FAQ: Printable Stickers

WHY PRINTABLE?

I live in Australia, most of my customers live in the USA and shipping is very expensive and takes a long time! I conducted a poll in this post and most of the feedback was that customers would not be willing to wait the amount of time it takes to deliver mail from Australia to the USA. Printable means I can offer the designs at a cheaper price than printed stickers and, once you purchase the file you can print the stickers as many time as you like for your personal use. If you run out of stickers just print another sheet… or 10 😉 Printable files are like the gift that keeps on giving!

All of my sticker files are affordably priced and you get get a bargain if your purchase the Get it All sticker bundle!

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WHERE CAN I PURCHASE THE STICKERS?

A sample of sticker designs are available in my Etsy store. All are available in the online store.

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WHAT LABEL/STICKER PAPER SHOULD I USE?

You can buy full sheet label paper from:

Worldlabel (Worldwide but  expensive shipping to Australia)
Online Labels they even have metallic label paper (which I am dying to try!) (Worldwide but expensive shipping to Australia)
Office Depot (US only)
Amazon (Worldwide but expensive shipping to Australia)
Walmart (US only)
Officeworks (Australia only)
Staples (US and Australia)
Ebay (Worldwide)
Labelsbythesheet (US only)
Sheet Labels (US only)

And of course, Avery.

I have found that the ‘unofficial’ label paper (i.e. anything but Avery) is cheaper and works just the same! Most are compatible with both inkjet and laser printers but be sure to check before purchasing.

Matte sticker paper is easier to write on that Glossy. You can also purchase repositionable sticker paper.

I purchase my label paper off Ebay.

0.5 x 0.5″ square stickers fits 270 stickers per 8.5 x 11″ sheet. You can purchase full sheet re-positionale label paper for 30c a sheet or 0.001c per sticker! Shops selling printed and cut stickers charge $4 for around 30 stickers of the same size. You also need to pay shipping on top of that. And wait for them to arrive in the mail. With printable stickers you receive them within minutes of your purchase. An added bonus – the Australian Dollar is currently only buying around 75cUSD this means, because of the exchange rate, if you live in the USA these stickers are actually even cheaper! (I live in Australia)

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WHAT ARE EDITABLE STICKERS?

Currently, the only editable stickers are the morning/day/night section titles.

EDITABLE PDF FILES:
– When you open the file there will be light blue boxes where you can type in your information (this will NOT remain light blue when printed).
– You can still print and hand-write on the sheets (the blue boxes won’t appear on your printed copy)
– The fillable font is helvetica in black
– For copyright protection, the layout of the documents, including existing text cannot be changed
– You CAN save information typed into the PDF. I recommend saving the original version as ‘blank’ if you would like to make multiple sticker sheets.
– You will need a computer (not an ipad or iphone) to open and edit PDF files.

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FILE FORMAT

Most of the stickers come in 2 file format:

PDF: If it’s not already installed on your computer you will need to download it here (it’s free!). Note: You will need a computer to open and print PDF files.

JPG: this file format is compatible for use with your silhouette cutting machine and printing at home (print the sticker sheet/image as a full page photo)

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HOW DO I PRINT THE STICKERS?

These instructions will work for any of the planner / calendar stickers available in my shop including:

• 5 x 0.5” Square stickers
• Erin Condren ‘Full Box’ stickers
• 1 inch x 0.5 inch ‘write-on’ stickers

I am going to demonstrate using the 1.5inch x 0.5inch stickers. These stickers are formatted for printing onto these letter size sticker sheets so you can easily print them from home. Or you can just print onto normal copy paper or cardstock and use glue to adhere, more on that below.

As always I recommend doing a test print onto a piece of scrap paper before printing multiple sheets onto sticker paper.

Note that all printers are different. I am using a Canon printer – if you are using a different brand your printer menu may display a little differently. There are so many different types of printers out there I do not know how to use every printer so unfortunately I may not be able to help if you have problems printing. Please follow the step-by-step guide below if you are having difficulties. Want to consult your printer manual but can’t remember where you put it? See ​this website to view free printer manuals for any type of printer.

