Personalise your world with stickers

Can't find the smartphone or laptop cover for you? Design your own look and print it straight away on a Canon portable printer without having to compromise on style or wait for delivery.

Customising your tech can be the perfect opportunity to express your individuality. Use your favourite colours, travel memories, group selfies or inspirational quotes. It also helps make your possessions easily identifiable and could be a conversation starter.

As well as personalising your gadgets, stickers are a fun and simple way to inject some personality into all kinds of things. They're not only decorative but can also serve practical purposes like labelling and organising.

Canon's range of compact printers makes it quick and easy to print straight from your smartphone, and the selection of sticky-backed papers means you can create stickers and personalised labels in seconds that can be applied directly to your possessions and everyday objects.

Printing your stickers with the Canon SELPHY QX20 is simple and quick. You can choose between two different sizes of sticky-backed photo paper, square or card-size, both with a writable border suitable for a label or your name, so you can customise your stickers to fit any need. Another printer from the SELPHY range – SELPHY CP1500, additionally to the square and card-size, also has mini stickers to choose from. The Canon Zoemini range has two types of sticker paper, one rectangular and a smaller circular option.

Once you have your design in mind, there are lots of ways to personalise it further. With Canon's photo and print apps, you can try different options on your phone before you print them out.

The Canon SELPHY QX20 and the SELPHY CP1500 are compatible with the free Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app, which enables you to experiment with layouts and finishes and then print wirelessly, directly from the app. You can add artistic touches such as stamps, filters, borders and text, as well as create collages, frames and customisable borders. You could also use the app's multi-photo layout templates to put several images on one sticker, and then cut them out to create smaller designs.

The Canon Zoemini range is compatible with the Canon Mini Print app, which enables you to get creative with filters, frames, stickers and doodles as well as collage and tiling tools.

The Canon Zoemini S2 is a camera as well as an instant printer. Its in-built selfie mirror and ring light should mean your photos already look perfect, but you can still play around with them in the Canon Mini Print app.

Next, you need to decide which paper or stickers to use and load them into your portable printer. The Canon Zoemini range uses Canon ZINK™ Photo Paper which provides borderless, sticky-backed prints that are water and tear resistant, and can be cut into any shape or size. Or why not try the pre-cut circle stickers? It's a fuss-free way to print mini stickers, so you can snap a selfie with your best friend and have the matching memory on your smartphone cover in seconds.

The Canon SELPHY QX20 uses two sizes of bordered sticker paper with a thick caption edge where you can add dates, names or inspirational quotations. For even more choice, the larger Canon SELPHY CP1500 printer can print in a range of sizes, including mini stickers and credit-card size stickers. The SELPHY CP1500 also connects via USB if you want to print from another device. Just load your paper and have your print in front of you in seconds.

Plus, the ZINK™ Photo Paper and the range of SELPHY sticker papers can be removed without a trace, so if you get bored of your designs, you can simply peel off and start again.

Now it's time to remove the backing from the print and apply it to your chosen object. It can help to clean the surface first to make sure it's smooth and free of residue. Carefully peel off the backing and apply in one slow movement. A ruler can come in handy here to help peel and stick in a straight line, progressing steadily over the sticker.

Once your gadgets are looking good, you're bound to notice other things that could use a little customisation. If you've given your smartphone a fresh look, what about designing your headphones to match? Here are some more creative ways to use custom stickers to personalise your world.

For gamers, personalisation is a big deal. So why stop at your phone, tablet and laptop? Whether it's your gaming console, your controller or even your gaming PC, custom stickers add a layer of uniqueness to your gear. Picture your controllers adorned with stickers featuring your favourite game characters or logos.

Printing stickers offers an ideal opportunity to get creative together. Print stickers of your family photos and use them to decorate the fridge or items such as bikes and toys, or even create custom family calendars. The Canon SELPHY CP1500 can print in a range of sizes to suit a wide variety of projects. The durable and vibrant stickers are perfect for kids to personalise their school supplies. (And creating them makes for a great family activity.)

Beyond decoration, stickers are incredibly useful for organising your home, crafts or work space. Create custom labels for your jars and bottles, or even your drawers at home. Instead of just a label, add an image of what's inside so you can instantly find what you want. For perishables, you can make a note of any Use-By dates right on the sticker. The sticker paper is easy to cut, so you can create smaller labels for all your needs.

Brighten up your everyday items with fun stickers that are as unique as you are. Going to a festival, planning a trip, or off to university? Make your water bottles, food containers and other gear easy to identify with a unique sticker. A simple solution for family outings too!

Whichever printer you choose, printing your own stickers opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to personalisation and creativity. From decorating your tech to organising your home, it's easy to create custom stickers that are both beautiful and very useful.

Written by Kat Halstead, Angela Nicholson and Sarah Kay Bland