How to apply laptop stickers without bubbles

What you need

• A soft dry cloth (a microfibre or spectacle cloth is perfect)
• A little isopropyl alcohol or a screen wipe, for greasy lids
• A card with a straight edge: an old ID or debit card works

Step by step

1. 1Clean the spot. Wipe the lid with a slightly damp cloth or an alcohol wipe to remove fingerprints and grease, then let it dry completely. Stickers don't grip oil or dust.
2. 2Plan the layout first. Place the stickers, still on their backing, where you want them. Take a photo, or try layouts on a photo of your laptop with a sticker preview tool, before anything gets peeled.
3. 3Peel from one corner. Lift the sticker off its backing slowly from a corner, touching the sticky side as little as possible.
4. 4Hinge it down. Touch one edge onto the laptop, then lower the rest of the sticker gradually, like closing a book, instead of slapping it down flat.
5. 5Press from the centre out. Using your thumb or the edge of a card, smooth from the middle towards the edges. This pushes air out instead of trapping it.
6. 6Let it set. The adhesive bonds fully over about 24 hours. Avoid scratching at the edges or getting a bottle wet for the first few hours.

Got a bubble? Here's the fix

Small bubbles usually work themselves out within a day as the adhesive settles. For a stubborn one, push the air towards the nearest edge with a card. If it's stuck in the middle, prick it with a fine pin and press the air out through the hole. On vinyl the hole is invisible.

Sticking on curved surfaces (bottles and flasks)

Smaller stickers follow curves better, so 5 cm is the safest size for most bottles. Line the sticker up vertically along the bottle, press the centre line down first, then smooth outwards to each side. Wash the bottle by hand rather than soaking it so the edges stay down.