Planner stickers are all the rage these days. They allow you to add a personal touch and extra organization to your planners. But did you know you can easily print planner stickers at home?
With just a few affordable supplies and tools, you can unleash your creativity and design custom planner stickers tailored to your style and planning needs. Trust me, it’s much easier than you think!
In this step-by-step guide, as a professional planner manufacturer, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to start printing cute and functional planner stickers at home.
Why Print Your Own Planner Stickers?
Here are four great reasons to get into printing DIY planner stickers:
1. Save Money
Pre-made planner sticker packs can get expensive, especially if you use a lot of stickers. Printing your own can save you a ton of money in the long run.
2. Total Creative Freedom
Design completely one-of-a-kind stickers that match your planner aesthetic perfectly. No more settling for what sticker shops have in stock.
3. Customize Stickers to Fit Your Planning Needs
Create stickers for habits, goals, appointments and anything else you track in your planner. Get super organized with personalized stickers.
4. Quick and Easy Process
Designing and printing stickers is a cinch once you’re set up. No more waiting around for delivery. Print stickers anytime you need them!
What You Need to Get Started
Printing stickers at home is surprisingly easy. You just need a few basic craft supplies:
- Computer and printer – You likely already have these. An inkjet printer works best for full color stickers.
- Sticker paper – The key ingredient! Make sure to use paper made specifically for inkjet printers.
- Design software – I recommend Canva for its user-friendly interface. It’s free too!
- Cutting tool – A cutting machine makes light work of cutting out stickers but scissors can do the job too.
And that’s it! Told you this would be easy. 😉
Later I’ll also share sticker storage ideas, fun additions like corner rounders, and more. But the basics above are all you truly need.
Now let me walk you through the easy process of designing, printing and cutting DIY planner stickers step-by-step…
How to print planner stickers at home
Step 1: Design Your Planner Stickers
The first step is to design your own custom planner stickers tailored to your needs and tastes.
I recommend using Canva to design your stickers. It’s free, super user-friendly and has everything you need to create amazing stickers.
Here’s a quick 4-step process for designing your own stickers with Canva:
1. Pick a size – Decide what size you want your stickers to be. Check the dimensions of boxes in your planner and design accordingly.
2. Search Canva’s templates and elements – Find a template in the size you picked to use as a starting point. Search Canva’s massive libraries of graphics, frames, icons and fonts to customize your design.
3. Personalize the designs – Add color schemes, patterns textures and text that you love. Create a cohesive sticker sheet that matches your planner.
4. Save individual designs – Save each different sticker design you create as individual PNG files. This makes printing multiples super easy.
Don’t be afraid to get creative and make the stickers your own!
Step 2: Print Your Planner Stickers
Once your sticker designs are complete, it’s time to print them onto sticker paper. Here’s a quick 4-step overview:
1. Gather your supplies – Get your sticker paper, load it into your printer and have your sticker PNG files ready.
2. Open printing dialog box – Head to the Print dialog box in Canva and select “Print”.
3. Configure settings – Make sure size and orientation match the sticker paper loaded. Select highest print quality and check ink levels.
4. Print stickers – Send the print job and watch your amazing custom stickers come to life!
When printing planner stickers, here are a few quick pro tips:
- Always print a test sheet first on normal paper to check alignment.
- Set paper type to “labels” or “glossy” to optimize ink saturation.
- Print onto the printable side – this is usually indicated on the sticker paper packaging.
- Allow printed stickers to fully dry before handling to prevent smudging.
And that’s it – how easy was that? Now let’s get your stickers cut out…
Step 3: Cut Out Your Planner Stickers
You have two options when cutting out your printed planner stickers:
1. Use a electronic cutting machine like the Cricut or Silhouette Cameo for fast, precision cuts.
2. Cut out stickers manually with scissors or a craft knife and cutting mat.
If you have a cutting machine, I highly recommend using it! Just load your printed stickers, import the corresponding PNG files you designed earlier and the machine does the rest.
But don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy cutting machine. Just grab your scissors or paper trimmer and start cutting. It just takes a little longer.
Here are some quick tips for cutting success:
- Work on a self-healing cutting mat to protect your work surface.
- Move the blade or scissors, not the sticker paper itself.
- Change blades/scissors often for best cuts.
- Use a metal ruler as a guide for straight cuts.
And that’s seriously all there is to it! Not so bad for DIY stickers, huh?
Creative Ways to Use Your Custom Planner Stickers
Now for the best part – actually putting those beautiful stickers to use in your planner!
Planner stickers aren’t just pretty decorations. They can help organize your planning while showing off your personal flair.
Here are some of my favorite functional ways to use custom planner stickers:
Mark Key Dates and Events
Use fun stickers to highlight important deadlines, events, vacations, parties or calendar reminders.
Track Habits and Goals
Create habit tracker stickers or goal progress indicators to stick right into your planner spreads.
Log Appointments
Custom appointment stickers add pops of color while allowing plenty of space for writing.
Build Weekly Meal Plans
Design cute food stickers tailored to your favorite healthy recipes.
Organize To-Do Lists
Corresponding icons make your task list stickers stand out while staying organized.
Add Decorative Accents
Fill gaps by scattering small decorative sticker accents – like flowers, hearts, arrows etc.
With some creativity, you can come up with unlimited cool ways to use your DIY stickers functionally.
Next Level Planner Sticker Tips
And now, the cherry on top! I want to share some of my top tips for taking your custom planner stickers to the next level:
Upgrade With Sticker Storage
Keep your stickers neatly organized and easy to grab with solutions like sticker books, binder inserts or sheets protectors.
Reinforce With Washi Tape
Run thin strips of pretty washi tape under your stickers as you place them for smooth application and a decorative border.
Affix With Glue Dots
For permanent placing, use removable round glue dots under your stickers instead of adhesive backing.
Get Themed
Print themed sticker packs for different occasions – holidays, vacations, seasons or moods. The options are endless.
Craft Sticker Kits
Design full sticker sheets or kits focused on specific planning tasks – ideal for selling printable sticker downloads too!
I hope all these tips inspire you create amazing functional and decorative planner stickers tailored to your organizing style.
Trust me, it’s an incredibly fun DIY crafting adventure!
Final Thoughts
As you can see, learning how to print cute DIY planner stickers at home is much simpler than you may have thought.
With just a few basic supplies, free design software and creativity – the sticker possibilities are endless!
So grab your planner and let your inner sticker artisan shine! Need any other tips? Ask me in the comments below!