Welcome behind the scenes of Tlapková manufaktura!

I wanted to start this article with the words, "You may have already noticed our vinyl stickers on cars, laptops, or kitchen spice jars." That would be lovely! But the truth is, I am just starting out and I could count my sales on the fingers of one hand. However, I would say that the fewer orders I have, the more personal each one is for me, and the more motivated I am to bring joy to those of you who have placed your trust in me.

I’m Lukáš, and together with my four-legged "managers and quality control officers" Archie and Casper, we make vinyl stickers for you at Tlapková manufaktura. Each sticker passes through human hands (and occasionally the curious eyes and paws of my cats 😺), because I believe that handmade production brings not only the final result but also a unique story connected to your specific piece.

Whether you choose a cute Highland cow, an elegant Siberian cat, or perhaps a sticker for kitchen spice jars, every piece is made with the same care and love. And for those of you interested in how we do it all, I have decided to show you the entire production process.

How do we choose the designs?

Most of our designs come from talented artists who offer their work on Etsy. Each of them brings something unique and distinctive to our collection. Let's start with the one who is somewhat responsible for all of this.

Jehadah from AddToCrafts

When I was looking for a sticker to represent my cats that I could put on my car, I stumbled upon her series of illustrations of almost every cat breed in existence. Her portrayal of the Siberian cat and the Ragdoll captivated me so much that I bought a cutting plotter and made the stickers myself.

Jehadah sells on Etsy as AddToCrafts and offers amazing designs for various occasions - from cute animal motifs to interior decorations, and even signs and logos. Her precise work and eye for detail immediately caught my attention. It is from Jehadah that most of our cat motifs come.

John from EasliDoneDesigns

Our second favorite author is John, whom you can find on Etsy under the brand EasliDoneDesigns. His cute Highland cow was love at first sight and the first design for which I started considering an iron-on variant. John's unique style brings a breath of fresh air and new possibilities to our collection. You can look forward to pictures featuring a crocodile or a frog.

Our own creations

In addition to collaborating with talented artists, we occasionally start designing on our own. For example, the collection of stickers with children's motifs was created right here at Tlapková manufaktura. Each design is created with love and care to bring joy to both us and our customers.

Whether it is a design from our favorite artists or our own work, every sticker must go through a careful editing process to be suitable for vinyl processing. In the next chapter, I will show you how we prepare such a design for production...

From artwork to vinyl sticker

Our stickers are a bit different. When you compare them to regular stickers, you will notice two things - they are full of detail and appear much more luxurious at first glance. This is because each one is actually a small work of art that, thanks to vinyl cutting technology, optically merges perfectly with the surface you apply it to.

The secret of a luxurious look

Common stickers are printed on a white background. If a sticker wants to be more interesting, it is printed on transparent plastic. In both cases, it is then die-cut from the backing as one piece along its perimeter. This ensures cheap, fast production and simple application.

Our vinyl stickers are different - they are cut exactly along the contours of the design. Thanks to this, they create no visible transition on the backing and elegantly merge with it. A simple rule applies - the more luxurious the surface you apply our sticker to (whether it's your laptop, car, or perhaps a designer spice jar), the more exclusive it will look. We dare say that for industrially manufactured stickers, the exact opposite is true. The more luxurious the surface you choose, the more out of place the sticker will look.

The journey from the original to the final form

Preparing a design for vinyl cutting is a bit like alchemy. Each motif must be carefully edited so that it is technically feasible without losing any of its original beauty. It is like balancing on a fine line between maintaining artistic intent and technical limitations.

This is our original custom-made image by Jehadah:

Some details in the original design are too small for vinyl cutting - these can be small dots, thin dashes, or fine lines. We must either carefully enlarge these elements or remove them from the design. During every such edit, we take care to ensure the resulting sticker retains the expression and aesthetics of the original work. It is work that requires an eye for detail and respect for the original artistic intent.

An example of details that need to be adjusted:

In the next chapter, I will show you how we turn a design prepared in this way into a finished sticker...

Cutting, prepping, and checking

The actual production of a vinyl sticker happens in three phases. Each is important for the resulting quality and durability of the sticker.

preparing the foil for cutting

Cutting on the plotter

The first phase of production begins in the cutting plotter. Following the prepared design, it cuts all the lines of the future sticker into the vinyl foil. It is like a computer-controlled scalpel that follows every curve of the design with millimeter precision.

cutting demonstration

Manual processing and feasibility check

Next comes purely manual work, which is the most time-consuming part of production.

freshly cut sticker

From the cut foil, we remove all parts that are meant to be transparent in the finished sticker. It is precisely during this phase that details often appear that are too small to be practically applied. In such a case, we must go back to the digital master, edit the problematic parts, and repeat the entire production process. It is like gradual fine-tuning - every production run can show us areas that need adjustment so that the sticker is not only beautiful but also practical.

removing transparent parts

Quality control

The last, but no less important phase, is quality control. Here, we focus primarily on ensuring we haven't scratched, torn, or otherwise deformed the sticker while working with the tweezers. In this step, we also check all line endings and sharp transitions.

It can happen that some curves are easy to produce, but their ends taper very slowly, creating needles. Imagine cat whiskers, for example, or individual hairs. These details can stretch, break, or become damaged when removing transparent parts. Likewise, they carry a risk of premature peeling. If we find a sharp, long tip or a sharp corner, the sticker does not pass quality control and the whole process begins again.

checking the sticker

Final step - transfer tape

When the sticker successfully passes quality control, it awaits the final production step - covering it with transfer tape. This protects the sticker during handling and also helps you with its application to your chosen surface later on.

applying transfer tape

Only when a sticker goes through all these phases is it ready for the journey to you...

Completing the shipment and the journey to you

Each shipment contains several parts:

• Order - here we see what we are producing for you and in what quantity
• Ordered products
• Invoice
• Protective cardboard
• Bubble mailer
• Label with our address
• Label with your address
• Label with our logo
• Shipping label
• Personal letter
• Small gift

These eleven items help us ensure quality service. By comparing the order with the produced stickers, we verify that we have made everything you requested. Comparison with the invoice serves as a second check that we have everything ready for you.

To prevent the stickers from getting crumpled during transport, we pack them between two pieces of cardboard, which we obtain from the boxes our two furry managers' treats come in. Because we want the stickers to feel like they are in a featherbed, we send them in a nice bubble mailer for even better protection during transport.

completing the shipment

Inside the envelope, along with the stickers, we include the invoice (also available in electronic form), a personal letter in which we try to highlight the most important aspects of your stickers and tips for successful application, and a small gift.

We attach the shipping label of the selected carrier to the envelope and, just in case, we put contact information for both you and us on the back of the envelope in case the shipment goes astray or the shipping label gets damaged.

After we hand your shipment over to the chosen carrier, you will receive a tracking number and can look forward to your package.