What is a decal?
A decal is a graphic made to be applied to a surface and stay there - on a car, a window, a wall, a boat or a piece of equipment. In everyday use 'decal' and 'sticker' overlap: a decal is usually larger, made for outdoor or long-term use, and applied once, while a sticker is smaller and handed out or stuck on everyday things. A static cling looks like a decal on glass but has no adhesive at all.
| Sticker | Decal | Static cling | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesive | Permanent adhesive on the back | Permanent adhesive on the back | None - holds by static |
| Usual size | 2 to 6 inches | From a few inches to several feet | A few inches to about 4 feet |
| Where it goes | Laptops, bottles, packaging, gear | Vehicles, windows, boats, storefronts, equipment | Smooth glass and mirrors |
| How long it stays | Until you remove it | Made to stay for years outdoors | Until you peel it off - reusable |
| Ours | Custom Stickers, Clear, Holographic, Kiss Cut | Large Decals, from one piece | Static Cling, from one piece |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Where the word comes from
Decal is short for decalcomania, a 19th-century process for transferring printed designs onto pottery and glass. The word stayed with anything printed to be transferred onto a surface - model kits, cars, windows - while 'sticker' became the everyday word for small adhesive pieces.
Today printers use both words for printed adhesive vinyl, which is why the same product can be called a car sticker on one site and a car decal on another. What matters when you order is the material, the size and the adhesive, not the name.
Printed decals and transfer lettering
There are two very different things sold as decals. A printed decal is one piece of vinyl with the design printed on it in full color and cut to its outline or a clean shape - this is what our Large Decals are, white vinyl with a laminate, from a single piece.
Transfer lettering, or cut-vinyl lettering, is made of separate letters cut from solid-color vinyl and applied with transfer tape, so only the letters remain on the glass. We do not make that kind; if you need individual letters with nothing around them, look for a sign shop that cuts vinyl lettering.
Which one to order
For something small that people handle or give away - packaging, laptops, bottles - order stickers. For a car door, a boat, a truck or a shop window where it should stay for years, order a decal. For a message on glass that will change - a sale, hours, a season - order a static cling, which comes off clean and can go back up.
Pages for this job
- Static cling vs adhesive vinyl — which one your surface needs
- Where to order one large decal — eleven printers compared
- Custom car decals — the size and finish for a car
Ready to order
Compare every material side by side
Questions people ask
- Is a decal the same as a sticker?
- Mostly the same material, used differently. Decals are usually bigger and made to stay on a car, window or wall; stickers are smaller and handed out or stuck on everyday things.
- What is a vinyl decal?
- A decal made of vinyl film - printed in color and cut to shape, or cut from solid-color vinyl as lettering. Ours are printed on white vinyl with a laminate.
- Are decals waterproof?
- Printed vinyl decals with a laminate, like ours, are waterproof and made for outdoor use.
- What is the difference between a decal and a cling?
- A decal has an adhesive and stays where you put it; a cling has no adhesive, holds on glass by static and peels off clean.
- Do you make cut-vinyl lettering?
- No. Our decals are printed on one piece of white vinyl. Separate cut letters applied with transfer tape are a different product.
- Can I order just one decal?
- Yes. Large Decals and static clings are sold from a single piece.