How to design mailers

[Poly mailers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/poly-mailers "Custom poly mailers") and [bubble mailers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/bubble-mailers) are great options for shipping physical goods. They're lightweight, weather-proof and great for showing off the personality of your brand.

But your packaging is only as good as your design. Here are some tips for designing custom mailers.

<YouTubeVideo videoId="_setqIszzCc?rel=0" />

In this tutorial, I’ll be using Adobe Illustrator, but the techniques I'm going to cover here can be used in any design tool, including [Studio](https://www.stickermule.com/studio) – our free online design tool.

### Download a mailer template

First, we need to download the appropriate template. This will ensure that our artwork not only is set up to the correct size, but that nothing gets cropped off by the poly mailer's white border.

[Click here for poly mailer templates.](https://www.stickermule.com/template/poly-mailers)

[Click here for bubble mailer templates.](https://www.stickermule.com/template/bubble-mailers)

[Bubble mailers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/bubble-mailers) offer more insulation and protection than standard [poly mailers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/poly-mailers), but the design process for each is the same.

### Designing your mailers

In this tutorial, I'll be using the smallest sized mailers. Once our template is downloaded, we can open up Adobe Illustrator. In this demonstration, we will be creating a horizontal design. Because of this, our first step will be to rotate the template. Start by going to the artboard tool, making sure your art board is selected and then changing the layout to horizontal.

Next, we need to rotate the actual template. So unlock the instructions layer, select everything. And then while holding shift, rotate the template. Be sure to relock the instructions layer afterwards so that you don't place your artwork in the wrong place. If you're also working with a horizontal design, be sure to make note of which side you want the opening of the mailer to be on. In our case, it'll be on the right. Now with everything set up, we can begin laying out our design.

![how-to-design-mailers-01](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1dbf623a374d73274695e69f4a537379ba6336c8)

Ours will feature a character, a logo, some text, and a pattern. So to begin, we're going to bring in a few brand elements and put them on the artwork layer. Something you may notice right away is that designs get cropped if they fall outside of the gray box. This represents the printable area. Since poly mailers are printed with a white border, use this as a guide to make sure that nothing important gets cut off. It's also worth noting that the gray box itself won't be printed. So keep it in mind as you're designing that everything behind your artwork will be white.

First, we're going to create a blue rectangle-like shape along the bottom of the mailer. This will hold our logo and our pattern, and it's going to follow the white border that the poly mailer gives us. An easy way to do this is to create a rectangle, then use the direct selection tool to move just one of the anchor points lower. This is what we're after. Let's give it a light blue fill using one of our brand colors.

![how-to-design-mailers-02](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/c476ede9420235e9dd69075a26e824fef04d950f)

Next we'll place our robot character so that it looks like he's standing on this shape. By right clicking and going to a range, we can bring him to the front. He may be a bit too large, so we'll just bring him down a touch as well. And we'll just nudge him over to the side of it and get him right where we want him. Notice how the left side of this character is being lined up right along the border of the printable area, but not going past it. This is to make sure that the character lines up with our wedge shape at the bottom, but isn't cropped off by the white border.

![how-to-design-mailers-03](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/cad8c0525c58ad43a665b74f46e626b10a4ea07d)

Now let's place the logo. So we'll again, arrange it and bring it to the front. And we're going to give it a white film. Now, we want to position it in the bottom right corner, but first we're going to shrink it a bit and line it up with the bottom of our character's feet. We may want to add some more space around the logo later on, but for now, this works. Next, we're going to include some text. This is a great opportunity to inject some personality into the design. Ask yourself, "What would be a fun message for your customers to read?" For the CourierBot brand, we're going to play around with this idea of robots delivering packages to people. Now for CourierBot, we already have a font selected and that's Proxima Soft, extra bold. And since this is clearly too small, we're going to bump it up to 50. Now we'll add in some line breaks and set the letting to something a bit smaller. Perfect.

