Explore popular techniques for customizing apparel and products, like screen printing, pad printing, heat transfer, DTG, and more. Each method has unique strengths and ideal materials for the best results.
Screen Printing
With screen printing, an image is separated into a series of single-color designs. A mesh screen is placed over the fabric, and one color of ink is pulled down across the screen, allowing the ink to seep through onto the material in locations dictated by the design. Each color gets a new screen and the process is repeated. Screen printing can be a challenge for multicolor designs – it’s imperative that all the screens are lined up at the right spot, otherwise one layer will be in the wrong place and the whole image will be ruined.
- Colors: Best with few imprint colors and designs that don’t have tight registrations between colors
- Avoid complex designs: Complex, intricate designs will not print well on fabric
- Materials: Best for cotton or blends. NOT recommended for 100% polyester or rayon, lycra, spandex (stretchy materials)
- Hard goods with a smooth finish can be silk screened (usually just 1 color but if there is a reference lock, more than 1 color can be done (EX: mugs with a handle, tumblers with a nub on the bottom, pens with a clip). Important to note that not all factories have the same machinery and capabilities. Sometimes the item can be mutually exclusive from the desired decoration method.
Pad Print
Pad printing, also called tampography or tampo printing, is an indirect offset printing process where a silicon pad takes a 2-D image from a laser engraved (etched) printing plate (also called cliché) and transfers it to a 3-D object. A pad printer is NOT a documentation printer but it can be used for printing on paper products, for instance paper cubes or napkins.
- Materials: Plastics, metals, glass, ceramics, and wood (great for curved items)
- Shapes: Three-dimensional objects, including contoured, irregular, and raised or recessed areas
- Details: Fine text, barcodes, and serial numbers
- Colors: Single-color transfers or detailed CMYK prints
Heat Transfer (sometimes called DTF - Direct-to-Film)
Heat transfer printing is a method where a design is transferred onto a surface, like fabric or a hard material, using heat and pressure applied to a special transfer paper that has the design printed on it, essentially "melting" the ink onto the desired surface; this process allows for detailed, full-color images on a variety of materials
- Versatility: Can be used on various materials like fabric, mugs, phone cases, metal, and more.
- High-quality graphics: Allows for detailed and vibrant designs, including photos and gradients.
- Customization: Ideal for small print runs and personalized items
Direct-to-Garment (DTG)
DTG printing uses specialized ink via inkjet technology to print a design right onto the garment, with high resolution (about 1,440 dpi) and no halftone dot or image quality lost.
- How it works: A DTG printer's print head sprays translucent CMYK ink and opaque white ink onto the fabric. Heat is then applied to dry and adhere the ink to the fabric.
- What it can print on: DTG printing can be used on a variety of items,including t-shirts, hats, hoodies, shoes, tote bags, and throw pillow covers. 100% cotton is the preferred fabric because it absorbs water-based inks well
- What it's good for: DTG printing is a good option for small orders, intricate designs, and reproducing photos.
- What it's not so good for: DTG printing is slower than screen printing for large orders. Most decorators will not do DTG on blends.
Dye Sublimation
This decoration style is limited in use, as it can generally only be done on 100% polyester garments. It’s a type of printing that uses heat-sensitive inks – under high temperatures, the ink turns to gas and bonds with the fabric, becoming part of the physical structure of the garment. It is a durable, digital print method that won’t bleed, run, fade or crack over time. With dye sublimation, there is no time wasted on drying, as there is with screen printing. A dye-sublimation graphic print can capture photographic quality in clean, crisp, clear details with millions of colors, in a way that conventional screen printing cannot.
- Meant for 100% coverage of material - not for specific location imprints
Laser Engraving
Laser engraving is a process that vaporizes materials into fumes to engrave permanent, deep marks. The laser beam acts as a chisel, incising marks by removing layers from the surface of the material. The laser hits localized areas with massive levels of energy to generate the high heat required for vaporization.
- Modern and sophisticated look
- Permanent and precise
- Dishwasher friendly for drinkware
- Can be done on a large variety of surfaces/materials (wood, leather, metal, acrylic, glass, cork, some fabrics, etc)
- NOTE: Some finer details can get lost (ex: Registration marks)
- Great for premium gifts
Debossing
This type of decoration is popular in leather apparel. It works by pressing a cut dye into the surface of a material to create an imprint of the design. The process is similar to embossing, except with embossing, the image is raised on the fabric – with debossing, it’s depressed into the fabric.
Debossing can also be done in conjunction with other types of decoration. A garment can be screen printed, and then that image debossed. Or, the design could be foil-stamped onto the fabric, and then debossed. Overall, it’s not as complicated as embossing, and can create a completely unique and colorful effect.
Embroidery
Though now modernized with high-speed, multi-head computerized embroidery machines, this decoration style has its roots as far back as ancient Egypt, when it was all done by hand. Essentially, embroidery is decorative stitching (though typically without letters) used to create a raised, ornamental design on a garment with different types and colors of thread.
Laser Appliqué
With speed, flexibility and precision, laser cutting is able to create design-specific appliqués in a short period of time. All you’ll need is a digital design file, which will communicate to the laser cutter like it’s a printer. Then, a laser will do a controlled burn of the fabric, searing the edges where the material should be cut. As a bonus, if you’re cutting multiple appliqués at once, they can be organized to waste as little fabric as possible.
Fabric choice can be important here – twill is among the best because it won’t burn or discolor, but anything with cotton batting in it might catch fire from the heat. Otherwise, both natural and synthetic materials can be used, including leather.
Tackle Twill
A popular style for sports jerseys, tackle twill is a type of decoration where designs are cut from twill fabric and stuck to the surface of another fabric with adhesive as an appliqué. A zigzag stitch around the design edge keeps it in place. This is a good alternative for traditional embroidery because of the low stitch count.
Cut-Vinyl Decorating
For a printing-free option, try cut-vinyl decorating. The process takes a vector image and runs it through a vinyl cutter, which cuts the outline onto various options of vinyl material. Excess vinyl is removed, and the image is pressed onto the garment.
Artwork is an important consideration with cut-vinyl decorating. If the image is too detailed or the lines in the art are too thin, it won’t be a good candidate for this type of decoration. Luckily, the material itself can make up for any flair lost – this process works well with glitter, glow-in-the-dark or other spunky vinyl options.