The same piece of artwork can look sharp on a cap, blurred on a tote and expensive on a hoodie, depending on how it is applied. Decoration is usually decided late, after the product and the artwork are settled, but it shapes the unit cost, the feel of the finished piece and how well it survives a season of washing and handling.
We run five decoration methods inside the group, and a job that needs two of them on one garment stays with a single team, so the registration between the two is checked before anything ships.
DTF transfer
Direct-to-film transfer prints the artwork onto a film, which is then heat-pressed onto the product. It handles full colour and fine detail, works on cotton, polyester and blends in light or dark colours, and suits artwork with gradients, photographs or more colours than would be practical to separate for a screen.
Sublimation
Sublimation turns the ink into a gas that bonds with polyester fibres, so the print becomes part of the fabric and has no feel on the surface. Because we print before the garment is cut, the design can run edge to edge and across the seams, and that suits all-over patterns on tees, lanyards and sports tops.
The method needs white or light-coloured polyester, so it is the wrong choice for a dark cotton hoodie however good the artwork is.
Embroidery
Embroidery stitches the design into the product with thread, which gives it texture and makes it read as a more considered piece of merchandise. It is the usual choice for caps, beanies and polos, and for staff uniforms that need to hold up to daily wear.
Fine lines, very small lettering and soft gradients do not translate well into stitches, so a logo drawn for print often needs simplifying before it is digitised for embroidery. The mock-up that comes with every quote shows the simplified version, so the change is agreed before anything is stitched.
Screen print
Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh, with a separate screen for each colour in the design. Setting up the screens is the main cost, so the method becomes more economical as the quantity rises and the colour count falls, and it is the standard choice for larger runs of tees and totes with a simple palette. The ink sits on the surface in a solid, opaque layer that holds up well to washing.
Glow in the dark
Glow ink charges under light and releases it in the dark, which makes it a practical addition for night events, after-dark seasons and anything sold at a light show. It is usually printed as one element of a design, such as an outline or a pair of eyes, layered over a standard print so the product still looks finished in daylight.
Matching the method to the job
Most decisions come down to four things: the fabric, the number of colours in the artwork, the quantity, and how close to the delivery date the decoration has to happen. A dark cotton tee with a detailed full-colour illustration points to DTF, a white polyester sports top with an all-over pattern points to sublimation, and a cap with a two-colour logo points to embroidery.
Our Sydney print floor handles work that has to be decorated close to its delivery date, so a late change to an event date or a sponsor's logo can be applied here without the stock going offshore and back.