Printing the PDF File onto Letter Size Paper

1. Open the file. Go to the top left hand corner, press file and then print.

2. The printer menu will open.

Make sure ‘actual size’ is selected then click on ‘properties’

3. A new menu will open – change the page size to letter size

I have not noticed a difference between printing on ‘standard’ and ‘high’ print quality settings

4. Press ‘OK’ to close that menu, then press ‘Print’

Printing the PDF File onto A4 Size Paper

If, like me, you live in Australia, you can still use these. The only change is the amount of white space around the design. The stickers are in no way affected and still print perfectly! 🙂

1. Open the file. Go to the top left hand corner, press file and then print.

2. The printer menu will open.

Make sure ‘actual size’ is selected then click on ‘properties’

3. Change the page size to A4

5. Click OK. The first menu will now look like this

I have not noticed a difference between printing on ‘standard’ and ‘high’ print quality settings

4. Press ‘OK’ to close that menu, then press ‘Print’

Note: if you live in Australia and keeping the stickers at 1.5″ wide is important – make sure you print using the PDF file as I have found the JPG file alters the size of the stickers to 1.6″ long… or maybe that’s just my printer. This size printing error also occurred even if I un-checked the ‘fit picture to frame’ button so if maintaining the exact size is important to you please print using the PDF!

Printing the JPG File

1. Open the JPG and click the black arrow (point down) next to ‘print’

2. A new window will appear. Click on ‘options’ then ‘printer properties’ this will take you into the same printer menu as for printing a PDF. Change the paper size if need be. Click on ‘options’ in the bottom right and make sure the correct page size and print quality if you wish to print on ‘high quality’ is selected.

3. IMPORTANT: when I print the stickers using the the jpg they did not print correctly when the ‘fit picture to frame’ box was ticked so be sure to UNTICK this box! This is what worked for my printer – yours may be different. As always I recommend doing a test print onto a piece of scrap paper and in greyscale before printing multiple sheets onto sticker paper as all printers work differently (I also recommend writing down or taking screenshots of the printer options you selected so you can refer back to them if needed).

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WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE STICKER PAPER?

Buy it! Seriously it’s worth it. If you don’t want to buy  a lot you can order a few sheets from Labelsbythesheet. Label paper is very inexpensive if purchased in bulk e.g. from OnlineLabels

If you do not have label paper you can print onto normal printer paper and use glue or glue tape to adhere. I would recommend cardstock though as the colours print more vibrantly and are not see-through on thicker paper. I recommend ‘quill board’ which is thicker than copy paper at 210GSM. I also use this for printable notecards. You can buy it at Officeworks. I’m sure places like Staples in the US sells something similar. Even though it’s thicker than normal copy paper it doesn’t jam my printer. Amazon also sells cardstock.

Another option is to cut contact paper to letter size, peel back the sticky edge and stick the printed stickers to the contact sticker i.e. order will be: contact paper, printed stickers and then the back of the contact paper. I recommend trimming the white edge off the printed stickers so the contact paper stickers to the back (non-sticky side that comes with the contact paper). Cut or punch out as needed then peel back for stickers. Not sure if contact paper is called the same thing in the USA but this looks similar.

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CUTTING YOUR STICKERS

I have found that the most efficient method of cutting is to:

1) Cut off the white space on the top, bottom and sides
2) Cut the remaining into strips horizontally going across the width of the page
3) Cut the smaller strips still using your paper trimmer or using scissors.
The reason I cut horizontally is that there is less to cut (as you are cutting the width not the length of the sticker which is longer) but it is up to you to cut whichever way works best for you!

Tip: I print off sticker sheets then cut them during ad breaks while watching TV. I have found that I can cut up to 3 sticker sheets at once using my guillotine.

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WHAT DO YOU USE TO CUT THE STICKERS?

I use a guillotine I purchased a few years back. I can’t remember where I bought it from but it is similar to this one. I prefer that style of paper trimmer to this style as I find it easier to see where I’m cutting and easier to cut multiple sheets at once.

For the flag stickers I use scissors for the flag ends. If you want round stickers I recommend using a craft punch such as this one. Medium size scissors are preferable as the blade is too large on large scissors and I’ve found small scissors make my hand cramp after about 5 sticker sheets.