![how-to-design-mailers-04](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/fe96e0c75ff29cc48bc8801a427c7a3b831c88c4)

Once we have the text arranged how we'd like it, we're going to add some brand colors to it. So for the majority of the text, we'll be using the brown, but we're going to select a couple of keywords and add additional colors. It only seems suited to have cold robot hands as blue and warm human heart as red. Just like that.

![how-to-design-mailers-05](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/0d3d7b2a8cb2c769b2127f91b6a9e4b329e81bf0)

We're also very carefully going to place the block of text right in the corner of the printable area. That way it should line up with our rectangle shape at the bottom. We're not finished yet, but this is a good place to double check that we're happy with the placement of all of our elements. One way to do this is to create a rectangle that's the size of the entire printable area, and then give it a white fill. Now, if we place this rectangle behind the rest of our artwork, we're going to get an idea of what the final printed mailer is going to look like. In the case of our design here, we're just going to make a couple slight adjustments to give some more breathing room to some of the elements and to make sure they're lined up exactly as we'd like.

![how-to-design-mailers-06](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9242b8449779c42ad81c5eaa8214caeaef4335b4)

Now that we're happy, we can remove that rectangle. It's important that any texts be outlined before sending off to print. Since we're happy with the current layout of ours, it's a good time to do that. Just right click the text and select create outlines. The final step we're going to take in this design is adding a pattern to our light blue shape. This will take some finessing, so we're going to speed through most of it.

![how-to-design-mailers-07](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/7517dcf5e03ec847f5d546104c3e4fd1c0625293)

Once our design is complete, all we need to do is rotate everything back to the original orientation. So grab the art board tool, unlock the instructions layer, switch the orientation back to portrait and then rotate all of our artwork once again. Now let's save our hard work and we're ready to send our design off to print.

### Feeling stuck for ideas?

Here are some other layouts that were great as mailers. Hopefully, they can help inspire your own.

![how-to-design-mailers-08](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/09d4e0e49e68d61dd70503a1aa0f4d9a67e2f155)

If you don't want to have an obvious white border on your mailer, consider placing it on a white background like we've done here.

![how-to-design-mailers-09](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/c11759eb1eff2a60b53e376c2448115b78e0bf94)

Or if you don't want it to matter which angle your package is viewed from, consider a pattern approach, like this.

When in doubt, you can always submit your design as is to Sticker Mule and receive a proof of what it's going to look like. If something doesn't seem right, just request a change and we'll be happy to make it for you.

### Order your own custom mailers

<ButtonCta text="Try custom mailers for $9" size="large" variant="secondary"  align="center" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/poly-mailer-samples" />

Here are some tips for designing custom mailers and making your packaging stand out.

How to design holographic stickers

[Holographic stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/holographic-stickers) are made with a colorful, reflective vinyl that gives your designs a unique shine. Here are some tips for making your holographic sticker designs stand out.

<YouTubeVideo videoId="vD9duBs1M0c?rel=0" />

### Leave empty spaces on your design
Whatever is printed on the holographic material will blend with the holographic effect. Conversely, leaving any part of your design empty, will let the holographic effect shine through 100% and really make it pop.

![holo-empty-fill](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ee8643bee8ff4f57518743fd7ed0f76dc87d10e7)

In the design above we originally had a grey color to represent the metal on the robot. The grey color looks fine, but by removing the fill we can make the metal appear purely holographic.

### Adjust color saturation
[Different colors blend differently](https://www.stickermule.com/support/holographic-stickers-setup) with the holographic vinyl. In general, lighter colors blend with the holographic material more, while darker colors tend to block out the effect more.

![holo-saturation](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9bdd791406097480637f9450ee885e4d9d8e4164)

In the design above, we wanted to create a higher contrast between the cheeks and the pure holographic metal. To do this, we simply increased the saturation of the red to make it darker, to give it less of a holographic effect.

### Use black and white
While nearly all colors will blend with the holographic material in some way, there are 2 colors that almost completely block it out: black and white.

![robot-holo](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/cd77f4f29adb526f4baaf86b8e114f0e7526787c)

Using black and white in your design is a great way to create more contrast and make the holographic effects stand out.

