Looking for the best printer for stickers? You’ve come to the right place. The best printers can create a wide variety of vibrant designs from an array of materials, from your standard office document through to edible ink designs. Thanks to modern technology, you’re now able to print stickers from phone, laptop or desktop PC – providing you have the right software.
Below, we’ll go through our top picks, depending on what sort of sticker you’re looking to print. Stickers come in various forms, the most popular being vinyl and paper – the two materials we focus on in this guide, but we’ll make it clear what each printer is capable of! Fully Automatic Rewinder For Coding Suppliers
The good news is that some new Inkjet models support printing on Vinyl, so you won’t need to get a custom printer to achieve this. Do not attempt trying to do this unless this is clearly stated, as the ink will not dry. We’ll make it clear below what sort of stickers are supported per printer.
We made sure to consider a few things when picking the best printer for stickers. Print quality, printing speed and color accuracy were the key factors, but we also looked at lamination capabilities, wireless connectivity to, laptops, smartphone and tablet, and additional features e.g built in scanner. Our team has bags of experience with different sort of printers, and this guide leans on that as well as our own research to find the best deals for you. We’ve also tried to ensure that our choices are as versatile as possible: a device solely dedicated to printing stickers isn’t the best investment, so our choices should all be great printers for crafting with a wide array of compatible media.
The HP Envy 7955E is our overall best sticker printer thanks to a super user-friendly design and fantastic quality. This is a great InkJet printer for those new to printing stickers or just want a decent all-rounder for a home office. Stickers are super customizable via the HP Smart App and can produce any type of sticker in sizes from 4 x 6 inches up to 8 x 10 inches, so there’s plenty of versatility. As a wireless printer, it can print true-to-phone photos straight from your mobile device. High-quality stickers are easily produced – making this a great choice for small business owners, especially as fast printing speeds mean it is easy to print many at a time. This also comes in handy if you’re looking to print in batches. That said, the 7955E isn’t ideal for those wanting a cost-effective print solution. HP’s ink cartridges can be costly, even with their ink subscription service that keeps your device fully stocked. This was the only real hurdle we ran into with this top sticker printer, however, and it’s still our number one choice!
Laser printers for stickers aren’t really an automatic choice. They lack the vibrancy available with inkjet options, more office and organization focused for plain black-and-white documents. The Brother HL-L3270CDW makes a good case for laser printers in this category though, offering flexible printing and admirable color depth in a printer that is both wireless pretty speedy, and not too pricey for a laser model.
We’re big fans of Brother printers here at PC Guide, and the HL-3270CDW is no exception: a highly productive and easy-to-use all-in-one printer. Once it’s set up to print via WiFi it’s 250 tray capacity and solid print speed mean that productivity isn’t an issue.
However, the key consideration for this printer should be whether it ticks all or enough of the boxes for your needs. For less ‘fun’ or creative use the Brother HL-L3270CDW can provide high-output speed and quality printing, but if you’re a home user with limited space (and that space isn’t a home office) it may not be for you. Cardstock and envelopes are among the types of media this printer can print to, although the settings aren’t the most straightforward available and may need some unraveling.
When it comes to recommending a beginner-level printer for artists and home crafters, one model that consistently stands out is the Brother MFC-J497DW. While its price may be budget-friendly, it boasts an impressive level of print quality. This is another top-quality Brother printer, and warranted a mention on our ranking of the best printers for greeting cards!
The MFC-J497DW is a multi-function printer that excels in every aspect, including print quality, materials, construction, and versatility. It combines a high-resolution printer, scanner, and copier into one compact device, making it an excellent choice for both home and studio use. Furthermore, considering that a decent scanner alone can often cost more than this Brother printer, we think it offers really fantastic value.
Although it’s a little slow, the ink quality is high and offers great saturated colors. The printer’s high resolution adds a vibrant touch to your vinyl stickers, while its reliable rollers and mechanical parts guarantee precise handling of sticker paper. The printer will not jam or wear out, even with heavier printing volumes.
With its user-friendly LCD interface panel, wireless connectivity, compatibility with cloud services, and USB support, the MFC-J497DW offers convenience and flexibility. Its all-in-one design and overall superb quality make it an automatic recommendation for anyone seeking a budget printer for various tasks. It particularly excels as a budget-friendly option for printing stickers on vinyl.
Finally, we have the Canon PIXMA PRO-200. This supports media sizes up to 13 x 19 inches, making it suitable for printing larger stickers or multiple smaller stickers on a single sheet. This flexibility is beneficial when working with different sticker sizes or layouts. It’s very durable and produces high-quality prints with long lasting colors. Plus, it’s super compact, making it perfect for home use or small offices.
