Apparel Decoration

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With so many different options out there for decorating your custom apparel or promotional products, how do you know when to use each method? Each decoration option comes with certain pros and cons as well as some limitations.

To make things easy, most of our products have a recommended or default decoration method and our dedicated team is always here to assist you if you have any questions. To make things even easier, the custom logo experts at iDesign have broken down the major decoration techniques below. Jump to the decoration type you want to learn more about using the links below and click into each section for more information on our custom capabilities for each decoration type.

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An easy way to think about this is as a photographic stencil process. A stencil is created and then is used to apply layers of ink directly onto a product. The result is the screen's image transferred to the print surface. The versatility of this decoration method allows it to be used on a wide variety of items. Screen printing, also known as silk screen printing, is the most cost-effective method for large quantity print runs (around 50+ items) and works especially well with items like t-shirts, sweatshirts, tank-tops, sweatpants and more. A complex design with many different colors requires different stencils for each color, so this decoration method is best for logos with 4 colors or less.
By far our most popular decoration style! The logo on your screen first needs to be "digitized"; mapped out for an embroidery machine based on the intricacies of a logo & its colors. From there, the appropriate thread colors are chosen, a sample stitch out is run, and once approved, your order is put on embroidery machines that read the final digitized file and embroider your logo to its exact specifications. Embroidered logos typically look best on polos, jackets, woven shirts, caps, and bags, but this is a truly versatile style of decoration. We've embroidered just about every style of apparel & accessory on our site!
If you have ever used an iron to press a decal onto a shirt then you know the basis of heat transfer, but our method is exceptionally more advanced. The digital heat seal decoration method utilizes regulated heat and pressure to thermally bond graphics onto a material’s surface. Heat transfer, also known as digital transfer, is a great decoration choice if you are looking for affordable design options from 1-color die-cut graphics, multi-colored layered graphics, or printed with unlimited colors. With decoration methods like embroidery and screen printing, you are using physical resources - thread and ink - to create a logo. This cost can be avoided with heat transfer, making it the most ideal decoration option for smaller orders.
Dye Sublimation is a process where you take an image that has been created digitally (either by scanning, downloaded from a digital camera or created on your computer). The image can then be printed with a printer using special sublimation transfer inks onto transfer paper. When heated to high temperatures, sublimation ink turns into a gas. Pores of the polymer coated item open up and allow the gas to enter. Then, once removed from the heat, the pores of the polymer substrate close up, trapping the ink inside. The entire image will be smooth to the touch. This is a transfer process in which the image becomes a part of the actual item. Sublimation needs special ink, paper and specific substrates with polymer coating to work.
You can think about digital printing, or direct to garment printing, as a similar process to printing a document from your computer. An image is created with no restraints to the number of colors or type of artwork used, and the image is printed or affixed directly onto the material. With embroidery & screen printing, you are dealing with physical resources (thread & ink) to create a logo; with digital printing, full color, high definition logos can be done economically, even in small quantities. We utilize digital printing strictly for hard goods like water bottles, notebooks, and electronics. Commonly used as a substitute for screen printing on smaller orders, digital printing also works well with logos that require a high amount of detail or are very graphics heavy. This is also a commonly used option for logos that contain a gradient, as the print can closely match the digital version seen on a computer screen.

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