Stickers on rims
 

I have hand built wheels that I love, but they came without decals/stickers. I ordered the decals from the rim manufacturer. Any hints from experienced hands about getting the decals on straight and w/o wrinkles??

Spray soapy water on the area, then gently apply the decal. The water will allow you to move the decal into place. Once in place, work out bubbles then press more firmly and it will stick. Let dry for an hour or so before using the bike.

Rogerstd advice is excellent for decals.
If you get stickers, just peel and stick.
Forget the soapy water. It will just screw things up.

Make sure the surface is nice and clean before applying stickers. Or decals.

Am I wrong to habitually remove stickers from wheels?

I'm wrong there with you on this.

+2

We don't need no stinkin badges...I mean stickers.

Soapy water trick works with decals and stickers.

You should probably try it before insisting it won't work because you couldn't be more wrong. ;)

Soaps can degrade fastness of stickers.

Instructions for some Cad-Cut adhesive film I have include this tip:

I doubt the soapy water is a good idea... pretty sure you're sposed to ensure the surface is clean and dry.

My advice is to lightly press down on the centre of the sticker while holding the edges, that way you only have to worry about its position at first... then you can worry about the angle before applying pressure from the centre outwards.