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I will discuss how I organize my stickers in an upcoming post!

See all available stickers HERE

Want custom stickers or have an idea for a sticker not currently listed in the shop? Email me at allaboutthehouseetsy@yahoo.com.au or contact me via Etsy or the online store – I’m always open to suggestions 🙂

New Half Size Printable Planners for 2015

After many requests for half size planner pages, I have created the half size day to a page planner versions as well as the half size extras. Go here to check them out!

Half Size Day to a Page

Chevron half size day to a page

Half Size Extras

 Chevron half size extras

You can now also purchase the planner in the half size (months only) with no weekly or daily planner pages if you prefer to manage your time this way.

Or just the months by themselves. Rainbow

Chevron

I have also designed a new half-size weekly layout that allows more room to write with the days going across the page than the columns like the letter size (full size) planner style.

I hope you guys like this new planner style as much as I enjoyed creating it 🙂

If you’re concerned about using up printer ink you could have the files printed at your local office supply store (send me a convo via etsy and I will give you a print release) the chevron and stripes patterns also print nicely in greyscale.

Printing instructions are included. Before printing you will need to pre-cut letter size paper in half (most office supply stores will do this for you if you don”t have a paper trimmer, you can also buy pre-cut paper reams)

You can read more about the rainbow planner and chevron planners in THIS post.

My 2015 Printable Rainbow Daily Planner

Today I’d like to introduce my new daily planner!

Please excuse the poor quality photos – the colours are actually much brighter in person!

I. Am. OBSESSED with it! I created the whole planner from scratch (well, except the arc notebook I used to assemble it of course). The planner pages are 8.5 x 11″ in size. I know a lot of people prefer the smaller planner sizes but portability and compactibility isn’t an issue for me as I carry a large handbag. I’ll discuss printing options if you’d like to use the pages in an A5, half size or filofax planner at the bottom of this post.

One of the most important things about a planner is its’ pretty cover page! I am OBSESSED with pretty cover pages. Every binder I use has to have a cover page. I created one cover for the planner then came up with ideas for another cover. And another one. I ended up with about 15 covers before I finally gained some self-control. I get bored with covers easily so I intend to use a different one each month. This is the one I am currently using:

I’ve listed all the other covers in my Etsy shop if you’re a cover addict like me. These covers are personalised with your monogram and/or other wording that you would like. Due to customisation these are sent within 48hours of your purchase.

These covers are an instant download so you can use them right away!

You could also pair the planner with one of my other binder covers

Let’s take a tour of my planner!

After the cover page is the ‘this belongs to page’ in case my planner ever gets lost.

Followed by the 2014 and 2015 dates at a glance pages (with space tor record those new years resolutions/goals that I’m going to try and accomplish)

I forget to take photos of these pages in my assembled planner.

Then the ‘special dates’ page where I list national holidays for 2014 , 2015 and 2016. This sheet is not pre-filled so you could live anywhere in the world and still use this planner! I live in Australia which is why this page is not pre-filled with American holidays. You can find a summary of national holidays relevant to your country on this website

Important dates where I list birthday’s, anniversaries ect. You could also use it for annual planning.

 

FOR EACH MONTH

Monthly divider (I recommend printing single sided onto cardstock. I use this brand).

Monthly planning page

2 page monthly calendar spread

An undated editable version is also available.

Notes

Daily and/or weekly planning pages – I have created 3 different weekly spreads.

Meal planning & checklist

Checklist

This is the weekly spread that I personally use. I am obsessed with lists so this layout has been working perfectly for me!

The ‘simple‘ version where you can make it your own e.g. add lines across the page to separate each column into boxes to separate things like school, work, social, reminders, meal planning ect. Or just keep the columns blank with lots of open-ended writing space

For those who prefer to have one page for each day:

I also have an undated (and editable!) version. I use this on days where I need to get a lot done and I want to map out exactly how I will use my time. I call this the ‘schedule’ planning method (rather than the open-ended weekly pages). There are 2 lines beside each hour – one line per 30 minutes of the day. I print a few off and keep them at the back of the planner then transfer them to the current week when I need them.

