Do you want to order clothing or promotional gadgets with prints? Find out what the process of their creation looks like in our printing house.
The most important stages of creating prints
At the custom shirt Dallas printing house, we create prints on clothing and advertising items using various methods – we use screen printing, flex, flex printing and sublimation . Even though the printing process in each of them is different, they ensure equally high quality and durability of the graphics or inscriptions applied in this way. Both screen printing, flex and sublimation usually last as long as the material on which the print was made – regardless of how often we use a specific item, we do not have to worry that the print on it will be damaged or faded.
It is worth noting that creating prints is exactly the same, regardless of whether the print is applied to a T-shirt, sweatshirt, hat or other promotional gift. Below we describe step by step how to create a print using each of the previously mentioned methods.
Screen printing
The most frequently used technique for marking clothing and advertising gadgets at the Custom Shirts Dallas printing house is screen printing. Here’s a brief overview of the print creation process.
At the very beginning, it is worth mentioning the devices used to create screen printing:
- film plotter,
- copy frame,
- wash,
- Pressure washer,
- merry-go-round.
When making prints using this method, we start by creating a graphic design. At the next stage, it is necessary to prepare a template adapted for printing on film, which is placed on the grid – the so-called matrix . The purpose of the template is to block individual holes in the screen so that specific places are not printed. Then the paint is squeezed through the made template and the mesh onto the material. To obtain the most durable effect, a specific item is placed in a heating oven and the print is hardened using high temperature.
Flex and flex prints
In the case of the flex technique , the process of creating prints is slightly different. A cutting plotter and a heat transfer press are used to make the print. In this case, the basic stages of marking clothing and advertising gadgets include:
- creating a graphic design,
- vectorization of the created graphics (thanks to this, the graphics can be enlarged or reduced if necessary, without the risk of deterioration of their quality),
- cutting out a print from foil with a plotter,
- tearing out the foil using transport foil,
- heating the foil with a heat transfer press onto the material.
Another variation of the flex technique is the flex printing method . It differs from the one described earlier in the initial stage of the entire process – the graphics are not prepared in vector form. In this case, it starts with printing flex foil on solvent. Additionally, in addition to the cutting plotter and the thermal transfer press, a printing plotter is also necessary to perform flex printing. The remaining stages of the entire process are the same as in the case of the flex technique.
Sublimation prints
When creating prints in our printing house, we also use the sublimation method – we choose this technique if the print is to be made on a light material. The necessary devices in this case are a printer and a heat press.
When it comes to the sublimation technique, after preparing the design, we start the entire process by printing the sublimation paper – using special inks, we apply the print design on it. Next, the print is heated using a press for a specific material. Unlike other clothing marking methods, in this case the inks penetrate into the fabric fiber , causing the reproduced graphics to have exceptionally vivid colors. It is worth noting that the dyes contained in the inks combine best with polyester fabrics. This does not mean, however, that the sublimation technique is only applicable to polyester. Fabrics containing a mixture of both polyester and cotton will also work very well. However, you should be aware that a higher polyester content in the fabric means greater color saturation and clarity.
It is worth noting that sublimation prints are highly waterproof .
Marking clothing and advertising gadgets – the most durable materials
It is worth being aware that not all materials accept prints equally well. The most durable effect can be achieved on cotton, polyester or a mixture of these two fabrics .
To avoid an unsightly effect, it is worth testing each time whether the material we choose will accept the print. The most problematic materials in this respect include, among others: nylon and rubber – in their case the graphics may be less durable.
Do you want to order a T-shirt, sweatshirt, bag or other item with an original print? Contact our specialists – we will choose the best printing method depending on the selected material and create a lasting, eye-catching print for you. At the Dallas Shirt printing house, we make prints from just 1 piece , but we also accept wholesale orders.
