DECORATION GUIDE

Embroidery is an excellent and popular way of branding bags, apparel, and other textile products. 

It offers higher perceived value and a depth of branding quality which other processes cannot match. 

Embroidery uses rayon thread which is stitched into the product and has a slightly raised effect.  

Advantages include one setup charge, but limited to available thread colours.

Screen Printing is achieved by forcing ink through a fine mesh screen with a squeegee onto the product and is ideal for branding flat objects and textiles.  Advantages Include:  Large print areas are possible on flat products.  Close PMS matches are possible on white or light-coloured products.  Most screen print inks dry quickly and can be shipped immediately after printing.  Fluorescent, metallic gold and silver inks are available on select textile products.  Many products can print with tight multi-colour registration, with some products able to be printed using up to five colours.

Colourflex® is a CMYK+W digital print process, used for branding apparel and fabrics.  Advantages include:  Ideal for producing full colour, complex images as well as approximate spot colour branding.  High definition, vibrant matt finish artwork that is suitable on a range of garment fabrics.  Eco-friendly water-based inks.  Durable, flexible branding for apparel that is machine washable with a soft-touch matt finish.  Efficient self-weeding technology.  Only one set up charge is required regardless of the number of print colours.  Can be shipped straight after being printed.

Pad printing uses a silicone pad to transfer an image to a product from a laser etched printing plate. It is one of the most popular and affordable ways of branding promotional products due to its ability to reproduce images on uneven or curved products and print multiple colours in a single pass.  Advantages include:  Ideal for printing on curved or uneven products.  Prints sharp, clean images with detail as fine as 0.4mm, minimum text size is 5pt.  Close PMS matches are possible on white or light-coloured products.  Metallic gold and silver ink are available.  Can offer a white under base for the darker products that require it.  Many products can print up to 6 colours with tight multi-colour registration.

Direct to product Rotary Digital Printing involves the transfer of UV ink and a varnish coating from inkjet print heads and can be used to produce detailed gloss artwork using both closely matched spot colours and full colour branding.  Advantages include:  Ideal for large or complex full colour gloss prints.  The print is dry and ready to ship as soon as the product is printed.  Only one setup charge is required regardless of the number of print colours.  No loss of print vibrancy, even on darker products.

Rotary Screen Printing is achieved by forcing ink through a fine mesh screen with a squeegee onto the product and is ideal for cylindrical objects.  Advantages include: Large print areas are possible on cylindrical products.  Close PMS matches are possible on white or light-coloured products.  Most screen print inks are quick drying and can be shipped immediately after printing.  Metallic gold and silver colours are available.  Many products can print five colours (including white) with tight multi-colour registration.

Silicone Digital Print is a CMYK+W digital branding process designed specifically for silicone surfaces. Advantages Include:  Provides crisp, clear, high-definition artwork.  Durable, flexible branding that can be hand washed.  Perfect for printing dark coloured products as a layer of white ink can be printed under the artwork.  Ideal for producing full colour images as well as approximate spot colour branding.  Has a matt finish and does not crack or fade with typical use of product.  Only one set up charge is required regardless of the number of print colours.

Dye Sublimation Print is used for branding products that have a special coating on them, or fabrics suitable for the sublimation process (eg. polyester). A transfer is produced by printing sublimation ink onto transfer paper and then heat pressing it onto the product.  Advantages include:  Sublimation ink is a dye so there is no ink build-up. The finished print is embedded in the product.  Ideal for producing vivid full colour images as well as closely matched spot colour branding.  Variable data including individual names is available on select products.  Edge-to-edge branding can be achieved on some products.  Only one set up charge is required regardless of the number of print colours.

Imitation etch is a special pad printing ink used for producing an etch-like effect on glass products.  Advantages include:   Much more affordable than real etching.  Can brand curved or uneven products.  Produces a subtle finish with a higher perceived value that looks like etching.

