Decoration Methods Explained

Choosing the ideal decoration method for your workwear or merchandise can be confusing at times. With so many decoration options available, we have outlined the various methods and considerations to take to help you decide; and if you're still unsure, our friendly team are available to assist and advise. 

More on: Embroidery | Screen Print | Transfer Print | DTG | Sublimation | Engraving | Doming | Hot Stamping | Pad Printing | UV Digital Printing

Embroidery is a versatile and durable decoration method for a majority of textile products. It is often a desirable option for workwear due to how hardwearing the decoration is and the overall professional aesthetic. Decorating garments through embroidery is done by creating the design with different types of colours and threads. A frame is placed onto the area where the design is to be embroidered onto the garment. A supporting fabric is placed underneath the textile to provide design stability and it is then fastened onto the machine ready for the precise and accurate stitching to take place.

As this technique is carried out by machine from start to finish, all designs need to be digitised for the machine to read and understand the stitch set-up of the design. It will then carry out up to 1,000 stitches per minute until design completion, and hand perfected manually by an embroidery expert such as removing the backing, cleaning up thread tails or finishing the edging. Learn more about our embroidery service here. 

Embroidery is an effective decoration method for the majority of material products, but is well suited to the following.

Print also has many advantages, and choosing print as your preferred decoration method can offer design flexibility in terms of colours and sizing. Generally speaking, print can be a simpler process for branding that is complex and detailed in design and can be more affordable for smaller garment orders. In terms of quality and how durable the print is, if maintained well, designs are able to sustain their vibrance and application for a long period of time. We use high-quality ink in our professional printers to ensure the maximum output and impact of your designs. Depending on your desired print outcome, you may want to choose between screen and transfer print, or even direct to garment. We’ll explain each of the options below.

Screen Print / Round

Screen printing is an ideal method for large designs with vibrant colours. This process uses layers of ink applied one colour at a time to the garment with a drying process between each colour. This helps set the ink and protect the final design from washing or wearing out. We use screen round print for items with a round surface, suitable for paper, metal and plastic items.

Examples of screen printed items are mugs, water bottles, pens and lip balms. There are set limits for the number of colours you can have with a subsequent price increase for each additional colour. For textile items, you can have up to 10 colours printed that drops down to 4 on non-textiles, and 1 colour on items with a round surface. Read more on our screen printing service.

Transfer Print

There are two types of decoration methods with transfer print, depending on the desired outcome of your design. In both cases, this method uses a form of vinyl which is cut to shape using a digital plotter, with excess material removed, and then heat applied to the garment to finish the production. For even more insight into our transfer print service, click here.

One method is a direct heat applied vinyl transfer, a simplistic approach to decorating your item by using one or two different colour vinyl papers to create your design. This method works well if you have a basic logo or text that can be cut into the colour of your vinyl. For example, this technique is commonly used on sportswear such as the customisation on the back of football shirts. It is possible to layer the vinyl with additional colours but it does need to be kept to a minimum to guarantee a design that keeps.

This method works well for simple or basic designs, ideally 1 – 2 colours with little detail. It’s therefore often used for the following criteria:

The second method is a digital transfer print that is also fixed to the garment using a heat press. This option is more suited to designs with multiple colours and achieved via the process of printing your design onto the vinyl which is then subsequently cut to shape and applied to the garment. This option works well for multi-colour prints including photographs. Due to the nature of the printing, this application method is best suited to one-off or small print runs. The following criteria should help you understand if this method is best for you:

Direct to Garment, also known as DTG, is the print technique where the ink is applied directly onto the garment through a specialist printer and ink. Garments are treated with a fixing agent to help with the absorbency of the ink, ensuring the colours remain fixed, reinforcing the durability of the print. The printer converts the chosen design into a print profile, allowing a direct replica to be printed onto the chosen garment. DTG is a great decoration method for complex customisations with a wide variety of colours.

If you’re looking for a full-colour print run for a small order on a short timescale, then DTG could be a great solution. There is little machine set-up time needed for this process and can provide a fast outcome for a decorated garment, typically used for t-shirts and hoodies. Read more on our DTG service.

In summary, it's a great method to use for the following criteria:

Sublimation is a digital print method where the design is applied directly onto the material using heat, permanently dyeing the item fibres. Due to this process, items with sublimated print are more durable, resistant to fading or scratching. Sublimation is a great decoration method for items that are rigid or polyester fabrics, and great for printing high-resolution photos or detailed designs. Read more about our sublimation service.

There is a huge range of products that sublimation is well suited for and takes very little time to set up and turnaround. This technique works well for the following criteria:

For objects made from hard materials, laser engraving is the ideal decoration method to create personalised products. It’s a flexible decoration method, through either etching or burning, that caters to diverse design requirements including the depth of engraving, tone-on-tone and overall quality look. The high-quality finish makes this technique desirable for corporate and luxury gifts and high-profile events and fundraisers.

Doming is another decoration technique that creates a 3D effect of your design onto a flat surface. This method creates a dome through a mould that is formed, printed and filled with epoxy, protecting the full-colour print below. Once dry, the epoxy hardens creating the unique dome shape, amplifying the design. This resistant print method works well across plastics, metals and leather.

Doming suits the following criteria:

Hot stamping decorates through the application of foil and dye, creating a metallic finish. The technique applies the foil between the product surface and dye, creating a superior silver or gold impression. Through hot stamping, you can create a raised (embossed) or indented (debossed) profile. To find out more, follow the link to read on about this decoration method.

Hot stamping and debossing works for the following:

This decoration method uses a silicone pad to apply ink from a metal plate onto the desired product. Each pad applies one aspect of the coloured logo onto the item, one at a time. Pad printing is an effective decoration method to use for small designs or unusual shaped items. The silicone pad allows simple coverage across any item with a maximum of 4 colours. Due to the speed of the process, this method is great for bulk orders and branding with minimal colours.

Pad printing works well for the below criteria:

This technique prints directly onto the products and uses UV technology to cure the printed design as it is applied. This method prints to a high detail in CMYK at a very fast speed, and can decorate onto materials that most other methods are not compatible with such as paper and plastic. As a result of its quick-drying process, this method suits designs with fine details as the ink is unable to spread, and also creates unique textured finishes that look very professional.

UV print is a great alternative method to use on materials that other print methods cannot print onto and is effective for:

Need help deciding which decoratation method is best for you? Our expert team are ready and available to help you perfect your branded merchandise today.