### Use color background while designing
When designing with both white fills and empty fills it can become confusing to tell them apart. To help, we recommend putting a colored background beneath your design.

![holo-background](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d4bf7955bc37393b4991a2d0b64a6c7a63df4c57)

The color will help you figure out which parts of your design are set to be totally holographic vs. the parts that are totally white. Just remember to delete the background layer when you’re done!

### Try holographic stickers
The best way to figure out what your holographic stickers will look like is getting them in your hands! We offer [custom samples](https://www.stickermule.com/samples), so you can try a small batch before placing a larger order.

<ButtonCta text="Try holographic stickers for $9" size="large" variant="secondary"  align="center" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/holographic-sticker-samples" />

Here are some tips for making your holographic sticker designs stand out.

How to design sticker sheets in Adobe Illustrator

This tutorial is going to show you how to create an awesome sticker sheet using Adobe Illustrator.

<YouTubeVideo videoId="5xnVfAY3W18?rel=0" />

A [sticker sheet](https://www.stickermule.com/products/sticker-sheets) is a page with several peelable stickers, most commonly grouped in a theme. These are great for promotion or showing off artistic flair.

With Sticker Mule, designing your own sticker sheet is completely optional. 

You can send us a zip file of the individual designs and we'll lay it out for you. Or you can have total control over the final look by designing the sticker sheets yourself. 

## Step 1: Set up your sticker sheet artwork
For an easy start, we recommend [downloading one of our sticker sheet templates](https://www.stickermule.com/template/sticker-sheets).

Once you have the template open in Adobe Illustrator, make sure you are in the ‘Artwork’ layer.

![Sticker sheet template layers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/eff2b65ccc39327978d88015661badad8ef56a55)

To find layers go to Window > Layers

Now you can start dropping the designs onto the sheet. 

![Sticker sheet artwork setup](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d149cff938301b1201b91f7acef4500fc9e822dc)

From here, you're free to scale, position, or rotate your designs any way that you feel necessary, as long as it's within the sticker sheet box. 

Each sticker must be at least one inch by one inch and have a space of at least a quarter-inch around it measured from the sticker cut lines and not the artwork itself. 

## Step 2: Outline any text
If you're working with text, [make sure it's outlined](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wBuY6KQR24) before you print. 

To do this, right-click on the text and press ‘Create Outlines’. 

![Creating outlines in Adobe Illustrator](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/7e019c69ea1c8e8d19151fb4b030b09141941b45)

## Step 3: Specify your cut lines
Now you can specify cut lines using a one-point stroke. 

A quick way to do this is to select all of your designs, copy them, and paste them on the cut line layer.

![Specifying cut lines in Adobe Illustrator](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a2bdfaf3ca680fabbb47c627789f405d9fb09810) 

Then use the unite function in the pathfinder window. 

![Using the Unite function to create a cut line](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/635bc4247ba7f290f321e13697baf701d660c719)

Once that's done, just apply the cut line swatch as a stroke, and we'll know exactly how to cut your stickers once sent to production. 

If no cut lines are specified, we will automatically determine them for you. You will review this during proofing before print. 

For a more detailed explanation of this, check out our tutorial on [how to create sticker cut lines](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-to-create-a-sticker-cut-line).

## Step 4: Start your sticker sheets order
Once everything is looking good, you can save your Illustrator file, upload it, and start your order. This tutorial is complete!

![Completed sticker sheets design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/da1c082d190a904e3cabb46b603a021d700e38a2)

## Further tips for designing an awesome sticker sheet:

- Design first and adjust later. Focus on getting your sticker designs laid out roughly and then if you decide that a certain sticker needs to be bigger or spaced further apart, it will be a simple adjustment. 
- Consider making your stickers full bleed. If your designs allow for it, you can make your stickers full bleed by extending your artwork an eighth of an inch beyond the cut line. Keep in mind that whatever is outside of the cut lines will remain on your sticker sheet when the individual stickers are removed. 
- Make the sticker sheet beautiful itself by adding non-sticker elements. A colorful background or a logo can add a really nice touch to the sheet once it's printed.

