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Let’s Talk About Screen Printing
Screen printing is the most commonly used method for creating printed products. It involves transferring the custom design onto a screen or stencil, where ink can be pressed through onto the desired surface beneath. Screen printing is most commonly used for flat-surfaced large print areas, like custom clothing, logo bags, and printed notebook covers.
It’s great for achieving bold, long-lasting colours that match your brand using Pantone references.
How Is Tampo Printing Different to Screen Printing?
Tampo printing is quite different to screen printing in that it uses a silicone pad to transfer ink from a plate onto a 3D object. The pad moulds around the object which makes it suitable for irregular or curved surfaces, such as mugs and water bottles, whereas screen printing is best for flat surfaces, like t-shirts and notepads.
Tampo printing can also handle more intricate and detailed designs, even with multiple colours, and it’s suited to smaller print areas, like printed keyrings.
How Do We Create A Full-Colour Design?
When you want to achieve a full-colour design, digital printing is the best option. It uses the CMYK colour model to produce a clear, sharp, and bright finish, including shades, gradients, and photographic images. Digital printing is great for custom full-colour promo bags, complex designs for promotional notebooks, and full-colour transfers.
Which Merchandise Items Can Be Printed in Full Colour?
Full-colour print is most suitable for paper-based merchandise items, such as branded notepads, printed sticky notes and promotional desk pads. But modern full-colour UV print methods now enable us to achieve this same level of clarity on textile promotional products, such as printed apparel, branded shopper bags and even complex requests like printed umbrellas.
The Most Popular Items For Full Colour Branding
Full-colour designs are common for items that are versatile and able to showcase the intricacies of logos or designs that need a digital method. For example, custom full colour coasters, branded water bottles, branded tote bags and custom mousemats are a few of the most popular promotional products for full-colour print.
Learn About Engraving Methods
Laser engraving is the go-to branding option for wood or stainless steel products. The printing process involves a laser beam being digitally programmed with the design, which is then engraved onto the product by removing the surface layer of the material in the areas that it targets.
It’s a champion branding choice as it leaves a permanent, clean and beautiful finish that adds a luxury touch to your promotional products.
What Promo Items Are Best Suited To Engraving?
Engraving is ideal for executive gifts and for branded items made from stainless steel or wood because of how tough and durable these materials are.
Some examples include bamboo pens, thermal mugs, steel water bottles and promotional technology with metal casings, such as USBs.
Etching To Promotional Giveaways
Etching is a great place to start if you want a more traditional branding method. This is another form of engraving in which acid is applied to the surface of a metal plate that will hold your ink. The plate is then cut into the surface of promotional items to create a sharp and stunning custom finish.
This method, like laser engraving, is perfect for metal and wood products, especially those used for executive gifting, such as promotional metal pens, promotional trolley coin keyrings, or custom keyrings.
Learn About Stickers
There are a couple of sticker options for promotional gifts. The first is the more traditional and robust paper sticker.
Your branding can be printed onto a low-cost adhesive-glued paper backing, which can be applied to gift bags, used to secure packaging, or handed out directly to your audience. It’s perfect if you need high volume but are on a budget. Most popular with charities or fundraisers.
You can even opt for resin dome stickers to produce full-colour or even metallic finishes for your promotional products. This method requires your design to be digitally printed onto a plastic sticker sheet placed in a tray, covered in epoxy resin, and left to set. The result is a sticker with a raised 3D surface displaying your design.
What Is The Most Effective Use Of Stickers?
Paper stickers have endless uses. You can apply them to almost any promotional product, giving you full control over the finished look. For example, they can be applied to children’s toys such as yo-yos and frisbees, notebooks, and paper gift bags. for charity fundraisers they are great merchandise giveaways for supporters.
Resin dome stickers have a glossy finish and a premium feel, which can help create a sense of luxury when used on promotional products.
Some great examples of where resin dome stickers can be used include promotional pens, leather keyrings and on the handles of promotional umbrellas.
Modern Embroidery Techniques For Clothing and Bags
Embroidery is typically the first option when trying to achieve a long-lasting and durable print on textile products such as clothing, towels, and bags.
It requires a digital embroidery file containing the design to be loaded into an embroidery machine. The material containing the design is attached to the machine, which stitches the design onto the fabric using the needle and thread method.
It is an automated system in which the machine changes the thread colours and stitch types as specified in the file. This makes it an efficient method that creates colourful designs with accuracy.
How Embossing and Debossing Creates Stunning Designs
Embossing is when your artwork is etched onto a metal plate, determining the embossed area's depth. The plate is then pressed onto the material's surface with high pressure, which causes the material to deform and adapt to the shape of the design. This creates a raised pattern known as embossing.
When this process is flipped, and the pattern is the raised element on the metal plate, it then indents onto the material's surface, leaving a debossed print.
Both methods are commonly used for custom PU notebooks and leather goods, which take well to embossing and suit this technique's more luxurious feel and look.
Any Branding Method Questions Left?
Do you have questions about branding methods for your promotional products or if your logo will work on a particular item?
Our expert team is here to help! We know every brand is unique, and ensuring your logo looks perfect is essential. Whether you're unsure about sizing, colours, or printing techniques, our team will guide you through the options, ensuring your logo looks spot on. From embossing to screen printing, we will recommend the best branding methods for your products. Don’t hesitate to contact our team for expert advice and tailored branding solutions!
