Custom hats logo choose Screen Printing, Transfer Printing or sublimation printing?
aungcrown
Aung Crown
2020-09-04 09:41:43
Hats, and that’s for good reasons:
It stands up really well to the type of wear and tear most hats take
It can also be sewn into tough materials that lots of hats are made of
Embroidery costs won’t increase if you add more colors
Embroidery can be bold and easily visible from far away
You’ll often see embroidery on things like sports caps or hats for a special event that participants wear. If you have a small design with lots of colors that needs to last a while, embroidery is a great choice.
Although embroidery is probably the most popular way to personalize a hat, it’s not the only way! There are some other techniques that can work just as well.
1. Screen Printing
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs back after the blade has passed. One colour is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multi-coloured image or design.
It’s not always the right fit for your printing project, but it does work in some circumstances. The typical hat choice for screen printing is a foam trucker hat because they don’t usually have centre seams. Seams can make your design look a bit wonky when it’s printed. You’d also be able to screen print on soft military type hats and things like that, as they don’t have centre seams either.
If you do choose screen printing:
You’ll get the best results with a hat that doesn’t have a centre seam across the front
You’ll also need to make sure you can access a place that has the equipment needed to printing hats (not everywhere can!)
It stands up really well to the type of wear and tear most hats take
It can also be sewn into tough materials that lots of hats are made of
Embroidery costs won’t increase if you add more colors
Embroidery can be bold and easily visible from far away
You’ll often see embroidery on things like sports caps or hats for a special event that participants wear. If you have a small design with lots of colors that needs to last a while, embroidery is a great choice.
Although embroidery is probably the most popular way to personalize a hat, it’s not the only way! There are some other techniques that can work just as well.
1. Screen Printing
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs back after the blade has passed. One colour is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multi-coloured image or design.
It’s not always the right fit for your printing project, but it does work in some circumstances. The typical hat choice for screen printing is a foam trucker hat because they don’t usually have centre seams. Seams can make your design look a bit wonky when it’s printed. You’d also be able to screen print on soft military type hats and things like that, as they don’t have centre seams either.
If you do choose screen printing:
You’ll get the best results with a hat that doesn’t have a centre seam across the front
You’ll also need to make sure you can access a place that has the equipment needed to printing hats (not everywhere can!)
2. Transfer Printing
You can also use transfers to print on hats. They’re easier to handle than screen printing because they let you print your design on a flat piece of paper, and then place it on to your hat.
While transfers don’t last forever, they often fade from pieces of clothing because they’re washed really often — that’s not the case with hats most of the time!
Transfers can also give you a higher level of detail
Again, like with screen printing, this works best with hats that don’t have a seam running right down the centre at the front.
3. sublimation printing
In simple terms, it’s a method of printing that essentially brings ink and fabric together as one. First, a design is printed onto special paper. The inks turn into gas when exposed to heat, then combine with the fabric and permanently print onto the fabric. The heat opens up the pores of the fabric, then with the applied pressure the ink cools and returns to a solid form. The ink is embedded into the fibers which allows the design to feel like it’s a part of the garment (as opposed to printed on top).
You can also use transfers to print on hats. They’re easier to handle than screen printing because they let you print your design on a flat piece of paper, and then place it on to your hat.
While transfers don’t last forever, they often fade from pieces of clothing because they’re washed really often — that’s not the case with hats most of the time!
Transfers can also give you a higher level of detail
Again, like with screen printing, this works best with hats that don’t have a seam running right down the centre at the front.
3. sublimation printing
In simple terms, it’s a method of printing that essentially brings ink and fabric together as one. First, a design is printed onto special paper. The inks turn into gas when exposed to heat, then combine with the fabric and permanently print onto the fabric. The heat opens up the pores of the fabric, then with the applied pressure the ink cools and returns to a solid form. The ink is embedded into the fibers which allows the design to feel like it’s a part of the garment (as opposed to printed on top).
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Sublimation printing is a real game changer when it comes to creative freedom. Sublimation allows all-over printing, meaning that the design can go seam-to-seam. You can print multiple colors and vivid designs on a large variety of garments and products like swimsuits, activewear, and blankets. It is important to note that you must print on garments that are 100% polyester or contain a poly coating; for this reason we provide a catalog of blank garments for you to choose from!
+ Great for designs with lots of detail & colors
+ Will not crack, peel, or fade
+ Suitable for smaller batch orders
+ All-over printing/large variety of design applications
WHAT KIND OF DESIGNS WORK BEST?
Photos
Turn any photo into a dynamic all-over print, instead of having it print as a rectangle on the shirt.
Repeating Logos/Patterns
Sublimation works well for designs with repetition because it can extend all the way to each edge of the garment, creating a seamless transition.
Colorful Artwork
Bold & funky is the perfect match for sublimation. Bring your craziest designs to life with high detailed prints.
Unique Applications
You can get really creative since sublimation allows printing on every area of the garment, whereas other printing methods have limitations.
Activewear
Sublimation is perfect for creating your own workout gear or swimwear. Because the ink is embedded into the fabric, the garments remain comfortable and the print will hold up even with lots of wear and washes.
If you’re interested in seeing how your design would look printing, you can contact aungcrown to custom your own printing logo caps and clothes.
Sublimation printing is a real game changer when it comes to creative freedom. Sublimation allows all-over printing, meaning that the design can go seam-to-seam. You can print multiple colors and vivid designs on a large variety of garments and products like swimsuits, activewear, and blankets. It is important to note that you must print on garments that are 100% polyester or contain a poly coating; for this reason we provide a catalog of blank garments for you to choose from!
+ Great for designs with lots of detail & colors
+ Will not crack, peel, or fade
+ Suitable for smaller batch orders
+ All-over printing/large variety of design applications
WHAT KIND OF DESIGNS WORK BEST?
Photos
Turn any photo into a dynamic all-over print, instead of having it print as a rectangle on the shirt.
Repeating Logos/Patterns
Sublimation works well for designs with repetition because it can extend all the way to each edge of the garment, creating a seamless transition.
Colorful Artwork
Bold & funky is the perfect match for sublimation. Bring your craziest designs to life with high detailed prints.
Unique Applications
You can get really creative since sublimation allows printing on every area of the garment, whereas other printing methods have limitations.
Activewear
Sublimation is perfect for creating your own workout gear or swimwear. Because the ink is embedded into the fabric, the garments remain comfortable and the print will hold up even with lots of wear and washes.
If you’re interested in seeing how your design would look printing, you can contact aungcrown to custom your own printing logo caps and clothes.