Pawget Sound Process

Our Pawcess

A look at our cut styles, vinyls, laminates, white ink workflows, and eco-solvent production setup so customers know exactly what goes into every order.

Durable materialsWeather-resistant vinyls and laminates chosen for real-world use.
Specialty ink optionsWhite ink and specialty workflows for clear and holographic media and layered effects.

Want to know more?

Knowledge Base

A collection of terms and explanations related to the printing and design process.

Cut typesMost requested
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Die–cut Border

Cut following the contour of the artwork.

Die-cut stickers follow the outer shape of the design itself, which gives the finished piece a custom edge and a more premium hand-feel.

Great for logos and illustrated shapes
Popular for resale and giveaways
Gives that classic sticker feel

When to choose it

Choose die-cut when you want the silhouette of the sticker to become part of the design rather than sitting inside a generic shape like a square or circle.

Cut types
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Shape–cut Border

Cut following a defined shape like a circle or square.

Shape-cut stickers place your design ontop of an existing shape.

Ideal for labels or product stickers
Can show your design ontop of your brand color
Cut types
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Kiss–cut

Cut through the sticker layer while keeping the backing intact.

A kiss-cut lets us create stickers that are easier to peel and leave room for branding, handling, or a more structured presentation on the backing sheet.

It's called a kiss cut because the knife doing the cutting cuts through the sticker and glue and just barely kisses the backing.

Easy to peel and hand out
Extra backing around detailed shapes
Useful for insert sets and retail packaging

Why customers like it

Kiss cuts especially helpful for intricate shapes or smaller stickers where the extra backing improves usability.

Cut types
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Perf–cut

Cut through both the sticker and the backing.

Printable materials for professional printers are sold on large rolls and go into the machine direct from the roll. When we want to actually cut a sticker out as a final product, we can't fully cut it out or it will fall off the roll inside the machine and jam it up.

Cutting around the edge in a perforated line lets us poke the stickers out once the roll is out of the machine while leaving a clean edge.

Vinyl materials
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White premium vinyl

The everyday workhorse for bold, durable sticker printing.

White vinyl supports strong color, reliable opacity, and durable performance across common sticker use cases from packaging to outdoor gear.

Excellent color vibrancy
Strong base for matte or gloss finishes
Versatile for indoor and outdoor applications

Best use cases

This is often the best option for customers who want the broadest balance of durability, color, and value.

Vinyl materials
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Holographic Vinyl

Shiny material that surrounds and can show through your design.

Holographic vinyl is shiny and when combined with white ink can allow you to have full color designs on a shiny, reflective, surface. You can also lay down color ink without a white ink layer to get a transparent effect of the design.

Ooh! Shiny!
Sheen changes depending on what direction you look at the sticker
Works well for "special edition" stickers

Best use cases

This is a unique option for customers who want a unique holographic looks that changes with the direction they look at the sticker.

Vinyl materials
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Clear vinyl

Transparent material for a label-like or floating look.

Clear vinyl lets the application surface show through and becomes especially powerful when paired with white ink for opacity control.

Great for glass and smooth packaging
Useful for layered spot-white effects
Ideal when you want the surface to stay visible

Why white ink matters here

Without white ink, color on clear material can lose punch. White ink makes graphics stand out instead of fading into the surface behind them.

Laminates
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Glossy laminate

A polished finish that boosts contrast and color pop.

Gloss laminate enhances vibrancy while adding a protective layer that helps printed stickers resist wear, moisture, and surface abrasion.

High color pop
Smooth reflective finish
Strong protection against scratches

Why we laminate

Lamination is one of the most effective ways to extend the life of a printed sticker and preserve the look customers approved in proofing.

Laminates
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Matte laminate

A softer look with reduced glare and a smooth tactile feel.

Matte laminate tones down reflections and creates a refined finish while still protecting the printed layer underneath.

Low-glare surface
Premium understated look
Protects against handling and scuffs

When matte wins

It is a strong fit for artwork-heavy stickers, muted palettes, and any application where reflections would distract from the design.

Ink capabilitiesSpecial capability
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White ink

An extra channel that expands what the print can do.

White ink creates opacity, supports underprints, and unlocks graphics on clear or specialty materials that would be difficult to execute with standard CMYK-only workflows.

Opaque graphics on clear/non-white media
Layered effects and spot-white details
Better contrast on specialty substrates

Compared with standard inkjet

Traditional inkjet printing often assumes a white paper base. White ink gives us control over opacity instead of relying on the substrate to supply it.

Behind the scenes

Our Equipment

Quick facts about the equipment we use.

Printer and ink system

Why eco—solvent printing matters for sticker performance

Outdoor durability

Our eco-solvent printer, the Roland BN2-20, is designed for durable graphics on vinyl media. It gives us strong adhesion, better weather resistance, and production-ready color for stickers that need to live beyond a desk drawer.

  • Built for vinyl-based workflows
  • Better outdoor resilience than casual desktop printing
  • Consistent results across repeat runs

White ink capability

White ink adds opacity, contrast, and specialty effects

Clear-media ready

White ink lets us print beneath or alongside color layers, which means clear materials, layered graphics, and stronger readability on specialty surfaces all become possible.

