Digital Decorating

Finding the Right Heat Press: Part 3

March 24, 2023 |

In Parts 1 and 2 of this three-part series, we talked about how the three main variables in heat pressing are temperature, time and pressure. We then went on to look at what to look for in a heat press to ensure you meet these conditions consistently.

Full Story

Finding the Right Heat Press: Part 2

February 22, 2023 |

In Part 1 of our three-part series on heat presses, we looked at the basic design types and features apparel decorators want to keep in mind when considering a new system. In Part 2 we look at speciality presses for decorating caps and applying shirt labels, and also multi-function presses

Full Story

Heat Printing That Performs

February 21, 2023 |

As people across the globe continue to work from home, their wardrobe staples have transitioned from dress pants and blazers to athleisure — think matching sweat suits, leggings and other lightweight apparel.

Full Story

Designing for DTF Transfers

April 15, 2022 |

Direct-to-film (DTF) transfers provide a new, fast-growing garment-decoration method that’s ideal for designing layouts for sports apparel. From team and practice uniforms to fan wear, DTF transfers allow you to easily and inexpensively incorporate full color into layouts.

Full Story

Sublimation for Small Signage

October 8, 2021 |

I think the philosophy of lagniappe should be taught at every school and practiced by every business. A French word meaning “unexpected extra gift,” lagniappe often is used in Louisiana. In fact, sublimation decoration is a fantastic example of this.

Full Story

DTG Fills the Void

March 24, 2021 |

In the ever-changing world of garment and product decoration, a new category has emerged — somewhere between the one-off decorator and volume screen printers.

Full Story

Dialing Up DTG Prints

January 28, 2021 |

Let’s be honest — direct-to-garment (DTG) printing isn’t always straightforward; there are just a few unforeseen variables. In this article, you’ll learn a relatively simple way to mitigate them and find some comfortable consistency in your production process.

Full Story

The Future of DTG Printing

August 25, 2020 |

Imagine a scenario where you turn your direct-to-garment (DTG) printer on in the morning, print shirts all day, make handfuls of cash, then turn it off and sleep well knowing it will work just as well tomorrow.

Full Story

Grow Your Gaiter Knowledge

August 13, 2020 |

Gaiters have been the subject of a lot of speculation lately as the nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and find safe ways to protect citizens against it.

Full Story

Sublimation Pricing Solutions: Part 2

June 25, 2020 |

My industry experience has led me to one realization about many decorated-apparel shops: They don’t charge enough money for their offerings. This usually is the result of fear that they won’t land a job if they charge too much.

Full Story

Pressing Matters

June 25, 2020 |

The athletic, team sports and uniform markets have grown rapidly during the past several years. Soccer, basketball, football and baseball are a few team sports that are leading the charge at all levels — from organized-sports groups to collegiate teams and professional leagues.

Full Story

Sublimation Pricing Solutions: Part 1

April 2, 2020 |

How many times have you heard clients say they can get a product that you sell at a cheaper price somewhere else? Have you “given away” your products because you were afraid you were charging too much or been hesitant when giving a price quote? Have you ever felt like you had no real clue about what to charge for products?

Full Story

Workflow: DTG Printing’s Future

February 25, 2020 |

The apparel-decorating industry has evolved from what it used to be: screen printers producing large batches of garments and requiring a great deal of labor, setup and time to complete jobs in an industry with increasing pressures to quickly deliver products.

Full Story

Boost Heat-Press Productivity

January 23, 2020 |

If you’re a new heat press owner, then you’ve likely been busy mastering time, temperature and pressure, while also figuring out how to appropriately charge for your services to make a profit. But could you be doing better?

Full Story

Hot Off the (Heat) Press

October 22, 2019 |

The functionality and versatility of today’s heat presses have evolved, but they all should be safe, reliable and consistent, a sentiment agreed upon by many industry experts.

Full Story

Mastering DTG Printing

October 16, 2019 |

Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing is catching on as an effective technique for producing fashion-inspired and photo-realistic decorated apparel. If you’ve stepped into the vibrant DTG world while still offering screen printing — a move that many decorators have made in the past few years — you’re likely looking for some DTG best practices to make the transition even smoother.

