Last updated on May 23rd, 2022 at 07:02 pm
Embroidery, screen printing, heat transfers, sublimation, direct-to-garment, these are all popular decoration methods for apparel and garment. How do you choose which one is right for your project?
What will you be doing with the garment? Is it a giveaway item at a tradeshow or festival? The participant will love a cotton/polyester tee with screenprinting graphics. It is for a competitor tee in a 5K run? In that case dye sublimation or silkscreening on a moisture-wicking performance tee will be more appropriate. Is it for the staff to wear at a conference or tradeshow? Embroidery on polo will give them a professional look.
Do you have a design with lots of colors, gradients or effects? Screenprinting may not be the best option. You may also encounter many screen fees for each color to be used. Direct-to-garment and dye sublimation work well with artwork with lots of details without a high set up cost. For embroidery each logo will need to be digitized and the fees are usually charged per 1,000 stitches. For hats with foam front there is also an option to print by heat transfer, which allow you to have more details in the art. If the artwork has not been finalized, keeping these setup costs in mind will help you within budget.
For an order that is less than 24 shirts it may be best to print by direct-to-garment or dye sublimation because of its low setup fees. For on-going programs that may have a few orders everyday, these methods are also recommended. With screenprinting there are too much setup to make it worth it.
Work with your promotional products company in advance so they can give you a good idea of costs and recommendation to what artwork works best, they can also give you ideas on new trends on garments that are perfect for your needs.
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