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Find logo printing that lifts your products
Choosing the right branding is an important part of the whole when you want to deliver products to customers, employees, or events. Whether it’s clothing, promotional items, corporate gifts, or trade show materials, the choice of printing method affects both expression, quality, and how your message appears.
Here you get a simple overview of the most common methods so you can find the logo printing that fits your product — and your company.
Screen Printing
In screen printing, a fine mesh of silk or nylon is stretched over a frame. The mesh is prepared so it has open and closed areas. Only the open areas allow the print ink through. The design is built up layer by layer by printing one color at a time.
The characteristic feature of screen printing is dense and even color surfaces. Screen printing is best suited for single-layer garments like t-shirts, tote bags, and sweatshirts. For small quantities, fewer print colors or transfer printing are recommended for cost reasons.
A separate screen must be made for each print color, and these must be aligned with each other.
Transfer Printing
This method is similar in structure to screen printing, but instead of printing the design directly onto the product, it is printed onto a carrier. After the printing ink has been applied to the carrier, glue is sprinkled onto the wet ink before it goes through a drying process.
Once this has hardened, the logo can be applied to almost any product using a heat press that provides heat under constant pressure for a few seconds. The glue in the logo activates and adheres to the substrate.
Transfer printing is well suited for caps, bags, t-shirts, jackets, and is the most affordable option for small print runs.
Pad Printing
Pad printing is a method for printing on hard products using a silicone pad that picks up ink from a cliché plate where the logo has been etched. First, a negative print original is created which transfers the ink onto the silicone pad, which is then pressed onto the product. This must be done for each color, so if a two-color logo is involved, it must be done in two passes.
Pad printing gives an attractive, precise, and durable result and is a printing method that works very well on everything from pens to power banks and other hard promotional items like ice scrapers, lunch boxes, bottles, and mint tins.
Circular Printing
A great method for achieving larger prints (compared to pad printing). This method is becoming increasingly popular on, for example, wine bottles as Christmas gifts in the promotional industry, and is highly sought after among microbreweries — as it provides an exclusive look.
Circular printing is suitable for round, even products such as mugs, thermal cups, bottles, and thermoses.
Sublimation
Sublimation printing is a distinct printing technique where you print with a sublimation printer onto sublimation paper. The design is then transferred to the desired material. This method produces very good full-color prints, e.g., photographs.
You can use sublimation on both soft and hard materials such as textiles, aluminum, ceramics, etc. However, it is only possible to print on synthetic materials. Textiles must contain at least 60% polyester — the more polyester, the better the result. Hard materials like ceramics and metal must be treated with a special polymer surface layer to adhere. Regular cups and glasses do not work with this technique.
You can also print on colored polyester, but the best results are with dark prints. Optimal results are achieved on products specifically designed for sublimation printing. A heat press is always required, as the ink must be converted into gas and transferred to the product. Proper pressure and a temperature of about 200°C are necessary. Sublimation is suitable for things like race vests, headwear, photos on mugs, and performance t-shirts.
Laser Engraving
In engraving, a laser burns the logo onto the product. On painted objects, the top layer is removed so that logos/texts appear in the material’s color. On bare metal, a stronger laser is used — the result will usually be a dark gray or a lighter shade in the metal.
This method is equally well suited for materials such as glass, signage, and wood products. Engraving gives a traditional and classic look and offers lasting durability.
Embroidery
Embroidery is a textile technique where large machines with needles and thread sew onto fabric or other soft material. The embroidery is done directly on a garment according to an embroidery card made based on the logo. Up to 15 thread colors can be embroidered at the same time. A thread color closest to the logo colors is selected, and threads come in various finishes, thicknesses, and sheens.
Embroidery is extremely durable and in some cases lasts longer than the garment itself.
Patches
Woven badges, embroidered badges, or badges in imitation leather are different varieties of patches that can be made in various shapes and sizes. You can choose versions for application on products, e.g., with self-adhesive backing or transfer glue backing that is heated on. Alternatively, they can be sewn onto the product.
Embossing
In embossing, a cliché plate of the logo is created and used to emboss the products. The method is widely used on leather, hide, paper, and fleece.
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