Graphic Design Services

Sticky Business offers graphic design services for all of our products. Our graphic designers can help in creating print ready artwork for all your "sticky" projects.

Artwork Editing, Clean-Ups & Manipulations

We perform minor editing of supplied artwork at no charge. If your request requires extensive work it is charged at $75 per hour with a minimum charge of $35. Art must be reviewed by Sticky Business to determine if we can perform a clean-up or manipulation. We will not perform extensive graphic work without quoting you and getting your approval to proceed. 

Only have a rough idea of the design? No problem! Email us a sketch and our team turn it into a full-fledged design during the proofing phase of your order.

Artwork Specifications

Ideally, your artwork should be supplied at the finished size, with Pantone colours specified (if any) and, if required, reflect all applicable government regulations. Customers are responsible for ensuring that all information, logos, placement, and design elements comply with applicable regulations (e.g., Health Canada/CFIA or FDA). Sticky Business does not review or approve artwork for regulatory compliance.

If you do not have graphic design capability, we offer graphic design services at very reasonable prices.

Bleed & Safe Zones

Anytime the ink extends to the edge of the label it is considered a "bleed", wherein we, the printer, must print 0.0625" past the cut line to ensure proper ink coverage. There is also a space of 0.0625" on the inside of the cut line that is considered a "safe zone" where no important text of graphics may print; this is to accommodate any registration shift that may occur during printing. Artwork will be automatically reduced if it is not provided with the necessary margin and a bleed is not requested.

Knock-outs

A knock-out is when text or a graphic is not actually printed, but instead the background is printed around it. For example, if you want a label with a black background and white text, we will actually print black ink on a white material. The end product will still look like white text on black background. The reason for this is that white materials is abundant and cost effective, and you'll get a much more crisp look when printing black on white, rather than white on black.

White ink backup

Digitally printed inks are translucent, not opaque, when printed on a material that is not white. This can be used strategically to produce interesting and stylish labels, using a white ink backup to create opacity where needed. For example, it's become very popular to print yellow over a metallic silver stock, which results in a gold look. If you print white ink where you don't want the metallic showing, you're left with a label that looks like gold printed on white. This method is massively more cost effective than having gold foil imprinted onto a white stock. The same idea works for blues, reds, greens - whatever colour you like!

Barcodes & QR Codes

We can generate a wide variety of barcodes, the most popular types being UPC(A), Code 39 (aka "Code 3 of 9") and Code 128. Please check with your Client Services Rep or our Proofing Department regarding different applications, characteristics and limitations for each type of barcode. If your product is sold in major retail stores, listed on large e-commerce platforms, or used for professional inventory tracking then it must be GS1 compliant to ensure the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is uniquely registered. This responsibility falls on the customer.

Similar to barcodes, QR codes can contain embedded information that is activated upon scanning. You can use QR codes in your branding to take your client to your website, informative videos, or a product authenticity verifier.

If the barcodes or QR codes stay the same on each label it is priced as part of the “static” artwork. Barcodes/QR codes that change from label to label are either consecutively numbered or variable data, and require different pricing and, sometimes, an Excel spreadsheet with the data for each label. For best scan-ability, the barcode/QR code should always be printed in black with a white background. You are free to design your QR code to be another colour combination, but we cannot guarantee scan-ability.

Digital Files/Electronic Art

We can accept artwork by email or WeTransfer.com. Contact one of our Customer Service Representatives if you have any questions. When sending a raster file (BMP or JPG), it must be at least 300 ppi. Vector files are always preferred.