Full Story

Heat Transfers and Various Fabrics

August 26, 2019 |

The apparel market is packed with a diverse range of products for every function of fashion, sports and leisurewear activity. Because of the vast array of fabrics available, it can be challenging to combine fabric and garment embellishment so that the apparel and embellishment, once applied, connect to form a natural, integral finish.

Full Story

Do More with Digital

July 23, 2019 |

The digital textile industry is expected to grow into a $2.31 billion industry by the end of 2023, and is projected to grow nearly 5% each year between 2018 and 2023, according to a 2018 Research and Markets report.

Full Story

Heat Printing: Take a Number

April 30, 2019 |

Numbering on team uniforms is an essential part of administering the game for apparel decorators servicing this market niche. Athletic governing bodies often have rules stipulating the specific numbers that can be assigned to certain player positions, as well as sizes and colors.

Full Story

Teamwork Makes DTG Work

April 25, 2019 |

With today’s technology, direct-to-garment (DTG) printing has become more accessible and affordable, while also being less time-consuming and labor-intensive than many other traditional printing methods.

Full Story

Sublimation T-Shirt Decoration Meets Cotton

April 12, 2019 |

If your decorated apparel shop uses sublimation, you’ve undoubtedly heard this process will not bond to cotton. Truthfully, that hasn’t changed. Sublimation chemically bonds to polyester and polymers, not cotton. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t apply it to cotton.

Full Story

Needs for DTG

February 19, 2019 |

The latest direct-to-garment (DTG) printers make it easy for your shop to create high-quality, printed apparel without having to hire or train highly experienced operators.

Full Story

Maintaining Your Sublimation System

January 25, 2019 |

Sublimation systems come in many shapes and sizes, but each one typically falls into one of the following categories: industrial or desktop. Because they are the most common, let’s look at desktop systems.

Full Story

Allover Sublimation on Team Garments

September 21, 2018 |

Allover sublimation printing in garment decoration is beginning to revolutionize how consumers shop. A garment style can be selected (as a white polyester blank) — along with a pattern or graphic — and a totally custom garment can be created immediately.

Full Story

Don’t Stop the Press

September 4, 2018 |

You’ve no doubt heard the phrase “Work smarter, not harder” in reference to many applications, but none rings truer than when it comes to apparel decoration.

Full Story

DTG Quality Control

May 7, 2018 |

Most garment-decoration methods involve “dialing in” machines to produce orders without hiccups from beginning to end — with the last print being like the first.

Full Story

3 Tips for Successful Sublimation

April 9, 2018 |

Sublimation is a process that is enjoying immense popularity among end users, whether at retail or among wholesale clients. However, for decorators looking to make a foray into offering the process, there are some variables that can make the difference between success and failure.

Full Story

Goods on the Go

March 6, 2018 |

One of the best sales and marketing tools I have used is mobile decoration. This type of setup allows you to take equipment to specialty events, trade shows, craft shows, etc., and produce custom-decorated items on the spot.

Full Story

A DTG Q&A

February 27, 2018 |

The transition from screen to digital printing is becoming increasingly common among apparel decoratorslooking for fully custom, low-volume, quick-turn apparel.

Full Story

Sublimation Staples

February 27, 2018 |

The promotional products industry recently was estimated to be valued at more than $21 billion, according to a 2016 report from Promotional Products Association Intl. (PPAI).

Full Story

Top Sublimation Trends

October 5, 2017 |

The sublimation world has been expanding rapidly during the past few years. Part of this development has been the result of improvements in technology, such as sublimation-specific design software, easy-to-use color-management systems, higher-quality inks with expanded gamuts, faster printers, etc.

Full Story

Take DTG to the Max

February 23, 2017 |

Garment decorators are unique because it’s not uncommon that they perform a variety of tasks — sales, production, marketing and accounting — on a daily basis.