Wondering what that un-labelled box is for? Anything! After designing and using many daily planners I have found that I needed a section that was flexible. Some days I use this box to record my exercise plan, on other days I use it for reminders or calls I need to make. I also like having a large notes section so I can jot down messages when I’m on the phone. I used to scramble around for a piece of paper which I then couldn’t find a few days later. This way I can keep everything in order 🙂 The meals box is big enough to plan all daily meals or just dinner and a few things I need to pick up from the store on my way home.

After all the months, I include extra notes pages as well as pages you can purchase separately from the ‘Extra’s package.’ I store these pages behind the ‘Miscellaneous’ divider (which comes with the planner).

Editable Meal Planner & Grocery List

You can also print 2 copies of the 1 sheet onto a single page (see below). For instructions on how to do this see here

Password Log

To do checklist

Contacts

Weekly Planning page. I keep this at the back and use it to note routine things that need to be completed each day (or most days of the week). I am considering moving it to the front of the planner.

Extra notes pages

Calendar stickers

I LOVE calendar stickers but they are very hard to find in Australia so I made my own. Because I am obsessed with things being coordinated I used the same colours as the rainbow stripe pattern on the planner. I made my own template in photoshop and printed the 6 sheets onto full sheet 8.5 x 11″ label paper then cut using a guillotine (you could also use a paper trimmer or scissors). I keep them in a clip top bag in the ziplock pouch I also purchased for the back of the planner.

Money Stickers

The colours do actually print that nice and bright. The photos makes them look much darker than they actually are!

Events Stickers

School Stickers

Number Stickers

Home/Maintenance Stickers

Medical Stickers

 

UPDATE: I have become a sticker addict in the past few months. You can shop all available stickers in the online store and on Etsy.

I bought these pockets to keep random papers in. E.g. if I get the mail on my way out the door I will tuck it in these pockets and take them out when I get home.

Back cover (should you choose to have your planner spiral bound or use it in a binder)

If you’re concerned about printer ink, here are how some of the pages look printed in greyscale:

Still quite pretty!

HOW I ORGANISE MY PLANNER

1. Colour code. I write everything in my planner in black pen. I don’t use a special brand of pen. I use cheap ones from discount stores like the Reject Shop and Crazy Clark’s. I live in Australia so I don’t have access to Walmart :(. I then highlight each ‘thing’ in my planner in a different colour. For example: yellow is Etsy, pink is personal, green is appointments and social events, purple is to do’s, orange is family and light blue is finances. When I was in school I used to use different colours for homework, assessment due dates ect.

2. Calendar Stickers (which I mentioned above). They’re rainbow and co-ordinate with my planner – nuff said 🙂

HOW I USE MY PLANNER

1. I write things like when bills are due in the monthly view. I also note any appointments and social events. I try to minimise what I write in the monthly view to prevent it from being over-cluttered. One of the reasons I use a full-size planner is because of the large writing space in the monthly view. I have used smaller planners before and found I filled the little boxes too quickly. I also cannot stand trying to write something into a planner and not having the page to lean my hand against as I enter a task (hopefully you understand what I mean, I know I didn’t explain that very clearly :/)

2. The weekly views show each day in more detail. Occasionally I review my ‘master’ to do list which I keep in my lists book. I shared some pictures of it at the bottom of this post. Basically I printed off all the sheets from my lists kit and bound them into a notebook.

Anyway, in the lists book I have monthly to do lists. At the start of the year I list things I’d like to complete for each month (personal, work – everything) and stop about 5 lines short of the bottom of the page (gotta keep room for ideas that pop up throughout the year!) Each month I pick out the main to do’s and fill the first monthly to do list column in the planner (on the monthly planning page).  I keep the second column free for to do’s I think of throughout the month. So basically the lists book is a ‘reference’ and my planner summarises those lists.

I’ll pick a few of the monthly to do’s in my planner that I feel are the highest priority. I transfer tasks that need to occur to complete each of those to do’s to the weekly pages of my planner. For example, if I am working on a new planner set then I will break the planner down into smaller to do’s and allocate those throughout the weeks of the month. I write these steps in the unlined section of each day. I keep the checklists for routine tasks such as laundry, grocery shopping, emptying the dishwasher, de-cluttering ect.

