Almost everyone orders too small the first time. A name looks big on your phone screen and then disappears on a wall. This guide takes about three minutes to read and will save you the “oh…” moment when the parcel arrives.
The two-minute test that settles it
Before you order anything, do this. It costs nothing and it is the single best thing you can do.
- Take a roll of masking tape and mark out the width of the size you are considering on the actual wall.
- Stand where you normally stand in that room — the doorway, usually.
- Look at it.
Nine times out of ten people go one size up after doing this. If you have children, get them to stand next to it — it changes how the scale reads immediately.
What the sizes actually look like
Our sizes are given as the total width of the name. Here is what each one compares to in a real room:
| Size | About the same as | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 28–30 cm | The long edge of an A4 sheet | A toy box lid, a door, a shelf edge, a small alcove. Too small for a main wall. |
| 40 cm | The width of a bedside table | Above a cot, on a wardrobe door, a small nursery wall. A sensible minimum for anything you want noticed. |
| 56 cm | The width of a cot mattress | Our most popular size. Reads clearly from the doorway. The safe choice above a bed or cot. |
| 70–80 cm | The width of a doorway | A feature wall, above a single bed, a playroom. Makes the name the point of the room. |
| 100–150 cm | The length of a cot | Large walls, above a double bed, hallways, shared bedrooms with a long name. |
Long names need more width than short ones
This is the part people miss. The size is the width of the whole name, so the number of letters changes how tall each letter is.
- Ivy at 40 cm has big, bold letters.
- Alexandra at 40 cm has the same total width squeezed across nine letters — so each letter is much smaller and thinner.
A simple rule: up to five letters, pick the size that fits your wall. Six letters or more, go one size up from what you first thought. A short name can carry a smaller sticker; a long one cannot.
Where people usually put them, and what they choose
- Above a cot — 40 cm or 56 cm. Keep it above the height the child can reach.
- Above a single bed — 56 cm or 80 cm.
- Toy box or storage lid — 30 cm, measured against the lid, not the box.
- Bedroom door — 30 cm or 40 cm.
- Playroom feature wall — 80 cm and up.
- Nursery, whole wall — 100 cm and up, especially with a longer name.
Three things worth knowing before you order
Leave breathing room
A name that fills a wall edge to edge looks cramped. Aim for the sticker to be about two thirds of the width of the space it sits in. If the wall above the cot is 90 cm across, a 56 cm name sits comfortably; an 80 cm one will feel tight.
Check the wall, not just the size
Vinyl needs a smooth, clean, dry surface. It will not stick reliably to heavy textured wallpaper, freshly painted walls (wait three weeks), or anything dusty. Wipe the area and let it dry fully first.
Check the spelling twice
Every name is cut to order, exactly as it is typed — including a stray capital or an extra space. It is worth one more look before you check out.
If you are still between two sizes
Go bigger. In ten years of doing this we have never had anyone tell us their name sticker was too large. We hear the opposite most weeks.
Every sticker is cut by hand in the UK, in the colour you choose, and arrives rolled in a tube with an application squeegee and instructions written for someone who has never done it before. It peels off cleanly when the room changes — and with children, it will.
Still not sure? Reply to any of our emails with the name, the wall measurement and a photo, and we will tell you which size we would pick.