The PRO-200 offers a maximum print resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi, allowing for sharp and detailed sticker prints. This level of resolution is crucial for maintaining clarity in small text, fine lines, and intricate designs. Though the price point leaves a lot to be desired, the versatility of this top-quality model make it ideal for any kinds of graphic design work!
For a stellar all-round print solution, the Epson Expression XP-15000 is the ultimate choice. With a wide print format and an array of media compatibility, it’s no wonder that this unit is one of our best printers for graphic design!
The XP-15000 is capable of printing designs as large as 13″ x 19″, meaning that you can print larger stickers in higher quantities with ease! Optional high-yield cartridges provide excellent return on investment and much better turnover rates, and WiFi direct makes wireless printing a breeze – though you’ve still got cable compatibility should you need it! Colors are reproduced vividly even on the largest of print sizes.
However, this printer is a great deal slower than average even on basic materials, which reduces its overall efficiency substantially. But for a compact design packed with an arsenal of quality-of-life features, the XP-15000 is hard to beat!
There are a number of things to consider when choosing a printer for making stickers:
Determine the size of stickers you plan to create and ensure the printer can handle that size. Additionally, consider the types of media the printer supports. Stickers can be printed on various materials such as glossy, matte, or vinyl, so make sure the printer is compatible with the media you intend to use. As we come on to later, do not use InkJet paper on a LaserJet printer. The two work using very different mechanisms and this can cause damage.
Consider the ink system the printer uses. Some printers have individual color cartridges, allowing you to replace only the specific color that runs out. This can be more cost-effective in the long run compared to printers with combined color cartridges.
For the best-looking stickers, you’ll want the most vivid and accurate colors, so as not to be disappointed when printing from screen to sticker! The best printers for stickers have a great color gamut, reliably recreating multiple shades with great detail.
Similarly, the best sticker printers should be at the best possible resolution in Dots per Inch (DPI) in order to most accurately reproduce your designs. There is a lot of crossover between what makes the best printer for stickers and the best printers for photos, as both require high-detail and color accuracy for the best results.
Determine how you want to connect your printer. USB connectivity is common, but if you plan to print wirelessly or from multiple devices, consider printers with a Wi-Fi connection or Bluetooth connectivity.
Whether you are bulk printing stickers or only using it for selective prints, you’ll want an easy-to-access media tray. It’s always worth double-checking where you insert the sticker stock into the printer before printing, as some models can make it far more cumbersome than others – which can affect how you store the printer as well as how you use it.
Aside from the printer, of course, the next essential ingredient for sticker printing is having the right media. Sticker Paper is fairly easy to come by, so long as you double-check the type you want to use is compatible with the printer that you want to use. You also need a design: programs like Adobe Illustrator or Canva are great for creating effective and high-quality designs – just make sure that you make them PNG files if you want a transparent background!
When selecting what printer to go for, you’re going to need to choose between Inkjet and Laserjet models. With Inkjets, you sacrifice speed but end up with a more crisp and detailed result image. This is why InkJet multimedia printers are the best for stickers and decals. However, they also use more ink, and require the cartridges to be changed often – this can prove to be expensive. For simpler but more frequently-printed designs, a LaserJet printer will be more cost-effective.
This all depends, but generally, if you are looking to print a lot of stickers, fast, then we recommend opting for a LaserJet printer. The quality will not be as high as an Inkjet sticker printer, but unless they are very large this should not make much of a difference. While an InkJet printer is often a cheaper option initially, prices soon stack up as they use more ink than LaserJet printers, so take that into consideration. They do, however, produce higher-quality results.
This depends on what type of sticker you’re looking to print. Generally Inkjet printers will be fine to print paper stickers or labels, but we recommend also reading the manufacture’s instruction manual, which will detail what sort of paper is compatible with your printer.
For a great overall printer which also excels in stickers, go for the HP Envy 7855E. However, we’re big fans of all the printers on this list. The main thing to consider is the upfront cost and how many stickers, and how fast you’re looking to print. LaserJet options will be best for those looking to print en masse, but if you want the best-quality sticker or label, InkJet is the way to go, so long as you have budgeted for cartridges. This helps the HP version really stand out as our pick, as that six month supply of ink will go a long way, especially for those using the printer infrequently. If you’re still not quite sure what you’re looking for, or you want to see more recommendations, why not head over to our best all-in-one printer guide – where you can browse some other models that may be more appealing.
Gloria is a tech and AI writer for PC Guide. She is interested in what new technology means for the future of digital and broadcast journalism.
PCguide.com is part of the BGFG family of websites. Our mission is to provide you with great editorial and essential information to make your PC an integral part of your life. You can also follow PCguide.com on our social channels and interact with the team there.
The Baffle Type Paging Machine Factory © 2023 PC Guide. All rights reserved.