Alright, so I decided I wanted to make some political stickers the other week. Wasn’t trying to start a revolution or anything, just wanted to get a few thoughts out there in a simple way. Here’s how I went about it.
Getting Stuff Together
First thing, I needed the right materials. I knew I’d need special paper.
- Sticker Paper: Went down to the local office supply store and grabbed a pack of printable sticker paper. Made sure it was the kind that worked with my inkjet printer at home. Nothing fancy, just the standard full-sheet labels.
- Printer: Just used my regular home printer. It’s old but gets the job done. Checked I had enough ink.
- Computer & Basic Software: Used my laptop. Didn’t need anything complicated for design, just ended up using a basic image editing program that was already on there. Could probably use something online too, but I stuck with what I had.
- Cutting Tool: Good old scissors. Thought about using a craft knife and ruler for straight lines, but figured scissors would be fine for the simple shapes I had in mind.
Making the Designs
This part was pretty straightforward. I wasn’t aiming for high art. I wanted clear, simple messages.
I opened up the image software. Played around with text mostly. Picked some bold fonts that are easy to read from a bit of a distance. Tried a few color combinations – some black and white, some with a bit of color, like red or blue, to make them pop a little.
Spent a bit of time arranging the text on the page, thinking about how many stickers I could fit onto one sheet of that sticker paper. Tried to maximize the space without making them too cramped or hard to cut out later.
Saved a couple of different versions before settling on the final layout.
Printing Them Out
Next up was printing. This always feels like a bit of a gamble with special paper.
I took out the regular paper from the printer tray. Put in one sheet of the sticker paper. Had to double-check which way it should face so I printed on the sticker side, not the backing. Usually, the instructions on the paper packet tell you.
Did a test print using the lowest quality setting first, just to make sure the layout looked okay on the actual sheet and everything was lined up. It looked alright.
Then I went ahead and printed a few sheets using a better quality setting so the colors and text looked sharper. Took my time, letting each sheet dry for a minute before printing the next one, just in case the ink smudged.
Cutting Time
Once the prints were dry, it was time to cut them into individual stickers.
I sat down with my sheets and the scissors. Carefully cut along the borders I’d planned out in the design phase. Tried to keep the edges neat. Simple squares and rectangles were easy enough. It took a little while to cut them all out, probably the most tedious part, but it was kind of relaxing in a way.
The Final Result
So, at the end of it, I had a nice little stack of homemade political stickers. They weren’t professional grade, maybe, but they looked pretty decent.
Stuck one on my water bottle, another on my notebook. They peeled off the backing easily and stuck down well. Gave a few away to friends who felt similarly.
Overall, it was a pretty simple process. Didn’t cost much, just the price of the sticker paper really. A decent way to make something physical to express an opinion. Felt good to actually make something, you know?
