How to Make DIY Stickers with Packing Tape
Create custom glossy, durable stickers at home using printed or hand-drawn artwork, clear packing tape, and parchment paper without a specialized cutting machine.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
- Tap Start Camera Coach when you want hands-free voice help.
- Allow camera and microphone. Point your phone at the work; the coach watches your progress and tells you the next step.
🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Detail scissors
- ✓ Credit card or bone folder
- ✓ Ruler
- ✓ Self-healing cutting mat
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Paper illustrations or printed designs
- ✓ Wide clear packing tape (2-inch minimum)
- ✓ Parchment paper sheet
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Always cut away from your non-dominant hand when trimming with precision blades or sharp scissors.
- • Keep blade caps on utility knives when not actively slicing.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Prepare and Rough-Cut Artwork
Select your printed or hand-drawn paper designs. Use detail scissors to cut around each design, leaving a rough 2–3 mm margin around the outer ink lines to allow for clean sealing later.
- • Individual paper illustrations separated on the work surface with clean, uncreased edges.
- • Cutting directly on the ink border, leaving no margin for water-resistant sealing.
Lay Base Tape Layer on Parchment
Place a flat sheet of parchment paper on your table. Cut a strip of clear packing tape slightly longer than your artwork group and press it firmly onto the parchment paper sticky-side down.
- • A strip of clear tape adhered completely flat against the parchment with zero wrinkles.
- • Letting tape fold onto itself or creating ripples during application.
Position Designs on Taped Surface
Place your paper cutouts face-up on top of the taped area on the parchment. Space each cutout at least 0.5 inches (12 mm) apart so their sealing borders do not overlap.
- • Designs resting face-up within the taped boundary with visible clear margins between them.
- • Placing illustrations too close together or extending beyond the base tape edge.
Apply Top Tape and Burnish
Cut a second strip of clear packing tape and lay it directly over your positioned artwork, covering them completely. Firmly scrape the surface using a plastic card or bone folder from the center outward to push out all trapped air pockets.
- • Completely transparent, bubble-free laminate layer encasing the illustrations tightly.
- • Pressing lightly, leaving silvery air halos around the paper perimeter.
Trim the Final Stickers
Cut the parchment paper into individual stickers. Use detail scissors to trim around each design, leaving a visible 2–3 mm transparent border where the top tape seals to the bottom tape layer.
- • Finished cutout stickers with a uniform clear border surrounding the paper and smooth parchment backing.
- • Cutting flush to the paper edge, which unseals the laminate and exposes paper to water.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Salamander Creates — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Bone folder? Edge of a clean plastic credit card or gift card
- No Parchment paper? Wax paper or shiny backing sheet from used label rolls