How To Put a Sticker on Your Car: A Basic Step-by-Step Guide

Cardinal Football car window sticker

Let's face it, custom car stickers are just mobile microcosms of entertainment. If the Romans had had chariot stickers, then they likely would've just read, "non susceptus es" or in English, "Are you not entertained?!"

Quick Answer

Clean the surface, position with masking tape, peel the backing in halves, and squeegee the sticker on in a back-and-forth motion. Eight steps total, no special skills required.

  • Position first: Use masking tape to test placement before committing
  • Key tools: Squeegee, masking tape, warm soapy water
  • Pro tip: Avoid glass cleaner, it leaves residue
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Use Tape to Decide Where Your Sticker Should Go

For finding the perfect location, one hack is to use masking tape to temporarily place the sticker where you think it would be the best spot. Mark the area with several pieces of masking tape, outlining the edges of the sticker.

Masking tape, or painter tape, is nice because it is fairly inexpensive and rarely leaves any residue. It also peels easily and is super repositionable.

You've probably invested a lot of time in designing your custom car stickers. So, you should definitely put some thought into where on the car the sticker should be placed.

Additional Placement Advice

Custom car stickers and truck decals can go many other places besides the bumper or window. In fact, vinyl lettering sprawled on car doors works great for mobile business advertising. (Think Jimmy John's or plumbing and heating vans).

Tools for the Perfect Install

Before we start installing, please gather your tools: scissors, paper towels, masking tape, tape measure, warm soapy water or mild household cleaner, and a plastic application squeegee or credit card.

The 8 Easy Installation Steps

Step 1: Clean & Dry. Smooth, non-porous surfaces work best like glass and metal. Thoroughly clean the area and remember to avoid using glass cleaner because it may leave some residue. Make certain that the surface is dry.

Step 2: Tape. Use masking tape to temporarily adhere to the intended surface and as a "hinge".

Step 3: Measure & Level. Use a line of text as a place to measure from so it's level.

Step 4: Peel & Cut. Peel and cut off the bottom half of the backing.

Step 5: Apply the Sticker. Using an application squeegee, press and apply the sticker to the intended surface in a back-and-forth pattern.

Step 6: Remove the Tape. Gently remove the tape hinge.

Step 7: Peel. Peel and remove the upper half of the backing.

Step 8: Press & Apply. Using the squeegee, press and apply the custom sticker to the surface in the same back and forth motion as before.

You're All Done!

Roman chariot bumper sticker

Somewhat authentic Roman chariot Bumper Sticker.

Ars longa vita brevis!

Or in English, Art is Long, Life is short! So now that you know how to apply a sticker to your car, go apply many stickers. Decorate your own chariot and entertain all that sit in traffic.

Please share if this guide was helpful!

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