Laser engraving is a permanent branding process that engraves artwork into the surface of the product using a laser. Different materials produce different engraving finishes, to avoid uncertainty pre-production samples are recommended.  Advantages include:  Higher perceived value than other forms of branding.  The branding becomes part of the surface and is permanent.  Large branding areas available on curved products.  Variable data including individual names is available on select products.  The product can be shipped straight away after being engraved.

Digital Print is used for printing media such as paper, vinyl and magnetic material used in the manufacture of labels, badges, and fridge magnets etc. This printing process uses CMYK values.  Advantages include:  Ideal for producing full colour, complex images with gradients.  Variable data including individual names is available on select products.  Only one set up charge is required regardless of the number of print colours.  Dries instantly so products can be shipped immediately.  Select products can be cut to custom shapes.  Edge-to-edge branding can be achieved on certain products.

Debossing, commonly referred to as ‘Blind’ debossing, is when a heated custom metal plate is pressed firmly onto the product leaving an impression of the artwork. "Thermo" debossing is also available on certain products, using additional heat to create a unique and eye-catching two-tone finish.  Advantages include:  Higher perceived value than other forms of branding.  The branding becomes part of the product and is permanent.  The product can be shipped as soon as heat pressing is finished.  Certain products can produce a two-tone finish.

3D Embroidery, or puff embroidery, is a specialized technique that results in three-dimensional decoration. The 3D effect is achieved by placing foam on the surface of the cap or garment and embroidering the design on top of the foam.

Fill stitches, based on a regular pattern are used to fill in larger areas.  Can be very effective when used in-between 3D keyline embroidery.

Puff Ink Printing is a form of screen printing that utilises specialty ink mixed with a foaming agent activated by heat. The ink is printed using a conventional screen printing technique. Then, as the garment passes through the dryer, the ink puffs up and expands.

Metallic Screen Printing inks offer the possibility of incorporating metallic gold and silver elements into your designs to ensure that they stand out above the rest. 

 The process of metallic screen printing is the same as standard screen printing with the bonus of making your designs shimmer and sparkle with the use of excellent metallic inks.

Foil Printing is a speciality printing process which uses heat, pressure and metallic paper (foil). This is used to create different shiny designs and graphics on various materials. Foil printing gives the focus area an incredible look and is quickly becoming the preferred method of printing in many industries.

SupaColour is an innovative method of branding a wide range of products with crisp, vibrant full-colour graphics.  Advantages include: Unlimited colours and high vibrancy.  Ultra-high detail (finest of text, perfect colour gradients).  Allows free floating text without any weeding required, hence the low cost.  Ultra-high resolution photo reproduction achievable.  Can be applied across seams and on coarse fabrics.  100+ washes, will outlive the product and won’t peel, crack or fade.  

SupaEtch is a laser-etched patch that is sewn directly onto a wide range of products such as bags, blankets, beanies and scarves.  Advantages include: 11 different colour suedes available.  Versatility, can be applied to bags, caps, blankets, beanies, scarves etc.  Choose what colour thread for a matching or contrast effect.  As subtle branding option with a high perceived value, and retail look.

SupaSub is the solution for replicating full colour logos on hard to decorate products such as beanies, scarves, blankets and jackets.  Advantages include:  Detail (finest of text, perfect gradient).  High resolution. Versatility, can be applied to bags, caps, beanies, scarves, and apparel.  Lightweight feel compared to solid embroidery.  Choose what colour thread for matching or contrast effect.

SupaFlex involves printing highly detailed logos onto vinyl with either a matte or gloss finish, and attached with embroidery for a quality, unique result.  Available in 2 options.  

Floating Logo: 8 background colours.  Textured, matte background.  Any design or detail.  Satin stitch embroidered edging.  Any shape.  Your choice of matte or gloss finish.

Edge to Edge Logo:  Any design or detail.  Cross stitch embroidered edging.  Any shape.  Your choice of matte or gloss finish.