<ButtonCta text="Order sticker sheets" size="large" variant="secondary"  align="center" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/sticker-sheets" />

In this video tutorial, learn how to design an awesome sticker sheet using Adobe Illustrator.

How to remove backgrounds in Photoshop

In this easy-to-follow tutorial, we show how to remove the background from any image using [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html). 

Before you start, take a look at Trace, [our new background remover tool](https://www.stickermule.com/trace). It erases backgrounds from photos instantly, and could save you a lot of time. 

<YouTubeVideo videoId="71o67pJxqLw?rel=0" />

__For best results:__

- Find a high resolution image; the more pixels, the more accurate you can be.
- Make sure the subject stands out from the background and they do not share too many similar colors or textures.

### Step 1
Open your photo in Photoshop and create a new background layer. 

![new-layer](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1c967ad5325b23d084f0a473fe2f0624c3d1b2f5)

On this new background layer go to edit, fill, and then select white for the contents. 

![Fill](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d5c5edc5c7483000e47c57540d03333b8c468aab)

Place this layer below your photo so that as we remove the original background the white one is revealed underneath. 

If your photo is a locked background layer you won't be able to drag another layer below it. All you need to do is double click on it, give it a name, and press enter to convert it to a normal layer so that you can move things below it. 

### Step 2
Grab the quick selection tool and start dragging over the part that you want to keep. 

![selection copy](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8f3c7408bf85ecc9a334afb40bb098aaa308b85b)

The size of your brush determines how much is grabbed with each click or each drag of the mouse. To change it, use the open and closed square brackets to make the brush larger or smaller depending on how accurate you need to be. 

It's likely that as you're making your selection you're gonna highlight areas that you don't wish to. When this happens simply hold alt while using the tool and it will subtract from the selection instead of adding to it. 

The magic wand tool as well as the object selection tool can also come in handy here. Check those out if needed.

### Step 3
Once you've done a fairly good job of selecting your subject from the background we're gonna refine it by going to select and then select and mask.

![select and mask](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/45c0b25643fe2e2478ac4cf6a949af74157940aa)

Make sure that transparency is set to 100%. This will show you how your current selection is going to look once masked out from the original background. 

Also make sure that the high quality preview is on.

![transparency](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/b333056a545ea8ea9065ac61ed974d4461756b45)

Now you can see the temporary white background you made showing through behind. 

If you see a slight gray outline, this is some background elements you picked up when using the quick selection tool. 

To remove this, use ‘shift edge’. This will expand your selection or pull it in. Negative numbers shift edge in, and positive shift it out.

![shift edge](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/229485dcfddda414514ab5a7a9e80221fa1229a0)

### Step 4
Do not shift edge too much. For places with intricate details like hair or fur, use the ‘refine edge’ brush tool. 

![refine edge](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/fbf21470da64f1c4acc03b514edbeb89f98dd3d8)

Drag along the edges where the details are present. You will lose a bit of that background and it will look more like a correct crop. Just as with the quick selection tool, you can change the size of this brush with the square bracket keys. 

Lastly if you're finding that overall your selection is looking a bit jagged or there's too many sharp edges, you can use smooth or feather to fix that. 

![smooth](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ab9efdf42d63bba0f7e7fd22384c1213258fc6ee)

Just be careful not to add too much as you still want your selection to look crisp rather than blurry around the edges. 

At any point while you're in select and mask mode you can press P to toggle between what you started with and where you're now at. 

Press okay. 

### Step 5
Rather than actually delete the background around your subject, mask it out. 

With your selection still active, go into your layers menu and press add layer mask.

![add mask](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8824d13bcf9680bd481241645e6f5af941efae1a)

Layer masks work in black and white: black means hide this part, white means show this part. Right now we want to show the subject (white) and hide the background (black).

At any point, if you want to make the same selection just do Cmd + click  or Alt + click on the layer mask.

You should now be able to move this layer around. Your subject is now separate from their original background. 

