Matte Vs Glossy Sticker: Know the Practical Applications

Matte Vs Glossy Sticker

Before the advent of glossy stickers and matte stickers, paper stickers were the norm for use in stickers and labels, and only commercial machines could reproduce high quality stickers, and crafters had to do with lower quality printing output with lower quality paper stickers.

But now do-it-yourself projects are made more delightfully fun by the availability of vinyl stickers in various colors, textures, gradients and color combinations.

Matte Sticker

Glossy Sticker

So it does not come as a surprise that more crafters have explored use of glossy stickers and matte stickers, moreso more and more popular and even unique colors and gradients are available in both matte and glossy type finishes, which make them now a  popular to use for labels and stickers projects.

Difference Between Matte vs. Glossy

The most noticeable difference between glossy and matté photos is their finish. Glossy stickers have a shiny finish, while matté stickers are somewhat dull & muted. For glossy stickers, an extra layer of gloss is added to the photo paper to reflect light, creating a shiny finish. Matte stickers have a finish that offers a more neutral and natural look.

Glossy sticker finishes offer a reflective shiny surface with a high gloss shine with a high glare factor. Matte sticker finish, because of its less reflective light surface, gives a soft satin appearance with very low sheen and low glare finish.

Rule of thumb to remember, glossy finish has better reflective surface, and matte finish has less reflective surface.

Glossy Stickers Explained

Glossy stickers hit the mark when it comes to eye-catching, visually striking, engaging and attractive designs. This glossy finish made of special coatings add extra beneficial properties providing exciting design element for your custom stickers, giving your projects an attractive and professional finish, making it a great choice for a variety of products and conditions.

Glossy Vinyl

But what are some of the other benefits you can expect from this finish? Well, one of the main advantages of glossy stickers is their durability and weather resistant characteristics compared to other finishes (although not suitable for long-term outdoor use). Glossy sticker finish compared to matte sticker finish is popular for its decidedly modern feel.

You can wipe glossy stickers clean which makes them easier to maintain than many other kinds of stickers!

Check out our glossy vinyls.

Matte Stickers Explained

Matte labels and stickers have a soft satin appearance, creating a smooth, soft surface free of shine. Because matte stickers are less reflective due to satiny light diffusion, matte stickers and labels are excellent for designs with lots of detail when it is important that the details be easy to read in all lighting conditions.

The matte laminate material in matte stickers is also good for highly detailed photos since the muted colors help to bring out those details.

Check out our matte vinyls.

Matte and Glossy Vinyl Selection

Most matte and glossy vinyls come in many colors, popular colors include:

Pure Red

Green Grass

Yellow Passion

Brilliant Purple

Ink Black

Impact Blue

General Features of Premium Vinyl

Teckwrap premium vinyls, whether glossy or matte, conveniently  come in three sizes, 5 , 10,l and 82 feet rolls.

To guarantee authenticity, there is a TWC logo on the backing of the paper. And to maintain the quality of each vinyl roll/sheet, the front side of the vinyl has a thin protective layer which needs to be removed prior to cutting.

Whether it’s a glossy sticker finish or matte, these vinyls are extremely durable, and because of it’s thin and soft features, make it easy to weed as well.

These glossy or matte vinyls are surface friendly as well. It can be applied to glossy surfaces like glass or acrylic, even when light hits, the sticker finish will retain its luster.

Their durable feature makes them weather resistant and offers uv resistance for a long period.

Both glossy sticker and matte sticker are compatible with most cutting machines available in the market.

Recommended Tools for Glossy and Matte Stickers

You may use your existing tools, but if you are new to crafting, and would like to do your glossy stickers and matte stickers projects with ease, you might want to consider investing in the following tools:

• Cutting machine - you may opt to cut your labels and stickers by hand, but having a cutting machine makes the process less tedious.
• Cutting mats  prevents slipping by providing a smooth, sticky top for keeping materials in place while the blade cuts the design of your choice.
• Transfer Tape are used as a means of transporting the vinyl decal to a product you want to personalize
• Weeding pen helps remove excess vinyl from your sticker design
• Squeegee/s is made of light plastic material and is used to smoothen your design on different surfaces

How To Use Your Vinyl With Your Cutting Machine

1. Draft your design using your cutting machine software.

• Silhouette Cameo machines use Silhouette Studio design software
• Cricut machines use Design Space design software

Both brands have free and upgraded versions of their respective software.

1. Prepare your cutting machine and load your gloss or matte vinyl sticker.

Make sure you apply the correct settings for your vinyl sticker  before you hit send.

2. Weed the sticker design properly with a weeding pen or weeding tool.

3. Apply transfer tape to the weeded sticker design.

Make sure the entire vinyl sticker design is covered completely by a transfer tape.

4. Clean the surface project.

5. Apply the glossy or matte vinyl design to the surface of your project.

6. Burnish and smoothen sticker surface with a smoothening tool.

7. Peel the design vinyl gently.

8. Smoothen with a squeegee to remove the bubbles.

The Verdict: Glossy or Matte Finish?

Choosing one over the other is a matter of personal taste. Both are excellent finishes in their own right, and it can be difficult to say early on which one you prefer.  

At the end of the day your choice would probably be based on practical considerations. If you are starting out and trying to get a feel of the difference between the two, you can probably start off by creating stickers of the same design, using gloss finish or matte finish, to check the differences and nuances of each finish of the same design and use what will best apply to your current project.

Whether you select matte vs glossy stickers, or perhaps you may initially prefer one over the other, your keen eye will be the best judge because you can actually see the color contrast, or how light sources reflect when shined directly on the sticker, and compare for yourself which sticker finish is most likely be suitable for your projects. Happy crafting!