Rainbow-making window stickers for the holidays
November 1, 2021 11:15 AM Subscribe
Where oh where can I order custom rainbow-inducing stickers?
This year, i would really like to create one of those window stickers that filter sunlight into rainbows in your room, as my holiday cards. I've googled for days and asked for dozens of price quotes, but i haven't found a supplier who could make those for me. I would need about 1000 pieces, ideally before mid-december. Help?
Every year for the holidays, I design a card to send to all my customers.
Whenever possible, i like the card to also be a more lasting “object” that can be kept beyond the holiday season. I have my heart set on a rainbow-making-sticker, that i would design to be holiday appropriate.
Etsy is full of those stickers, so someone somewhere, must be printing them for all those independent sellers. I've narrowed it down to " a print shop in California", but haven't got further than that. Do you know the secret source? Help me make thousands of rainbows for Christmas!
For the technical aspect: either a transparent sticker (with glue) or a static decal (repositionable) would be fine by me. The entire magic seems to rely on a transparent holographic laminate that's added on top of the sticker. Looks like there are different patterns available for the holographic layer, but i need one with “big chunks”, often called cracked ice as far as i can tell.
PS: To be clear, i'm not looking for an etsy-seller to buy a finished product from, i want to get my own design professionally printed and die-cut by a print shop. Normally a sticker like this without the holographic laminate would be about 0.20$ to make, I'd be willing to pay up to 2$ per sticker for the rainbow magic to be added. If the only answer is : you've got to laminate stickers yourself with the special holo layer, I'm willing to consider. But i've yet to locate a source for the correct laminate as well. I can find lots of options with very small holographic designs, but nothing with those "big chunks" of cracked ice.
Bonus points for a supplier in Europe, but willing to order from anywhere at this point.
Thanks for your tips!
Every year for the holidays, I design a card to send to all my customers.
Whenever possible, i like the card to also be a more lasting “object” that can be kept beyond the holiday season. I have my heart set on a rainbow-making-sticker, that i would design to be holiday appropriate.
Etsy is full of those stickers, so someone somewhere, must be printing them for all those independent sellers. I've narrowed it down to " a print shop in California", but haven't got further than that. Do you know the secret source? Help me make thousands of rainbows for Christmas!
For the technical aspect: either a transparent sticker (with glue) or a static decal (repositionable) would be fine by me. The entire magic seems to rely on a transparent holographic laminate that's added on top of the sticker. Looks like there are different patterns available for the holographic layer, but i need one with “big chunks”, often called cracked ice as far as i can tell.
PS: To be clear, i'm not looking for an etsy-seller to buy a finished product from, i want to get my own design professionally printed and die-cut by a print shop. Normally a sticker like this without the holographic laminate would be about 0.20$ to make, I'd be willing to pay up to 2$ per sticker for the rainbow magic to be added. If the only answer is : you've got to laminate stickers yourself with the special holo layer, I'm willing to consider. But i've yet to locate a source for the correct laminate as well. I can find lots of options with very small holographic designs, but nothing with those "big chunks" of cracked ice.
Bonus points for a supplier in Europe, but willing to order from anywhere at this point.
Thanks for your tips!
"Suncatcher" seems like it's also a useful term - e.g. Custom Printed Rainbow Maker Suncatcher - Holographic Window Sticker - 3"x3" (in the "product options" section they even specify that they have the "cracked id" pattern, and other sizes are available).
posted by mskyle at 11:35 AM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 11:35 AM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
something like this (ebay link - I purchased a similar thing years ago, but probably not from the same seller) is an option for backup.
It is a sheet of NON-ADHESIVE, clear plastic. It makes AMAZING rainbows.
We have tried: adhering it to windows with 2-sided tape (very good)
drawing on it with markers (depends on the marker, sharpies work well)
just hanging it (curls up, but could probably be pressed flat with a cool-ish iron)
I think that it would survive a trip through the laser printer, but have not tested it.
If you're willing to test that out, you could print out a bunch of images onto that sheet, cut them out, and maybe spray a clear lacquer/shellac on top to seal the toner.
Then they could be an "adhere to window with water" kind of thing.
Obviously not the answer you're looking for, but someone in the future might have a similar project in mind. I initially ordered them for physics teaching demos, but they are just so beautiful that I now have some up permanently in my home.
posted by Acari at 12:18 PM on November 1, 2021
It is a sheet of NON-ADHESIVE, clear plastic. It makes AMAZING rainbows.
We have tried: adhering it to windows with 2-sided tape (very good)
drawing on it with markers (depends on the marker, sharpies work well)
just hanging it (curls up, but could probably be pressed flat with a cool-ish iron)
I think that it would survive a trip through the laser printer, but have not tested it.
If you're willing to test that out, you could print out a bunch of images onto that sheet, cut them out, and maybe spray a clear lacquer/shellac on top to seal the toner.
Then they could be an "adhere to window with water" kind of thing.
Obviously not the answer you're looking for, but someone in the future might have a similar project in mind. I initially ordered them for physics teaching demos, but they are just so beautiful that I now have some up permanently in my home.
posted by Acari at 12:18 PM on November 1, 2021
Amazon sells window privacy film that you "stick on" to the glass with just some water: it's nearly no work to hang up.
The prismatic stuff looks awesome, if you can find a shop to die-cut it. (It's a little lightweight: it rolls, it's not rigid.)
https://www.google.com/search?q=amazon+window+privacy+film+prism
Maybe you could slip a holiday'shaped chunk of this into a plain paper card?
posted by wenestvedt at 1:49 PM on November 1, 2021
The prismatic stuff looks awesome, if you can find a shop to die-cut it. (It's a little lightweight: it rolls, it's not rigid.)
https://www.google.com/search?q=amazon+window+privacy+film+prism
Maybe you could slip a holiday'shaped chunk of this into a plain paper card?
posted by wenestvedt at 1:49 PM on November 1, 2021
2nd-ing the privacy film from Amazon. I purchased and used it and on a sunny day it definitely creates a rainbow effect in the room. It's static and very easy to apply:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XR7B85Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
posted by koolaidnovel at 8:58 AM on November 2, 2021
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XR7B85Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
posted by koolaidnovel at 8:58 AM on November 2, 2021
Best answer: I think the answer might be Rainbow Symphony, the leader in all window prismatics? They don't have pricing on their website, but here is where they have a form for custom inquiries. https://www.rainbowsymphony.com/pages/customize#rainbow-window-decals
I have a few of their products and they're all AMAZING.
posted by purple_bird at 8:58 AM on November 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
I have a few of their products and they're all AMAZING.
posted by purple_bird at 8:58 AM on November 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
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posted by theora55 at 11:33 AM on November 1, 2021