### Step 6 (optional)
If you think there are a couple problem areas you want to clean up, you can click on the layer mask in your layer panel and add or remove some of the original background. Use the paintbrush tool in black or white to remove or add details.

![layer mask](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d61850f7eec6b53748c1b27ab3bb5c077ce4a531)

That is the end of the tutorial!

If you want an easier and faster way to remove backgrounds check out our new tool Trace. Trace is free to use and works instantly.

<ButtonCta text="Try Trace for free" size="large" variant="secondary"  align="center" href="https://www.stickermule.com/trace" />

An easy-to follow tutorial on removing backgrounds using Photoshop

How to create a sticker cut line in Illustrator

A cut line is a path that gets placed around your design to tell us exactly how it should be cut. Most stickers feature a white border around the design – this is what the cut line creates.

<YouTubeVideo videoId="awbzbJsvHxs?rel=0&showinfo=0" />

Keep in mind that this is __completely optional__ when ordering from Sticker Mule. When ordering [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) (or any custom shape product) we will automatically create a cut line to match the shape of your artwork.

*Depending on whether your artwork is [vector or raster](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/raster-vs-vector-images), the first 3 steps for creating a cut line are different.*

<h2 id="vector">How to create a cut line for vector artwork (steps 1-3)</h2>

[Skip to raster instructions.](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-to-create-a-sticker-cut-line#raster)

### Step 1
With your design open in Adobe Illustrator, select any strokes that are present in your design.

You can use Outline view to help you find any strokes in your design.
Mac: ⌘ + Y
PC: CTRL + Y

![cut-line-vector-step-1](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/339e8f3ad27800927295217ede788df91aa742ef)

With your strokes selected, select *Object* > *Path* > *Outline stroke*.

### Step 2
Select all the text within your design.

Then right click and select *Create Outlines*.
Mac: Shift + ⌘ + O
PC: Shift + CTRL + O

![cut-line-vector-step-2](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8b658ecc0fa84076321edf0758efaa78776d6554)

### Step 3
In the *Layers* window, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (PC), then drag the layer that your artwork is on, on top of itself.

![cut-line-vector-step-3](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/06c4e7eb6cf86a1a6de0759b9c653f02e1ae6fd9)

This will create a new duplicate layer. This is where you will create the cut line so you can lock the layer beneath.

[Skip to step 4.](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-to-create-a-sticker-cut-line#step4)

<h2 id="raster">How to create a cut line for raster artwork (steps 1-3)</h2>

[Back to vector instructions.](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-to-create-a-sticker-cut-line#vector)

### Step 1
Open your design in Adobe Illustrator.

In the *Layers* window, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (PC), then drag the layer that your artwork is on, on top of itself.

![cut-line-raster-step-1](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/235769c06d38e410f92845eb3c182cdbd1bf3d24)

This will create a new duplicate layer. This is where you will create the cut line so you can lock the layer beneath.

### Step 2
With your image selected, use the *[Image trace](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-to-use-image-trace-in-adobe-illustrator)* window to convert your image into a vector.

Ignore colors or fine details while doing this step. All that matters is getting the perimeter of the shape to match your original design.

When it looks good, click *Expand*. This will create a vector shape.

![cut-line-raster-step-2](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/adf9a2b74ae1dd087f3732c10cf9f1a80f5d642b)

### Step 3
Illustrator will often create a white bounding box around your design – this needs to be removed.

To delete it, right click on your design and select *Ungroup*. Select the bounding box, then tap Delete.

![cut-line-raster-step-3](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/7e5518f6669ed2f1c3087e9bc90f444c14c829c7)

<h2 id="step4">How to create a cut line (steps 4-7)</h2>

*Regardless of the image format you began with, the following steps are the same.*

### Step 4
Select everything on your cut line layer.

From the *Pathfinder* window, select the *Unite* icon to transform the entire image into a single shape.