  • Opaque underprints for clear vinyl
  • Improved visibility on specialty applications
  • More creative freedom than standard CMYK-only output

Finishing process

Lamination is about longevity, not just appearance

Protected surface

We laminate because the printed layer is where a lot of wear happens first. The extra film helps protect color, resist scratches, and keep the sticker looking clean after repeated handling and exposure.

  • Protects against abrasion and moisture
  • Helps preserve the approved print finish
  • Supports gloss and matte presentation goals

Our pricing algorithm

Our Pricing

We spent time shaping the logic behind our pricing so customers can mix sizes, quantities, finishes, and specialty options while receiving the best price we can offer.

The goal is simple: flexible ordering, fair math, and consistent outputs.

Pricing engine

We model the cost the way it will actually be produced

Instead of forcing every order into a rigid pricing table, our algorithm compares the real production variables behind the job. It is built to handle small runs, custom dimensions, specialty finishes, and high-volume orders while still keeping the quote understandable.

That lets us offer flexibility to customers without losing consistency from one quote to the next.

Custom dimensionsVolume breaksMaterial + finishWhite ink + specialty optionsProduction efficiencyConsistent pricing rules

What the system weighs

Custom size Quantity breaks Material + finish White ink + specialty options Cut path + handling

What customers feel

Flexible

Quotes adapt to the way customers actually order

Custom dimensions, runs of any size, specialty finishes, and specialty designs can all move through the same pricing logic without feeling boxed in.

Consistent

The same rules apply whether a customer orders once or comes back later

Because the algorithm is structured around repeatable production inputs, pricing stays more stable and understandable.

Fair

Price changes are tied to real production complexity

The quote changes when the work changes, which helps us stay transparent while still accounting for the realities of production.

How the math behaves

A simplified view of the production logic behind every quote

We do not publish every constant inside the pricing engine, but the shape of the logic is straightforward: estimate the physical run, account for production effort, then apply specialty adjustments in a consistent way.

01

Start with the order geometry

Width, height, and sticker count tell the system how many pieces can fit across the printable roll and how much printed length the job will consume.

02

Translate layout into material usage

The engine estimates vinyl and laminate from the total run length, including the production allowance needed at the start and end of each job.

03

Layer in production time

Proofing, setup, and row-by-row handling are added so labor grows with the real complexity of the order instead of being treated like a flat guess.

04

Apply finish and specialty adjustments

Once the base production cost is known, consistent add-on rules are applied for specialty options like brim cuts or QR pull tabs so upgrades stay predictable.

The result is pricing that feels flexible when you customize, stable when you reorder, and fair when your project gets more complex.

From order queue to outbound shipment

Our Process

Bringing art to life in the form of stickers with commercial printers can be a complex endeavor that we make simple for you!

Order received

Intake

Step 1

Order received

Artwork, quantity, material selections, and any specialty production notes are reviewed so the job starts on the right path.

This is where requests like white ink, clear vinyl, and laminate are confirmed.

Layout

Prepress

Step 2

Layout

We set the file up for the selected material, spacing, bleed, and cut path so the print and cut stages stay aligned.

Here we use a custom built Illustrator extension developed in-house that helps us streamline the process.

Good layout decisions reduce waste and keep production predictable.

Proof

Approval

Step 3

Proof

The proof confirms how the artwork, shape, finish, and any specialty layers should look before production begins.

We send this to the customer and wait for approval before moving forward.

It is the best place to catch issues before material is committed.

RIP (Raster Image Processing)

Production prep

Step 4

RIP

Unlike traditional printers at home, commercial printers need their print jobs sent in specific pre-calculated instructions, the process of building these instructions is called Raster Image Processing or RIP.

The approved artwork is processed into print-ready data so the printer can correctly interpret color, passes, and specialty channels.

This step matters even more when white ink or layered effects are involved.

Print

Print

Step 5

Print

The job is printed on the chosen vinyl using the production settings matched to the material and end use.

This stage controls color density, opacity, and overall print consistency.

Off-gassing

Cure

Step 6

Off—gas & dry

Eco-solvent prints need time to off-gas before finishing so the laminate bonds correctly and the surface stabilizes.

Prints are given 24 hours to properly off-gas.

Rushing this step can reduce laminate performance over time.

Laminate

Finish

Step 7

Laminate

Gloss or matte laminate is applied to protect the print surface and define the final look and feel of the sticker.

Laminating improves scratch resistance, moisture resistance, and handling durability.

Cut

Cut path

Step 8

Cut

The finished print is cut to the approved sticker shape, whether the order calls for die-cut, kiss-cut, or another format.

Precision here is what makes the final piece feel polished.

Package

Fulfillment

Step 9

Package

Stickers are counted, quality checked, organized, and packed so they arrive cleanly and in the right quantities.

Packaging is also a final quality-control pass before the order leaves.

Ship

Dispatch

Step 10

Ship

Once production and packing are complete, the order is labeled and handed off for shipment.

At that point the production workflow is complete and delivery begins.