Every decal we make is two layers. The material underneath, which sets what the design looks like, and the laminate over the top, which protects it and sets the finish.

People agonise over the laminate choice far more than they need to, usually because they assume one option protects better than the other. So let us kill that assumption first.

Both laminates protect exactly the same amount. Matte and gloss are both scratch resistant, both waterproof, and both UV resistant. Neither will fade, peel or fail sooner than the other. The choice is purely about the look you want.

Clear gloss, the standard

A smooth, high-shine clear coat sealed over the printed decal. It costs nothing extra and it is what most people end up choosing.

Gloss does something useful beyond protection: it deepens colour. The same artwork under a gloss laminate looks richer and more saturated than it does bare, because the clear layer adds visual depth. It gives that wet, just-finished look.

Choose gloss if: you want colours to punch, you like a shiny sticker, or you are running chrome or holographic underneath. On those two materials gloss is not just preferable, it is close to mandatory.

Matte glitter, the flat one

A textured, rough, non-reflective top coat. It adds two dollars.

Matte kills glare completely. In bright sun a gloss decal throws a hard highlight across itself, and depending on the angle you can lose the design entirely to reflection. Matte never does that. It reads the same from every angle, which gives it a more subtle, more premium look, especially on a dark bike.

The trade is that colours sit slightly flatter. Not dull, just less saturated than the same design under gloss.

Choose matte if: you want a stealth look, your bike is blacked out, or you are tired of glare washing out your plate in photos.

One thing to be clear about: our matte is textured, and it is the only matte we offer. If you are picturing a smooth, silky, untextured matte, that is not what this is. Ask us before ordering rather than being surprised.

Gloss glitter, the powersports one

Also called Apollo Silver, from the Galactic Series. This is a metal-flake top coat loaded with fine silver flake that sparkles and shifts as light moves across it. It adds two dollars.

It was made specifically for powersports, which matters more than it sounds. It carries UV extenders rated for up to three years outdoors, on top of the same scratch and water protection as the clear laminates. If your bike lives outside, or gets ridden hard in full sun, this is the laminate built for that life.

It works over all three materials, so unlike matte you can run it over chrome or holographic without killing the effect underneath.

Choose gloss glitter if: you want maximum sparkle, or your bike genuinely lives outdoors and you want the longest UV life we offer.

The one combination to avoid

Do not put matte over chrome or holographic.

Chrome and holographic work by reflecting light. The matte laminate is textured specifically so it does not reflect light. Put one over the other and you have paid two dollars for a chrome base and two dollars for a laminate that cancels it out.

If you want chrome or holographic, go clear gloss, or gloss glitter if you want sparkle on top. Read more about how chrome and holographic actually print if you have not picked a material yet.

A note on naming

Our Vinyls and Laminates page calls the standard laminate "Gloss Laminate". The checkout calls the same thing "Clear Gloss". They are identical products, we just have not been consistent about it. If you are ever unsure which you have selected, the price is the giveaway: the standard laminate is the one that adds nothing.

Short version

  • Want colours to pop, or running chrome or holographic? Clear gloss. Free.
  • Want no glare and a stealth look on a dark bike? Matte glitter. Two dollars.
  • Want sparkle, or the bike lives outside? Gloss glitter. Two dollars.

Whichever way you go, the decal will survive the weather. Pick the one you like looking at.