How to Make Your Own Clear Stickers

Unlike traditional stickers, which are often printed on white sticker paper and therefore have white backgrounds and borders, clear stickers have a transparent background, making the image printed on the sticker appear more like a tattoo or an etched design. If you would like to make clear stickers with your own custom images, it is possible to design and print your own stickers at home.

Create your sticker designs in a design or drawing program, such as Photoshop or Microsoft Paint. You can create stickers in any size, in any color scheme, and in any design you want, as long as the sticker is smaller than 8 1/2 by 11 inches, the standard size of clear sticker paper.

Open an 8 1/2 by 11-inch canvas in the design program and organize small sticker designs so they will print together on one sheet. This allows the sticker sheet to run through the printer only once, which will save wear and tear on the sheet.

Place a sheet of clear sticker paper into a standard black-and-white or color printer. Go to the “File” menu in the design program and select “Print” from the menu to print the designs onto the sticker paper.

Allow the paper to dry for several minutes before handling. Clear sticker paper has a glossy finish and the ink will not dry as quickly as it does on standard printer paper.

Cut each individual sticker out of the sticker page. You will now have separate stickers with their own backing.

Use any printed image, either black-and-white or color, to create simple stickers with cellophane tape. You can use images that you print yourself or the images from a magazine or newspaper.

Cut a piece of cellophane tape that is just a little larger than the size of the picture you are using. Lay the picture face up on a flat surface and cover the image completely with the tape, rubbing your thumb over the tape to make sure there are no bubbles in the tape.

Place the tape-covered picture into a bowl of water. Allow the tape to soak for a minute or two until the picture softens and starts to come apart.

Rub your thumb softly over the picture on the tape to remove the wet paper from the tape. Sit the tape aside and allow it to dry for several minutes or use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

Attach the tape sticker to anything you would use a normal sticker on. If the tape does not have enough of its sticking ability left, you can add clear glue to make sure it has a strong hold.