Iron on name tags vs name stickers - which labels should I choose?

Two children looking at iron on name tags and name stickers from My Nametags

Identifying your children’s possessions is crucial if you’re determined to prevent them from getting lost or mistakenly swapped. But what’s the best option when it comes to personalised labels? When it comes to the debate on iron-on vs sticker name labels, we’ve got the answers you’re looking for.

The iron-on vs stick-on debate is one that many parents struggle with. How do you know which is the best option for your child? Well, it all depends on what you’re labelling and whether or not you plan to pass on the labelled items in the future.

To help you decide, we have taken the time to explain the benefits of both options below. We’ve also answered a few of your most frequently asked questions.

Iron on labels

Mother and son ironing name labels onto school uniform

You can settle the iron-on vs sticker name tags debate by thinking about what it is you’re labelling. In short, labelling fabrics — such as PE kits and school jumpers — should always be done with iron-on labels.

These highly durable iron on name labels are applied to a range of fabrics with the use of heat. In effect, iron-on labels are 'melted' onto fabric to ensure they remain in place during the hottest of wash cycles.

Advantages of iron on labels

There are several advantages to using iron-on vs sticker name tags. For example, they’re highly durable and versatile. Iron-on tags from My Nametags are designed to be washed multiple times, so they should stay in place for the entire life of the garments they identify. And they’re exceptionally easy to apply — a hot iron or hair straightener is all you’ll need.

Most customers in a care home prefer iron on labels for their clothing, as labels for a care home has to withstand very high washing temperatures.

Disadvantages of an iron on label

The main disadvantage of iron-on labels is the fact that they’re permanent, which might cause issues if you plan to give the garment to charity or a younger sibling. In addition, iron-on options are only suitable for use on fabrics.

All iron-on name labels require the application of heat to ensure they ‘melt’ into the fabric and remain there. Most people use a standard domestic iron, but you can also use hair straighteners.

Just remember that iron-on labels “melt” into the fabric of a garment. This design makes them a very reliable solution — but also a permanent one!

A high-quality iron on name label should remain in place and fully legible for as long as the garment is in use. An iron-on label made with premium materials should last forever.

Iron-on name labels are permanent solutions, which means you’ll never be able to remove them without causing damage. If you plan on giving the garment to someone else in the future, choose a stick-on label.

Iron-on name labels are perfect for labelling school clothes such as jumpers, shirts, socks, shorts, blazers, trousers and ties. They’re the practical and fun solution to accidentally swapping garments at school or nursery.

By applying heat to the iron on label, you can ‘melt’ a My Nametags iron-on name label into just about any garment.

Personalised iron on labels can be very high quality these days, My Nametags guarantees that our iron on name labels will stay on in the washing machine for 10 years.

Yes, quality iron on name tags stay on in the washing machine and tumble dryer for longer than the life of the garment. There is no need to use sew in labels any longer.

Stick in labels are very quick and stay on in the wash. They should be put on care labels on clothing, so for socks and similar items without a care label, you may want to use iron-on labels instead.

If you are labelling care home clothing, that is often washed at very high temperatures, you might also be better with personalised iron on care home tags.

You can iron the name labels on a care label or directly onto the fabric. When ironed correctly, the label will stay on in the wash.

Name stickers

Girl holding sets of sticker name labels from My Nametags

Name stickers are another quick and easy way to identify your child’s possessions at school or nusery. Fully customisable and exceptionally easy to apply, they’re the obvious choice in the iron-on vs sticker name labels debate if you need a water-resistant way to label equipment.

This non-permanent solution is perfect for stationery, lunch boxes and books. And when you need a non-permanent wavy to label your child’s clothes, name stickers from My Nametags represent the ideal compromise between durability and the option to re-label garments in the future.

Name stickers from My Nametags come ready to use. Unlike iron-ons, you don’t need equipment to apply them. They’re also made with a highly durable plastic compound, so you won’t have to worry about them peeling off when you’re washing water bottles and packed lunch boxes. And we’ve designed our name stickers to withstand washing machines and dryers with ease.

Note: If you’re applying a name sticker to a garment, place it on the care label rather than the fabric.

Sticker shoe labels

Sticker name labels are the best to use in shoes. Just stick the label onto the sole of the shoe by the heel. As our original shoe labels are printed in high quality, there is no need for a clear shoe cover.

If you’re labelling equipment such as water bottles, peel the sticker from the sheet and place it in the most appropriate place. If you’re labelling clothes, apply the sticker to the care label.

When you need to label equipment in a hurry, the fully customisable, durable and water-resistant name stickers from My Nametags won’t let you down.

Sticker labels should last for as long as the item they’re when they’re used on equipment such as water bottles and lunch boxes. They may be less effective when used on clothing.

For the best, longest-lasting results on school uniforms, choose an iron-on label. Just remember that this will be permanent. A name sticker placed on the care tag is reversible, however, and it should still remain in place for a long time.

No, stick-on labels are not permanent. However, they’re made with premium plastic, which means they’re able to withstand countless washing and drying cycles without peeling away.

The big advantage of using name stickers on clothes is that they can be removed relatively easily. This is very important if you plan to give a garment to another child in the future. My Nametags stickers are fully reusable. Simply peel them off and apply them to other items when the need arises.

You can use high-quality name stickers on both equipment and clothing. They are reusable on both, but you’ll need to apply them to care labels on garments — and not the fabric.

In terms of versatility, name stickers definitely win the iron-on vs sticker name tags debate. The same stickers you use to label your water bottles will be able to withstand countless washing and drying cycles school clothes require, but only if you apply them to care labels.

My Nametags does not have a nursery pack, sew on pack or shoe labels pack. Most of our customers just buy our name stickers, as they work with most things you want to label and they are the perfect labels for school uniform. Some customers also purchase iron on name labels for socks, but for everything else, you can use the sticky name labels. There is no need for a pack.

Read a review

One good way to decide for yourself what type of labels to use is to read the reviews of existing users. You can easily read My Nametags customer reviews if you select independent reviews in the navigation bar. All our labels are great quality, they will not fade or fray, and all our name tags can be fully personalised. Also, all our labels or tags are waterproof. The iron-on name labels require a very hot iron to apply, and once they have been applied correctly, we guarantee that they will not fall off in 10 years.

How to order iron on name tags or name stickers



If you want to read more about our name stickers, click the link.

If you want to read more about our iron on name labels, click the link.



Learn about name stickers Learn about iron on name labels
  • Use them on shoes

    Label all your kids’ shoes so they’re always clearly identified when they are at school or out and about.

  • Ideal for clothing

    Our Colour name stickers are waterproof and have a 10 year washing guarantee, so there is no need to worry about them falling off after washing your clothes.

  • Perfect sizes

    We offer a range of labels in different sizes making them ideal for small items like pencils and large items like bags.

  • Child-friendly

    We use fonts and colours that make our personalised labels simple to read for children of all ages.