The sticker paper I'm currently using along with the test sheet
UPDATE: Since originally posting this and being torn between the QYH and Koala papers, I found that the Koala paper is actually better to use because kiss cut stickers seemed easier to peel from the backing. The sticky residue that the Koala paper picks up the cutting process can be solved if you have an adhesive mat that’s lost most of its stickiness after several uses. I reinforce the Koala paper on the cutting mat with scotch tape along the edges. While that may seem like more work, it actually helps keep the paper in place while cutting on a not-so-sticky mat.
Isn’t it a bummer to discover a great product you rely on is suddenly lower quality than when you bought it last time? While that seems to be a common theme with the ongoing rise of shrinkflation and all, I was disappointed to find out that my old trusted vinyl sticker paper I use suddenly changed quality. The print quality remained the same, but I found the paper to be a lot thinner and more difficult to peel kiss cut stickers. I had to go back to the drawing board and try some other sticker paper.
After testing some other sticker paper brands, I found my new favorite to be the QYH brand matte vinyl paper for the price and quality. The Koala brand I tested came to a close second. The Koala paper quality is also great, but there are printed logos on the back and the paper backing picks up a slight sticky residue from my Silhouette cutting mat. That sticky backing issue is probably just isolated to my case, but I did notice a few other people note that in their reviews. The Koala sticker paper is slightly easier to peel as a kiss cut than the QYH paper, so I’m a bit torn on which one is the best. The QYH paper is blank on both sides which is great, but just keep in mind that you need to be sure you’re printing on the correct side. This is pretty easy to do by feeling the texture. That all said, I still miss the original paper brand I used to rely on, but I’ll watch the reviews in case they switch back to better quality.
Figuring out the sweet spot on what cut setting to use for my stickers on the QYH paper was a fun ordeal. I found the default Silhouette setting for kiss cut sticker paper was too deep, making the sticker paper come up with the sticker. No good! So I tried a variety of blade and force settings until I found one where I was able to easily peel off a sticker without picking up some of the paper backing. I recommend taking a piece of plain sticker paper and imposing multiple shapes to cut with the various blade settings. That way you waste less ink and paper when you can run multiple tests on one blank page. When you think you found the right blade setting for your paper, impose a new shape with those settings and try it one more time! I almost made the mistake of not doing that and found out I mixed up my tests and thought I had the correct setting when I didn’t.
Lesson: if you find a sticker paper that works, just stockpile them in case they lower the quality in the future! If not, there are still other great sticker paper options out there.
For reference, here are my kiss cut settings for the Silhouette CAMEO 4:
QYH brand vinyl matte paper:
Blade: 2
Force: 4
Speed: 8
Koala brand vinyl matte paper:
Blade: 2
Force: 9
Speed: 8
I hope this helps, but let me know if you use any other settings or have a different sticker paper preference!