Is there are difference between decals, stickers and graphics?
Yes and no, but technically they all fall into the same category.
When it comes to decals (and lettering) there are lots of ways to describe them. Decals go by many names including lettering, stickers, labels or graphics. They all fall into the same category because all of them are adhesive in nature. And all can be used for a multitude of decoration, informational, advertorial, marketing, branding or personal projects. So roughly speaking, decal is a loosely used term that can describe a variety of products we carry and produce.
For a little simplification, here is a rough breakdown of the minute differences between the different ways to describe a decal.
- LABEL: Labels typically refer to adhesive stickers that are printed on paper. But that is not always the case, some labels need to be more durable for outdoor use, and will need to be printed on vinyl. Some popular label decal items are product & packaging labels, shipping & mailing labels and food labels. Labels are usually had a simple shape like a square, rectangle, oval or circle but can also be ordered into specific shapes as well.
- STICKER: Stickers can take the form of a decal or a label, depending on how they are used and the material they are printed onto. A sticker can be printed on paper or vinyl, just like a label, and serve a multitude of purposes as well. A sticker, much like a decal, is meant to stick to something and thus works as a great way to describe a decal. But as with labels, stickers tend to be more basic in shape, though they can also be cut to special shapes as well.
- DECAL: Decals come in all shapes, forms and sizes and are typically printed onto adhesive vinyl material for indoor and outdoor use. Typically, decals are printed and cut to a specific shape, though sometimes they are ordered with simple shapes as well. But a decal can also refer to cut vinyl decals (or lettering) that are cut out of solid colored vinyls. Decals can be large or small depending on your needs and serve many purposes from wall decals to window decals to vehicle decals and more. But again, any sticker or label, could very well be called a decal as well.
- GRAPHICS: Graphics can have a few meanings as well. Usually graphics refers to artwork. For instance, do you have any graphics to supply print your decals from? But in some cases, the word graphics means a combination of printed decals and vinyl lettering. So if you are in need of vehicle graphics, that will typically mean you want to cover your vehicle with a multitude of printed decals interspersed with lettering to achieve a fluid design. So in the end if you need any sort of "graphics" or a decal, label or sticker you will also be asked to supply "graphics" to print from. And if the case that you don't have any "graphics" to supply for "graphics" most sign companies have a design team to help you create custom "graphics" for your decal, label, sticker or graphics needs.
But any which way you look at it or say it, if you are ordering decals of any sort, your printing company or sign company will ask you specific questions to narrow down just what specific kind of "decal" will work best for your decal, label, sticker or graphics needs!