61 / 116
HEN IT COMES TO DECORATING
apparel, numerous options are available
today, and the accessibility of newer processes is continuing
to grow. Some styles work well for large-run orders,
while others work well for smaller quantities. Getting a
full-color, personalized image printed on a shirt today is a
lot easier and less expensive than in the past. But with all
the different types of applications to choose from, how do
you know which process is the right one to get your
client’s desired result? And once you decide on the
process, what should you be aware of to take your client’s
project from artwork to production properly and get the
best decoration possible?
W
OCTOBER 2015 •
PPB
• 59
Screen printing
One of the
oldest decorating processes, screen
printing can cost more on the front end
because of the preparation involved. In
screen printing, an image is reproduced
by separating the design into a series of
individual colors. The number of colors
affects the printing cost because each
color needs to be “exposed” onto a
screen, and then each screen needs to
be set up on a press and aligned so that
all the colors register properly. If your
shirt quantity is small and you want to
print a three- or four-color design, this
method is not as cost effective as some
of the other processes. However, as your
quantity increases, the setup costs
become less of a hindrance, because
once it’s set up you can print as many
shirts as needed.
Digital printing
Many types of decorating processes use digital printing
as their basis. The market for the digital printing process is growing and can be
cost effective for smaller runs because it provides the ability to produce a full-color
image without the initial set-up cost found with screen printing. Digital printing
also makes creating more custom, personalized designs easier. You can create a
file with one person’s name or photo, and then use the same file and add a differ-
ent name or photo. Then, you simply print the different files. To create the same
job with screen printing, separations must be created for each image, as well as
new screens for each color affected by the change.
PHOTO BY AMNARJ TANONGRATTANA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Decorating Processes