![cut-line-step-4](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/3a322f8be0b9a58b8093cf1a19ca6233f937934f)

### Step 5
With the shape still selected, select *Object* > *Path* > *Offset path*.

With the *Offset path* panel open, check the *Preview* box. Adjust the *Offset* amount until you are happy with the width of the border, then press *OK*. (At Sticker Mule, [we required a minimum border](https://www.stickermule.com/support/minimum-border-thickness) of 1/16")

![cut-line-step-5](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/f06450b2bcd8d896c70dc12f9e128d4981c7f00f)

### Step 6
Again, select everything on the cut line layer and from the *Pathfinder* window, select *Unite*.

Using the *Direct selection tool* (A) delete any unwanted holes in your shape. (At Sticker Mule, [we allow 1 internal cut](https://www.stickermule.com/support/do-you-allow-internal-cuts) of at least ¼")

![cut-line-step-6](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/aed17ac1135daaee7bea98f3c2982476c0b378c9)

### Step 7
With the shape selected, remove the fill, and give it a 1pt stroke.

![cut-line-step-7](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d6d4d549906e0327b75068b408ea1b2e1c164946)

This is the standard format, most print shops, including Sticker Mule, will use for cut lines.

### Step 8 (optional)
If you end up with two or more cut line objects, you’ll need to bridge them together to create a single shape.

Use the *Pen tool* (P) to create a shape that overlaps the existing objects. Then with all the objects selected, from the *Pathfinder* window, select *Unite*.

![cut-line-step-8](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9468f7efc7b72fb1b09cf5f40ec8adf9180a0845)

When you're done adding cut lines, simply save your Illustrator file and you're finished. You can upload your file to Sticker Mule as-is, and within a few hours you'll receive a free proof showing you exactly what your sticker is going to look like.

If you're new to sticker design, get started quickly with $10 off your first order. Just sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Designer, Hayden Aube, shows how to create a custom cut line for your stickers or magnets.

How to design packaging tape (video tutorial) 

Designer, Hayden Aube, shows off his favorite techniques for creating a seamless [packaging tape](https://www.stickermule.com/products/packaging-tape) design in Adobe Illustrator.

<YouTubeVideo videoId="NM_PztxoC7A?rel=0&showinfo=0" />

When ordering from Sticker Mule, our artists will work with you to transform your design into a seamless pattern, but if you’d like to do it yourself, follow along.

## Step 1: Create your document
Create a new document. The size of your artboard will determine the size of your pattern.

## Step 2: Layout your tape
Using the *Rectangle tool* (M), create a rectangle that matches the size of your artboard.

Remove the stroke, and give it a fill with you desired background color.

Position the rectangle directly at the center of your artboard and lock it in place.

## Step 3: Add design elements
Place any design elements you want to include in your pattern over the existing background.

Be sure to have some of the design overlapping the edge of the artboard. This will help to create the seamless pattern.

## Step 4: Reposition overlapping elements
Duplicate each object that is overlapping the edge of the artboard (*Copy*, then *Paste in Front*).

Next, move each object to the opposite side of the artboard. Use *Object* > *Transform* > *Move* to move it exactly the same width or height of your artboard.

## Step 5: Make your clipping mask
Using the *Rectangle tool* (M), create another rectangle that matches the size of your artboard, then align it to the center of your artboard.

With everything selected, right click, and select *Make clipping mask*.

## Step 6 (optional): Add to Swatches
With everything selected (including the background), drag the artwork to your *Swatches* panel. This will create a pattern that you could then apply to any shape.

Once you have a pattern you’re happy with, you can upload it to Sticker Mule for printing. 

As with all of our orders, you’ll receive a proof in 4 hours and our custom packaging tape ships in 4 days or less with free shipping. Samples of custom packaging tape featuring your design are just $4.

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Designer, Hayden Aube, shows you how create a seamless packaging tape pattern with Adobe Illustrator in this video tutorial. 

How to design stickers (video tutorial) 

Designer, Hayden Aube, shows off his favorite techniques for creating a [custom sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-stickers) in Adobe Illustrator.

<YouTubeVideo videoId="0Gh69t8mg8I?rel=0" />

You can also try [Studio](https://www.stickermule.com/studio) – our free online design tool. Choose from over 1000+ templates and quickly create your own design in minutes.

