Making stickers to sell: printer plus cutting machine vs ordering them (cost per sticker, 2026)
The job: Sell your own sticker designs in small batches (packs of 3-10) at markets and online.
Short answer: most small sticker shops use an inkjet printer + printable vinyl + a cutting machine that reads registration marks ("Print Then Cut" on Cricut, "Print & Cut" on Silhouette). Materials come to roughly 15-20¢ per 3-inch sticker, but each sheet takes your time. Ordering from a print shop costs more per sticker at normal prices but almost nothing in time, and big printers run frequent deals.
Try this first: order one batch of your best design from a print shop. If it sells, buy the machine.
Size limits that catch people out
Cricut limits the printable area for Print Then Cut. On US Letter the maximum design size is 9.94 × 7.44 in (Explore 3, Maker 3 and Joy Xtra), and part of that is reserved for sensor marks. Explore 3 and Maker 3 also support larger pages such as Tabloid (15.94 × 9.94 in). Joy Xtra supports Letter and A4 only. On Letter that's about six 3-inch stickers per sheet. (Cricut Help)
At a glance
| Product | Best for | Max cut width | Print-and-cut | Price (checked) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cricut Explore 5 | Most new sticker sellers | 12 in (Smart Materials up to 12 ft) | Yes (Print Then Cut) | $199 |
| Silhouette Cameo 5 | Higher volume and bigger sheets | 12×24 in mat; rolls up to 11.6 × 16 ft | Yes (Print & Cut) | $279.99-$329.99 |
| Cricut Joy Xtra | Small spaces, Letter/A4 sheets only | 8.5 in (mat area 8.2×11.7 in) | Yes (Letter/A4) | $179-$229 |
| Order from a print shop (e.g. Sticker Mule) | Validating designs; no equipment | Any size | Done for you | About $60-72 for 50 3×3 in die-cut (deals from $9-29) |
How we chose
- Print-and-cut support and maximum printable area
- Machine price as listed on the check date
- Cutting width for larger sheets or rolls
- Whether outsourcing beats it at your volume
The picks
Cricut Explore 5
Cricut's current mid-range cutter. It supports Print Then Cut and 100+ materials, and works with a huge library of tutorials. Explore 3 is no longer the current model.
- $199 for a 12-inch machine
- Print Then Cut built into Design Space
- Big community and tutorial base
- Print Then Cut size limits (see above)
- Design Space requires an online account; some features are subscription-based
Skip it if: You'd rather design in other software with more control; consider Silhouette.
Sources: Cricut Explore 5 shop page · Cricut: Explore 5 vs 4
Silhouette Cameo 5
Cuts 12×24-inch mats and long rolls, up to 3 mm thick, over USB or Bluetooth, with registration-mark Print & Cut.
- 12×24 mat and roll cutting
- Print & Cut with registration marks
- Costs more than the Explore 5
- Different software ecosystem from Cricut
Skip it if: You'll only ever print on Letter sheets; the Explore 5 is cheaper.
Check price at Silhouette America
Sources: Silhouette Cameo 5 page · Silhouette Europe Cameo 5 specs
Cricut Joy Xtra
A compact cutter that handles Print Then Cut on Letter and A4. Fine for small batches, but it can't take larger pages.
- Small footprint
- Print Then Cut on Letter/A4
- Often costs as much as the bigger Explore 5
- Letter/A4 only for print-and-cut
Skip it if: The Explore 5 is the same price or cheaper when you shop.
Sources: Cricut Joy Xtra page
Order from a print shop (e.g. Sticker Mule)
No machine, no time spent cutting, and professional durability. At standard prices it costs about $1.20-1.44 per 3-inch sticker, but Sticker Mule's rotating deals have offered 50 stickers for $9-29.
- Zero equipment cost or setup
- Professional finish, ready in days
- Deals can beat home-made cost per sticker
- Standard pricing is several times home material cost
- Minimum quantities per design
- Less flexibility for one-off custom orders
Skip it if: You sell lots of different designs in tiny quantities, or do custom orders.
Sources: Sticker Mule review 2026 (pricing) · Sticker Mule deal example
What it really costs per item
Home-made materials are cheap; your time per sheet and the shipping on small orders are what eat the margin. Here's a 5-sticker pack sent by stamped envelope. Printer cost isn't included. Add yours if you're buying one.
Pack of five 3-inch vinyl stickers on Etsy (Cricut Explore 5)
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| Blank / material per item ($) | 0.5 |
| Consumables per item ($) | 0.33 |
| Machine minutes per item | 3 |
| Machine power draw (W) | 50 |
| Machine price ($) | 199 |
| Items over machine life | 4000 |
| Labour minutes per item | 5 |
| Your pay ($/hour) | 15 |
| Packaging/shipping you absorb ($) | 1.2 |
| Fixed fee per order ($) | 0.25 |
| Percentage fees (% of price) | 9.5 |
| Target margin (% of price) | 30 |
| Materials + consumables | $0.83 |
|---|---|
| Electricity | $0.00 |
| Machine wear (price / lifetime items) | $0.05 |
| Your labour | $1.25 |
| Shipping absorbed + fixed fees | $1.45 |
| Total cost per item | $3.58 |
| Price needed for a 30% margin after 9.5% fees | $5.92 |
- Printable waterproof vinyl about $0.55-0.64 per Letter sheet (Amazon listings, Oct 2026), 6 stickers a sheet → about 10¢ each. Ink and laminate assumed about 6.7¢ per sticker (our assumption).
- Machine wear: the $199 cutter over 4,000 packs. Printer not included.
- Shipping assumed $1.20 absorbed; check current postage.
- Fees modelled on Etsy US: 6.5% transaction + 3% payment processing (9.5% of price) + $0.25 per order (Etsy fees page, checked 2026-10-18). Offsite Ads (15%) not included.
Open this example in the calculator and change any number
FAQ
Do I need a special sticker printer?
No. A regular inkjet works with printable vinyl. Refillable-tank printers (like Epson EcoTank, rated at 5,200-6,500 ISO colour pages depending on model) keep ink costs low, but stickers use far more ink than an ISO test page.
Are inkjet stickers waterproof?
Printable vinyl resists water better than paper, but laminate it for durability. Pigment vs dye ink and the brand of vinyl make a big difference, so test before selling.
Sources
Cricut Help: Print Then Cut size · Epson EcoTank ink yields · Etsy fees & payments policy
Specs and prices from linked manufacturer and retailer pages, checked 2026-10-18. We have not used these machines ourselves. Prices and availability change; the retailer's price at checkout applies.