Custom stickers and labels are printed adhesive pieces that put your logo, product details or a seal onto boxes, jars, bottles, bags and mailers. iCustomBoxes Canada prints them in custom shapes, sizes and materials, so they fit the packaging you already use or the boxes you order from us.
This collection includes die-cut and kiss-cut stickers, roll labels, product labels for containers and seal stickers for mailer boxes. Each format suits a different job. The sections below explain which format, material and finish fit your product before you request a quote.
Stickers vs Labels: Which Does Your Packaging Need?
Choose a sticker when the piece is about your brand, and a label when it sits on a product and carries information. The two words overlap a lot. The practical difference is format, thickness and how the piece is applied.
If you're unsure, start with where the piece goes and what it will face. A seal on a mailer and an ingredient label on a sauce jar both stick, but they need different stock and finishing.
Sticker and Label Types
Die-Cut Stickers
Die-cut stickers are cut through both the sticker and its backing, following the outline of your design. Each one arrives as a single custom-shaped piece. They work well as logo stickers, order inserts and decorative seals.
Kiss-Cut Stickers and Sticker Sheets
Kiss-cut stickers are cut through the sticker but not the backing, so the shape peels away while the backing stays square. The square backing makes them easy to peel and lets you group several designs on one sheet. That suits sample kits, product sets and sticker packs sold as merchandise.
Roll Labels
Roll labels come on a continuous roll, which is the quickest way to apply hundreds of labels by hand or by machine. If you use a label applicator, tell us the core size and unwind direction it needs.
Product Labels for Jars, Bottles and Tins
Product labels carry your product name, contents and required information on the container itself. Material matters most here. A candle jar, a hot sauce bottle and a lotion tube each meet different amounts of warmth, oil and moisture.
Box Seal and Mailer Stickers
Seal stickers close a mailer box, tissue wrap or gift box and put your logo where the customer opens it. They're an inexpensive way to brand plain stock boxes. If you also want printed boxes, pair them with our custom mailer boxes order both together.
Shapes and Sizes
Stickers and labels can be printed in standard shapes or cut to any outline. The right size depends on the flat panel they sit on, not on the container's overall size.
Standard shapes include circles, squares, rectangles, ovals and rounded rectangles. Custom die-cut shapes follow your logo or artwork. When you measure, keep these points in mind:
- Measure only the flat area. On a jar, the label panel ends where the shoulder starts to curve.
- Leave a margin so the label doesn't run onto a seam, lid or tapered edge.
- Labels lie flat when the surface curves in one direction only. Avoid domes and shoulders, which curve in two.
- Size a seal sticker so it overlaps both the lid and the box wall.
Label Materials
Pick the material for the conditions the label will face: paper for dry products, film for anything that meets water, oil or the fridge. Film costs more, so there's no reason to pay for it on a dry box.
BOPP is polypropylene film stretched in two directions, which makes it thin, strong and resistant to water, oil and many chemicals. That's why it's a common choice for food, cosmetic and personal care containers
Printing and Colour Options
Stickers and labels are printed in full colour (CMYK), with Pantone (PMS) matching for brand colours that must stay consistent.
- CMYK full colour suits photos, illustrations and gradients.
- Pantone matching keeps a logo colour the same on your labels, boxes and signage. Send us the PMS codes from your brand guide.
- White ink on clear film sits under the colours so they stay solid. Without it, colours printed on clear stock look see-through on dark products.
- Several designs in one order let one plain or printed box serve many flavours, scents or sizes, because only the label changes.
- Seasonal stickers turn everyday packaging into holiday packaging without reprinting boxes. For fully printed seasonal packaging, see our Christmas boxes.
Finishes and Add-Ons
Lamination protects the print, while spot UV and foil add contrast where you want attention. Add lamination to any paper label that will be handled often or come near moisture.
- Matte lamination: a soft, low-glare surface that resists scuffs and reads clearly under store lighting.
- Gloss lamination: a shiny surface that makes colours look richer and wipes clean easily.
- Spot UV: a clear, glossy layer on selected areas, such as a logo, over a matte background.
- Foil stamping: gold, silver or coloured metallic on chosen text or graphics.
How to Choose the Right Custom Labels
Work through five questions in order: surface, conditions, application, quantity and removal. Your answers point to one product in the collection above.
- What surface will it go on? Glass, plastic, tin, coated board and kraft paper all hold labels differently. Rough or uncoated surfaces may need a stronger adhesive.
- What will it face? Fridge condensation, oils from food or skincare, frequent handling or sunlight all point to film or vinyl. Dry indoor products can use paper.
- How will you apply it? For a few hundred pieces applied by hand, choose sheets or single stickers. For larger runs or a label applicator, choose rolls.
- How many, and how many versions? Quantity has the biggest effect on unit price. If you sell several variants, ask about printing them in one order.
Does it need to come off? Permanent adhesive suits product labels. Removable adhesive suits price tags and promotional stickers.
Planning Label Space for English and French
Most prepackaged consumer products sold in Canada need their mandatory label information in both English and French, so plan the space before you set the label size. Under section 6 of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations, required details such as product identity and net quantity must be bilingual. The dealer's name and address may appear in one language.
The regulations also include narrow exemptions for some local, test-market and specialty imported products. Food, cosmetics and other regulated products have further rules of their own. Confirm what your product needs before you approve your proof.
A bilingual label needs more room than a single-language one. Many brands keep the front label clean and place the bilingual details on a separate back label.
Who Uses Custom Stickers and Labels
Any business that ships, stocks or sells packaged products uses labels. What changes by industry is the material and the information the label carries.
- Bakeries and food producers: ingredient and best-before labels on boxes and bags.
- Cosmetics and skincare brands: film labels on jars, droppers and tubes, matched to cosmetic boxes.
- Candle and soap makers: jar and warning labels for candles, and wrap labels for bars sold in candle boxes or soap boxes.
- eCommerce and subscription brands: seal stickers for mailers, thank-you stickers and return-address labels.
- Retailers and wholesalers: variant labels on stock boxes, so one box design covers a whole product line.
Why Order Stickers & Labels From iCustomBoxes Canada
Ordering labels from your box supplier keeps colours, sizes and delivery on one schedule. You also deal with one team instead of two.
- Labels sized to your boxes: our design team can size labels and seals to the dielines of the boxes we make for you.
- Free design support: help with layout, bilingual space and file setup.
- No plate or die charges: custom shapes don't add a separate tooling fee.
- A proof before printing: you approve a digital proof before production starts.
Tell us where the label goes, its size, the material you want and how many you need, and we'll price your stickers and labels. Not sure which format fits? Describe your product and we'll suggest one.