The reason I love the layout of the weekly pages is because they are simple, uncluttered, flexible and don’t have too much colour. I do love a bit of colour (hence the rainbow stripe), but because I highlight/colour-code my planner I kept it to black only below the pattern. I don’t like planners that include mini monthly views on each weekly spread as I find this a massive waste of space. I rarely need to know what day a certain date falls on and if I do I have the monthly summary pages and the dates at a glance places to refer to.

I do use tabs as you can see in the pictures. I purchased these from Staples. They were pre hole punched for a 3 ring binder but I punched over the top – they are made of a plastic-like material so they still stay in place in the Arc notebook. I am on the lookout for nicer tabs because I’d prefer them to be thicker like cardstock. If anyone knows of any good tabs please let me know!

So that’s my planner! If anyone has any questions or comments I’d love to hear from you 🙂

***PRINTING YOUR PLANNER***

The pages are 8.5 x 11″ in size. They will work with printers that CAN do duplex printing and also printers that CANNOT do duplex printing. Detailed printing instructions are included in your purchase. As all printers are different, I cannot offer technical support for printing. No refunds will be made if you are unable to print the pages due to your printer having different settings than shown in the example/if you do not know how to use your printer. If you are having problems printing your planner at home, I recommend printing at your local office supply store.

If you want to use the pages in an A5/Filofax/half size planner you can by using ‘2 per page’ or ‘multiple’ print settings and then cut the 8.5 x 11″ sheet in half. However, they will be single-sided.

If you would like to use the planner pages in a personal or smaller than half size planner I do not recommend doing this. You can print any page at any size (smaller than 8.5 x 11″). See this post on printing tips for instructions (tip 2). The reason I do not recommend this is because you will need to cut every sheet down to size.

As a side note – a coupon is included in the printing instructions document which you can use on all future purchases until the end of 2015!

***PLANNER SOURCE LIST***

Arc punch (I’ve read that the Levenger punch is compatible)

Pink Arc notebook (A4 size)

A5 zip pockets they also have A4 size 

A4 Pockets

They have lots of other fun extras you can add like business card holder

By the way, I am in no way affiliated with Staples or this brand I just like their products 🙂

***LET’S GO SHOPPING!***

Do you think this planner would work for you? Great! Click the links below to start shopping 🙂

PLANNERS

– Rainbow ‘simple’ version

– Rainbow ‘checklist’ version

– Rainbow ‘meal planning & checklist’ version

– Day to a page

– 2 Page Monthly Calendar

– Undated 2 page monthly calendar

– Undated daily planning page

– Undated Landscape calendar

COVERS

– 6 Instant download planner covers

– Personalised Planner Covers

ADD ONS

– Matching Rainbow Calendar Stickers

– Rainbow Extras

– Contacts page

– Meal Planning & Grocery List

– To Do Checklist 

– Password Log

– Weekly Planning Page

– Notes Page

RAINBOW SIMPLE PLANNER

– Mar 2014 – Jun 2015

– Mar 2014 – Dec 2015

– Jan 2015 – Dec 2015

RAINBOW CHECKLIST PLANNER

– Mar 2014 – Jun 2015

– Mar 2014 – Dec 2015

– Jan 2015 – Dec 2015

RAINBOW MEAL PLANNING & CHECKLIST PLANNER

– Mar 2014 – July 2015

– Mar 2014 – Dec 2015

– Jan 2015 – Dec 2015

DAY-TO-A-PAGE PLANNER

– Mar 2014 – July 2015

– Mar 2014 – Dec 2015

– Jan 2015 – Dec 2015

***WANT TO GET A FREE PLANNER?***

Do you have a blog? Want to get this planner for free in exchange for a review? Convo me via Etsy or send an email to allaboutthehouseetsy@yahoo.com.au  If I think your blog is a good fit – I will send you a copy of the planner of your choice for FREE!

***HAVE YOU DISCOVERED AN ERROR?***

I have checked each page however, if you happen to spot an error, please bring it to my attention so I can fix it ASAP.