What is an NFC Sticker?
Near Field Communication (NFC) stickers are flexible adhesive NFC tags containing an NFC chip and an antenna. NFC stickers consist of an NFC inlay positioned between a printable surface (paper or plastic) and adhesive backing. NFC stickers may incorporate a ferrite layer that enables functionality on metal, electronic, or magnetic surfaces. While NFC stickers offer water resistance, they do not provide the complete waterproofing found in NFC tokens. NFC stickers maintain a thin, flexible profile compared to rigid NFC tokens.
NFC stickers serve as proxies for various digital actions including authentication, contactless payment, social media shortcuts, website links, digital menus, inventory tracking, and storage of medical information.
How to Choose an NFC Sticker
- Size: Select larger NFC stickers for better read performance (they contain larger antennas), as small stickers have limited read range. Be aware that there is a limit to antenna size - ordering stickers larger than 76.2 mm ø or 80 x 50 mm rectangle will not increase antenna size.
- Sticker Type: Choose from blank NFC stickers (white printable surface), custom NFC stickers (pre-customized), NFC inlay (internal components), on-metal NFC stickers (with ferrite layer), or FPC NFC tags (smallest form for embedding).
- Availability: GoToTags maintains large inventory volumes of popular shapes and sizes of blank NFC stickers, on-metal NFC stickers, NFC inlays and FPC NFC Tags for immediate dispatch. Other shapes and sizes not listed in the store can be special ordered. New sticker molds can be created for a nominal fee. Creating new NFC inlay antenna designs or FPC NFC tag sizes is not feasible for most projects due to high costs and minimum order requirements.
- NFC Chip Type: Select the appropriate NFC chip based on requirements: NTAG213 for most projects, NTAG215 for Amiibo, NTAG216 for large data storage, ICODE SLIX for extended range, and NTAG 424 DNA for authentication.
Customizing an NFC Sticker
- Quick Printing: Black thermal transfer printing provides black text, digits, or barcodes on NFC inlays and blank NFC stickers. Color inkjet printing is available for blank NFC stickers. No finish or overlay is applied after printing with either method.
- Premium Customization: Custom NFC stickers offer CMYK digital or offset printing with various finishes including bubble covers, foil effects, metallic effects, and holograms. Material color, adhesive, and ferrite layer thickness can be customized.
- Encoding: NFC tags can be pre-encoded by GoToTags during purchase or self-encoded later using the GoToTags Desktop App.
Recommendations
- Use markers on blank NFC stickers as an alternative to printing.
- Incorporate clear user instructions in art designs with visual cues so users know how to interact with the NFC sticker.
- Consider environmental factors such as exposure to moisture, humidity, heat and UV when selecting an NFC sticker type for exposed applications.
- Use an NFC inlay or plastic NFC sticker instead of a paper-faced NFC sticker for better durability and longevity if printing is not required.
- Test read range with actual devices before large deployments.
