Promotional Products

Buyers Guide 2021: Custom Apparel

There are several options available for decorating custom apparel as well as promotional products. Which one is right for you? The answer lies in understanding the pros and cons of each option and what you are trying to accomplish with your design.

Here is a look at these options, highlighting what each custom apparel decorating method is all about and what you can expect from each method.

1. Embroidery (EMB)

A truly versatile decoration method and indeed, one of the most popular among the lot. The process starts with digitizing the image or logo you choose and properly mapping it out for the embroidery machine based on the color and intricacies of your image or logo. 

Efficient mapping effectively avoids a situation where your logo or image gets padded with extra stitches, which can really take away from the aesthetics. Similarly, efficient mapping helps avoid inadequate stitch coverage, which, while it may save machine run time, it will also take away from how your logo looks.

After digitizing comes selection of the appropriate thread colors. A sample stitch out with the selected colors is run, which you can approve or send back for adjustments. If the sample is to your satisfaction, your order is put on the machines which read the final digitized file and do the embroidering to the exact specifications of the file.

As a decoration method, one of the advantages of embroidery is that there is a distinct added texture to the design. It’s also suitable for bags, hats, and similar items as the items don’t need to be laid or spread out flat as with printing. It also beats other decoration methods as far as resistance to damage from washing.

2. Sequin Embroidery (SQ)

Sequins are an embellishment used for decorating fabrics for fashion and ornamental purposes. These embellishments are flat glittering disk-like beads available in a wide range of shapes and colors. Initially, sequin embroidery was done with metallic beads shaped like discs. Today, plastic is the most popularly used, although the plastic itself may be covered in metallic paper.

There are different approaches to this embroidery. The embellishments may be scattered more subtly throughout the fabric, or they may be concentrated in a particular area to accentuate that specific part of the fabric. Again, instead of attaching the sequins to the fabric, you can choose to have the embellishments hang from the fabric.

 

3. Laser Applique (LA)

It’s easier to understand the process of laser applique when you think of it as more of patchwork on an advanced level. This technique is also commonly known as digital applique.

The first step is, of course, digitizing your design or logo and loading this file into the embroidery machine. To begin, a bottom layer fabric is embroidered to your apparel to serve as a background for the logo or custom design. An embroidery frame or hoop will position the fabric for this background layer. The initial layer is embroidered to the surface of your clothing item, and any excess fabric that falls outside the stitched outline is cut away with a laser. 

Next is stitching the inner layer directly on top of the initial background layer for that unique textured 3-D look that is characteristic of laser applique. Again, any fabric outside the embroidered area is cut off. The last step is adding some final stitches to ensure that the top inset layer is firmly secured to the garment.

Laser applique allows for significant stitch savings, which translates to overall cost-saving, especially for larger designs. The layered embroidery makes great design and really stands out on any fabric.

4. Reverse Applique

As the name suggests, this decoration method is essentially applique done in reverse. In laser applique, the applique patches or pieces of fabric are kept on the face of the fabric. With reverse applique, the patches are stitched in place at the back of the fabric. The top fabric is then cut out to reveal these patches placed underneath.

Compared to regular applique, reverse applique has a more textured and chunkier feel. You can always combine the two or do a combination of reverse applique and embroidery for a great multimedia design.

 

5. Laser Etch (LE)

This decoration technique involves using laser technology to burn or etch a logo or custom design onto the fabric of an apparel. The final result will largely depend on the fabric used. With polyester, for example, the result is a darker tonal mark on the apparel. For denim, laser etching will remove the pigment as it burns through the fabric. Smoother, medium-colored fabrics generally achieve a more vivid and distinguishable tonal mark compared to very light or very dark fabrics.

That said, whatever the fabric, you can look forward to a clean mark or etch that gives any garment a unique look. With unique decoration mark placement, you can draw more attention to your logo for high-impact advertising.