## Transcript:

Hello, my name is Hayden Aube, and I'm a graphic designer and illustrator. And today, I'm going to show you how to create your very own sticker inside of Adobe Illustrator and get it printed with Sticker Mule. In the end, you'll see what it looks like when it's printed and shipped. Let's jump in.

So we're going to be creating a sticker for an imaginary company called Journey Pizza. I'm going to start off by making a series of circles using the Ellipse Tool. So there's the first, and then I'm just going to duplicate a second one and put it behind the first. And then I'm going to make a third one behind that one. Next, I'm going to grab the red and yellow circles and use the Divide Tool in the Pathfinder window. This will split those two shapes into what you see here.

Now I'm going to create another circle a bit smaller than the last, and this is going to be the path that I type my text on. So I'm going to use the
Type on a Path Tool. And as I've mentioned, the company is called Journey Pizza. So I'm going to type that out, and then I'm going to use the Selection Tool to drag it exactly where I want it on the path. Then I'm going to shrink it down a little bit and make it white. And now that I have the text looking how I want it, I'm going to create outlines from it so it's easier for printing.

Next up, I'm going to use the Live Shape options with this Ellipse to drag out these widgets into the exact kind of pie shape that I would like.

Now I want to put a circle on either side of the larger circles. And I'm going to do that just by creating one where I like it right here and then using the Mirror Tool to reflect it to the exact other side.

The plan is to have a flagpole coming out of this inner circle, and so I'm going to start off by using the Pen Tool to create the pole of that flag. Once I've created the path that I like, I'm going to apply a stroke to it and then use the Stroke options to put it to the width that I'd like.

Because I'd like this pole to look like it's coming out of the circle, I'm going to use the Path Width Tool to make the top of the path larger and the bottom of it smaller. This will give it a sense of depth. And I'm just going to quickly change the position of it. And now I'm just going to duplicate one of these circles to create a little ball on top of the pole.

And now that this pole is looking how I'd like, I'm going to go to Object, Path, Outline Stroke. And this is going to turn it into a shape, which is going to make it easier to apply gradients to later on.

So now what I want to do is I want to create a flag shape that looks like a piece of pizza. So I'm going to draw it out with the Pen Tool, and then I'm going to go to Effect, Warp, and then Wave. And from here, I'm just going to play with these options until I get the nice curvy flag shape that I'm looking for.

Now, I'm going to move it behind the pole, and I'm just going to continue to move it around and adjust it until it looks exactly like I'd like. So I'll nudge it over a bit, I'll move the flag itself up, I'm going to change it to white. And now I'm just going to take these individual points and move them around. Because this is still a live shape, I can do this and the effect will adjust accordingly.

Once it's all looking how I like, I can go to Object, Expand Appearance. This will convert that live shape into actual paths, which once again is really helpful when it comes to printing.

Now as I said, I want this flag to look like a piece of pizza, so I'm going to create a bunch of little pepperonis. So I've created this symbol here, and I'm going to use the Symbol Sprayer Tool just to place them in different locations.

Now I'm going to use the Symbol Sizer Tool just to create variation among these pepperoni slices. So I'll make some smaller, some larger, and others I'll just keep the same. Next, just to change some of the position of these pepperonis, I'm going to use the Symbol Shifter just to nudge them in different directions.

And then lastly, I'm going to use the Symbol Spinner tool, and that's just going to let me to rotate these shapes so that they match the wave of the flag.

The last thing I want to do with this flag is just crop a little piece of that pole. And to do it, I'm going to create another circle shape, and then I'm just going to change it with the Direct Selection Tool to create a shape that I can now subtract from that pole. And then I'm going to just put that ball back on top, and there we have it.

Now, with all of the shapes made, now I wanted to apply some gradients to really refine this design.

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to create a gradient for this background red circle that goes from a red to an orange. So I'm going to set up the two different stops on the gradient window, and then I'm going to use a Gradient Tool to put it in the direction that I want-- so red on the bottom, orange on the top. Now for the yellow ring, I want to go from an orange to a yellow. So once again, in the Gradient window, I'm going to set up the gradient just as I'd like so that yellow to that light orange.

