a profit, no matter how good my product is – even though so many people do so well selling their vinyl sticker creations.
But more than that, it puts a lot of pressure on the fun process and even can affect my creativity in a negative or limiting way.
So, does this mean I have to justify my investment solely on how much fun it will be or how creative it will make me?
Either of those reasons might be enough, but this is why I love machines like, for example, the Canon Pixma PRO-200 or the Cricut Maker.
They are of such high quality and are so useful not just for the venture at hand but for so many different things that they are always worth the investment.
If I’m buying a printer, I want one that will be used for everything and make everything look beautiful, and long-term reliability alone will pay for itself.
And if I get a cutting machine, I hope to use it not just for vinyl stickers but for countless other projects as well, and it will make them all turn out better.
At that point, fun and creativity are just a bonus!
I hope my research has made getting a new stickers printer easier for you, and you will have a lot of fun with your creative projects.
Visit my blog – Art Side of Life – for other buyer’s guides, online courses, articles, and other resources.
Other articles in the Printers and Scanners series:
- Best Printer for Art Prints
- Best Canvas Printer
- Best Cardstock Printe
- Best Sticker Maker Machine
- Best Printer for Cricut Print and Cut
- Best Screen Printing Printer
- Best Inkjet Printer for Heat Transfer
- Best Sublimation Printer for Heat Transfer
- Best Super Tank Printers
- Best Ink Tank Printer
- Best Printer for iPad, iPhone, and Mac
- Best Art Scanner for Artworks
- Best Camera for Artwork Photography
Lis cet article en français 🇫🇷 Le meilleure imprimante pour stickers en 2022