 

6. Tech Patches (TP)

This is undoubtedly one of the most fashion-forward apparel decoration techniques. Preparation of the laser tech patch in terms of shape and size, and layout is greatly influenced by the placement of the patch on the garment. After this, the design is digitized and loaded for running on the embroidery machine.

Each garment is hooped and prepared on the embroidery machine. The tack-down stitch will adhere to the tech patch material on the garment. Passing over each embroidery head, the laser will then etch the logo or custom design and cut out the shape of the patch. The last step is to peel away the excess material.

 

7. Screen Printing (SP)

A versatile and cost-effective apparel decoration method for large orders, which is why it’s a popular choice. This technique involves the use of a woven mesh to hold and support an ink-blocking stencil. Color ink is used to create and outline the pattern of the custom design on the fabric, and the pattern is then dried by a heat process.

Similarly, the screen-printing decoration technique may be achieved by imposing a design on the mesh screen, where the blank areas are coated with an impermeable substance. Colored ink is then forced onto the printing surface through the mesh. 

As mentioned, one of the most significant advantages of screen printing is that it is a versatile method. This technique can be used for decorating a wide range of fabrics and products.

You can choose from the following techniques

Spot Colors 

The logo or images are printed using specific pantone colors. Spot color for screen printing is especially great for printing logos, cartoons, line art, and typography. The ink is opaque, producing a clean and vibrant print on both light and dark-colored garments. The use of spot colors is by far the most commonly used technique in the screen printing industry.

4-Color Process

The images are printed onto the garments with four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. In the industry, this color combination is popularly referred to as CMYk. This 4-color process is effective in producing photorealistic images. Because of this, the 4-color process is generally used to produce graphic images containing more colors that are well outside the capabilities of most printing machines.

Simulated-Process Color

The simulated process uses spot color inks. In this process, the artist will create separations of halftone images using as many colors as the press can allow. Inks used for this process are all-purpose and semi-transparent, ensuring they produce bright images.

Specialty Inks

For more impact, you will want to move away from the traditional spot inks to specialty inks. These include metallic gold, metallic silver and metallic black onyx. Keep in mind that these specialty inks tend to fade away if you machine wash, and dry your garments. For that reason, you will want to hand wash line dry your garments screen printed with specialty inks.

Vintage Soft Hand

This is the technique used to achieve that vintage and washed-down appearance. The results are especially outstanding if combined with distressed artwork. How artists achieve this soft hand is by incorporating a soft-based additive to the ink mixture.

 

8. Heat Transfer (HT)

If you are looking for a great alternative to screen printing and more so, if you have smaller orders with multi-color designs and logos, then heat transfer is an excellent choice.

Also known as digital transfer, this custom decoration technique involves first printing your custom logo or design onto a transfer paper. The ink is then transferred from the paper to your fabric using heat and pressure.

Heat transfer is quite popular for performance garments. The transfers generally have a lighter hand, and you can get crisp texts and details without borders.

 

9. Die Mold Transfer (DMT)

This technique has the advantage of adding dimension and texture to the custom logos and designs. It is especially great for bigger logos that may have a lot of details. It’s a popular choice for performance garments.

Some garments are labeled for die-mold transfer. That being said, the technique can be used on a wide range of garments. However, this does not include caps.

Final Thoughts

Some garments come with default or recommended decoration methods, while others do not. If the latter is the case, you can make a more informed decision if you understand what each custom decoration method has to offer. Consider the suitability of the method to your fabric, the results you can expect, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the decoration technique.

For the best outcome, you should consult with an expertly trained and experienced professional. Choose the right method, and you can look forward to great results without worrying about breaking the bank. Get in touch with a custom apparel expert today at Display Pros and we’ll help you create a design that you can be proud of.

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About Ryan Schortmann

Ryan Schortmann is the Founder and Managing Partner at Display Pros, where he works to help businesses of all sizes make an impact with their customers by providing quality trade show and retail displays at affordable prices. A graduate from New England College, Ryan holds a degree in Business and Computer Science. When not hard at work at various marketing roles, he enjoys cooking, travel, and gaming.

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