And then again, I'm going to use the Gradient Tool just to put it in the direction that I'd like. And then I can just reposition it here so it looks just how I'd like it. Next up, I'm going to do these two little balls, and I'm just going to eyedropper the background color and then apply the gradient in the direction to both of them at the same time. Now for the pole, I'll be using a dark blue and a lighter blue.

So I'm going to be creating it just as I normally have been. Oops, wrong color. There we go. And then again, I'm going to put it in the direction that I want with the Gradient Tool. For the ball on top of the pole, I'm going to eyedropper the pole's gradient, but I'm going to turn it into a radial gradient and then just switch the colors. This way, I can make it really look like it's a sphere. And I'm just going to make a quick adjustment to the pole.

And now I'm going to do this wedge shape here. So I'm going to copy that radial gradient, and now I'm just going to reposition it so it lines up exactly with that wedge. From here, I can continue to adjust the gradient itself to get it to line up just how I'd like it.

To add one final layer of depth, I'm going to create some drop shadows. So to do this, I'm going to create a shape that's a combination of both the flag and the pole-- so it looks just like this. And now I'm going to position it a bit lower than the flag and then put it behind. There we go.

Now from here, I want to crop it so it's only inside of that red circle. And to do that, I'm going to duplicate that circle, put it on top, and then I'm going to use Intersect in the Pathfinder window.

Now this new shape is where we're going to create our gradient for the drop shadow. So I'm going to put it back behind the flag, and now I'm going to create that gradient that is just this dark red on either ends of the gradient. But one of them is going to be a 100% opacity, while the other is zero. And then just as we have done with the other gradients, I'm going to drag it out with the Gradient Tool just to get it to look exactly how I'd like. Now I do think this is a bit strong, so now I'm actually going to go and reduce the opacity to about 25%. That looks good.

I'm just going to go back into it quickly and adjust that gradient to make it come down a bit more. Perfect.

Finally, I want to add a drop shadow inside this red circle so it looks like that yellow rim is coming forward. So I'm going to subtract one of those circles from another, just to get this thin shape here, like you can see. And then I'm just going to eyedropper that drop shadow I created before and drag it out how I'd like. Other way. There we go.

So now that we've designed our sticker, it's time to get it printed. And to do that, we're going to be using Sticker Mule's [custom samples](https://www.stickermule.com/products/sticker-samples) package. And that means we get 10 stickers for $9.00 and free shipping.

Once on the Sticker Mule website, we're going to go to Get Samples. Now on the sample page, you can choose from all sorts of different Sticker Mule products, including just a sample pack of a variety. But we're going to be using the custom sticker samples right here.

So from this page, we're just going to click on Order 10 stickers for $9.00. And then here, we're going to upload our artwork. If you have any specific instructions, you could put those in here. Otherwise, click Continue.

Now we just need to check out. And just as with any check out process, you'll need to enter your name, your email, as well as your credit card, and shipping information. Then press Place Your Order. And now we just need to wait for our proof.

So now that my proof has arrived, all I need to do is click here. And then at this point, you can see that they've added a nice white border to the design, and if there is any changes I want, I can just type those in here. But I think it looks good, so I'm just going to go and cancel, approve, and finally start production. And now my stickers are being made.

So let's see how they turned out. So I'll just open up the package, and let's see what's inside. There's the stickers, there's some Sticker Mule stickers as well. As well as a little card that tells me who printed it, which is kind of neat. But let's dig into this stack of 10 here and see how they look.

And, yeah, I can say that they're looking pretty good, looking like the design, which is really great. I'm particularly happy with how that white border looks too. And there you have it. There's the stickers after they've been printed.

So I hope that through this video, you've learned not just how to make a sticker that looks good on screen but looks just as good when you get it printed. Take care.



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Designer, Hayden Aube, shows you how to design a custom sticker in Adobe Illustrator. Check out Hayden's favorite techniques in this video tutorial. 

Posts by Hayden Aube