What's the Best Sticker Adhesive for Your Design?

You’re about to order some stickers for your business, and you’re pumped to finalize your order and start handing them out. But before you complete the order, there’s one more dropdown box to fill out: “Adhesive Strength: Removable or Permanent?”

Your mind races, “What does that even mean? What’s the difference between the two? Does it even matter? What is the best sticker adhesive for my business?”

Look, we’re in the sticker business, and we get it. Before placing your order, we encourage you to consider how you want your sticker to be used before deciding on sticker adhesive strength. Not all stickers are created equal; some are meant to go on your laptop and peel away when you’re looking for a change, and others are meant to go on your big family cooler and stay there forever. 

As a small business owner, it’s important to consider how and where people will be placing your designs. Beyond creating the best sticker design possible, you need to make sure your stickers have the right kind of adhesive for the design. 

Here, we’ll explain the differences between permanent and removable sticker adhesives — and help identify what the best sticker adhesive is for your latest creation.

What’s the Difference Between Sticker Adhesives?

At Stomp, we use two types of sticker adhesives: permanent and removable. 

It’s probably obvious, but permanent stickers are, well, permanent, and removable stickers are, you guessed it, removable. Each type has specific uses, and the design of the sticker should help dictate the best sticker adhesive to use. 

Okay, okay. That’s not super helpful. Let’s put it this way: removable stickers don’t leave residue when they’re removed, meaning you don’t have to worry about damaging the surface if you ever decide it’s time to redecorate. This makes removable stickers ideal for something like a removable promotion in a store window. 

Permanent stickers, on the other hand, need some time for the adhesive to cure. In other words, you’re not stuck with the sticker forever right after you apply it. The sticker will be removable for about 6 months after you peel the back off. Permanent stickers are ideal for placing on equipment, permanent structures, and things that are going to get years of use. 

With that distinction in mind, let’s look at some practical examples of when you might use a removable sticker over a permanent sticker and vice versa. 

4 Uses for Removable Stickers

Removable stickers are an excellent option for small business owners because they are cost-effective and versatile.  You can use them for promotions, quick awareness campaigns, or to get eyes on your product.

Removable stickers are versatile and look great on a variety of surfaces, such as laptops, products, or windows. So given the ease of removal, people are more likely to put stickers in unexpected places. When the sticker has served its purpose, simply peel it off without damaging the surface beneath.

Here are a few practical examples of ways to use removable stickers 

Promotions 

If you're looking for a versatile and cost-effective way to promote your next big sale or event, removable stickers are the ideal choice. Your sale won’t last forever, and the event will eventually come to an end, so the stickers you're using don’t need to stick around forever. This is the time to opt for a removable adhesive. Then the stickers can be removed without leaving any residue or damage to the surface, making it easy to switch them out for new promotions.

Tech Equipment

We all know someone who has their laptop painted with stickers. And why shouldn’t they? Stickers are a great way to spruce things up a bit. But would they want to be stuck with the same sticker designs forever? We doubt it. Queue the removable adhesive. If the stickers are easy to remove, they can be swapped out at any time with fresh designs.

Alternatively, imagine you're a business owner who just bought new laptops for your employees. You’d like to add your company logo to the top of each computer. What’s the solution? Order custom removable stickers printed with your logo and get to sticking! Your laptops will be branded in no time, and the best part, the adhesive will not harm the surface of the laptop in any way. And, if you ever decided to rebrand, you can easily swap out the old logo for a new one.

Glass or Mirrors

Removing most stickers from glass or mirrors is a colossal pain in the butt. In fact, they might be one of the most challenging surfaces possible for sticker removal. Enter removable stickers. Because removable stickers don’t leave residue behind, they are perfect for short term use on glass surfaces.

Cars

Removable stickers are an excellent option for cars because they are easily removed without damaging the paint or leaving residue. This is great for promoting something — but without committing to a permanent decal on your vehicle. Alternatively, maybe you’re looking to add some flare to your car with fun designs, but you’d like the option to swap them out when cooler designs come along. Removable stickers have you covered!

4 Uses for Permanents Stickers

Permanent stickers are a cost-effective and long-lasting way to promote your brand. When thinking about permanent stickers, consider them similar to business cards. They can include the company logo, contact information, or other relevant details unlikely to change. 

These are great for distributing at events, handing out to customers, or placing them in shipped orders. Yes, they might leave residue, but permanent stickers are an affordable (and effective) way for small business owners to build long-term brand awareness.

Service Reminders

If you’re in the service industry, permanent stickers are going to be a must for your business. Think of things like a HVAC company leaving their branding and contact information on the side of a furnace they recently serviced. Or a garage door repair business applying a sticker to the inside of the garage door to provide their contact information quickly to the customer for any future repair requests. These are all instances where you want the information to “stick around”.

Reusable Containers and Bottles

It’s the age of the reusable container. Whether your brand is Nalgene, Yeti, or something else, nearly everyone carries a water bottle or travel mug around with them. These little guys are great for sticker placement. 

If you create a sticker with a stand-out design, you could get some free brand awareness whenever someone gets their coffee or maybe when they head to the gym and fills up their water bottle. Whatever it is, don’t underestimate the power of your brand quietly being reinforced by a cool permanent sticker.

Helmets or Other Equipment

Stickers and helmets go together like wine and cheese. They’re the perfect complement to one another, and people are likely to naturally want to put stickers on their helmets if they like the brand. This is a great opportunity for small business owners. While construction helmets are an obvious choice for these kinds of stickers, skating, motorcycle, and other extreme sports helmets are all a great option for your sticker if your business vibes with those people.   

Helmets last a long time, so a permanent sticker is great for someone who wants to add a little character to their helmet. And typically, the type of people who wear helmets are in extreme sports — the same kind of people who tend to love stickers. 

Coolers

Coolers = fun. That’s what we say. 

Really. Seriously. When was the last time you saw a cooler, and you weren’t having a great time? Whether at the beach, on a camping trip, at a picnic, or another activity that is improved by cold beverages, a cooler is always welcome. 

That’s why permanent stickers are awesome additions to coolers because not only do they signal a good time and positivity, but people tend to own them forever. If you nail your branding, you could be organically marketing for decades to come.

Stick It Right with Stomp 

Choosing the best sticker adhesive is just as important as creating an impressive sticker design. For small business owners, the right kind of sticker — whether removable or permanent — can help out your business in more ways than one. Don’t stress, though. The design team at Stomp knows how to help small business owners create the right sticker with the right designs. If you have a unique application, or you just aren’t sure what type of adhesive you need, our support squad will be happy to help. We stock a variety of adhesives beyond just permanent and removable. These special adhesives can be quoted on a custom basis. 

Simply contact us and tell us what you’re looking for. From wall graphics to repositionable decals, we’ve got you covered!

← Previous Post Next Post →