10:08
Faizan
There are plenty of ways to get quantities of your own waterproof bumper stickers online or at the printer. But what if you want just one? And you just want to make it at home... right away? For example, your name is Chris McDishwasher, and you're visiting your grown kids for the weekend and want a single "Chris McDishwasher for President," bumper sticker. Or, perhaps you think you really might want quantities of a bumper sticker in the future, but want to test one out first before investing. Maybe you want to test the reaction of a spoof on the popular RV bumper stickers that read, "We're spending our kids' inheritance," with your own, "I'm too poor to visit my parents' nursing home," just to see if people give you the middle finger, or actually come up to you in parking lots and ask where they can buy more. Here's how to make just one on your own computer and inkjet or laser printer at home, or, a hand-lettered one if you don't have a computer and printer at home.
Practice first with regular copy paper. Copy paper is 8 ½ x 11 inches, and standard bumper stickers are 3 inches x 11 inches and window stickers are 5 x 5, so type the words in black bold letters, insert any copyright or royalty free graphics, and set your copier to print it out in the horizontal format if you're making a bumper sticker to be 11 inches long. (Or, practice hand lettering and drawing on the copy paper, at least in pencil, before trying it on the sticker paper.)
Next get a single sheet of Bumper Stickers Vinyl Sticker Paper. It's available at craft stores, art paper stores and online. Though it comes in boxes of ten sheets, some stores may sell it in single sheets or offer a single one-time copy service using this bumper sticker paper after you've designed the sticker at home. If you have to buy ten, it's kind of nice to have extras in case you goof up anyway. Besides, you may want a different one-time bumper sticker down the road.
Type and print out or handletter the words on the actual sticker paper once you've practiced and know you've got the sizing right.
Trim to size (a paper cutter works best).
Unless using a laser printer, some ink or paint residue may still run slightly in wet weather, even when using this type of bumper sticker paper. To prevent this, spray with Preserve Your Memories (available online and at craft stores) after the printout or art is dry. Though Preserve Your Memories is aerosol unfortunately, it is otherwise an environmentally friendly waterproofing preservative for craft projects.
Adhere bumper sticker to your car.
Practice first with regular copy paper. Copy paper is 8 ½ x 11 inches, and standard bumper stickers are 3 inches x 11 inches and window stickers are 5 x 5, so type the words in black bold letters, insert any copyright or royalty free graphics, and set your copier to print it out in the horizontal format if you're making a bumper sticker to be 11 inches long. (Or, practice hand lettering and drawing on the copy paper, at least in pencil, before trying it on the sticker paper.)
Next get a single sheet of Bumper Stickers Vinyl Sticker Paper. It's available at craft stores, art paper stores and online. Though it comes in boxes of ten sheets, some stores may sell it in single sheets or offer a single one-time copy service using this bumper sticker paper after you've designed the sticker at home. If you have to buy ten, it's kind of nice to have extras in case you goof up anyway. Besides, you may want a different one-time bumper sticker down the road.
Type and print out or handletter the words on the actual sticker paper once you've practiced and know you've got the sizing right.
Trim to size (a paper cutter works best).
Unless using a laser printer, some ink or paint residue may still run slightly in wet weather, even when using this type of bumper sticker paper. To prevent this, spray with Preserve Your Memories (available online and at craft stores) after the printout or art is dry. Though Preserve Your Memories is aerosol unfortunately, it is otherwise an environmentally friendly waterproofing preservative for craft projects.
Adhere bumper sticker to your car.
Posted in: hobbies