Full Story

Sublimation Ups the Ante

May 17, 2016 |

Though they aren’t focused on sublimation, several decorators who have added this decorating technique to their traditional screen-printing businesses have seen it grow faster and produce better margins than the more traditional processes their shops offer.

Full Story

The Transfer Advantage

May 17, 2016 |

It only takes one visit to a retail clothing store to see the numerous varied clothing items available for purchase that have a printed image located somewhere on each garment.

Full Story

The Basics of DTG Art Prep

April 18, 2016 |

You probably have seen a variety of shirts with designs that include
incredible detail, vibrant colors and beautiful, bright prints. They
make you do a double-take and wonder, “How did they do that?”

Full Story

DIY DTG Marketing

February 12, 2016 |

The demand for low-volume, custom-printed T-shirts has completely revolutionized the garment decoration industry. There have been significant improvements in the technology dedicated specifically to direct-to-garment (DTG) printing.

Full Story

The Heat Is On: Plastisol Transfer Apparel Decorating

February 12, 2016 |

When plastisol heat transfers were developed for decorating garments in
the 1960s, they were mainly used for embellishing white T-shirts, since
colored tees weren’t in demand yet. Times, however, have changed as has the nature of transfers, with more options available to decorators than ever before.

Full Story

The Ideal Sublimation Setup

February 12, 2016 |

One of the neat things about a sublimation operation is that it can be located virtually anywhere because of the small equipment footprint. Even so, a dedicated work space and efficient layout are necessary.

Full Story

Troubleshooting Sublimation

January 19, 2016 |

All forms of apparel decoration present challenges that must be overcome; it’s simply a natural part of the learning process. You didn’t jump in the driver’s seat of a car and instantly start driving. It took training, time, patience…

Full Story

DTG the Right Way

January 19, 2016 |

Decorators usually love attending industry trade shows because of the bevy of educational and networking opportunities they present and the chance to meet with their suppliers — all under one roof.

Full Story

Mega Multimedia

October 19, 2015 |

The secret to making money with multi-media starts with a great design concept and artwork. Then, to make it profitable and production friendly, you need to purchase the right “toys” so the process flows smoothly and is not so time consuming.

Full Story

The Lowdown on Logos

September 22, 2015 |

What’s in a logo? That depends upon whom you ask. An apparel decorator, trained in a specific process, sees a logo through production process lenses. A vinyl cutter operator sees details and layers…

Full Story

Sublimation Rising

September 22, 2015 |

So you really think you want to offer cut-and-sew services? You have seen the demand for customized sublimation growing all around you. You have maximized your traditional spot hit and all-over-print business and you still want more?

Full Story

Fun with Football Numbering

July 13, 2015 |

Fall is universally recognized as the start of football season, which offers numerous opportunities for decorators to provide numbered uniforms for teams and numbered jerseys for fans supporting specific players.  

Full Story

Beyond the DTG Printer

May 20, 2015 |

“There’s something wrong with the ink.” “There’s something wrong with the printer.” “There’s something wrong with…” a hundred of other reasons direct-to-garment (DTG) prints look dull, stiff or otherwise imperfect.

Full Story

Up In Arms

March 20, 2015 |

If you paid attention to 2014 trends, then you saw the dramatic increase in sublimation activity. It was everywhere.
 

Full Story

InstaWhat?

March 20, 2015 |

Did you know that Instagram has more than 100 million users? That’s a lot of potential customers that you may not be speaking to about your products and services if you offer sublimated hard goods.
 

Full Story

Short-Run Sublimation

March 13, 2015 |

How many times have you had a customer come in at closing time to place an order that needs to be ready by the next day? Well, consider those the good old days because today, more and more clients want same-day delivery.

Full Story

Sublimation Rising

March 11, 2015 |

Sublimation continues to grow rapidly in today’s marketplace — and why wouldn’t it? The process is customization friendly; it can be applied to an array of blank apparel options available in the marketplace; and more and more people are buying performance apparel. 

Full Story

How to Avoid Ghosting in Sublimation

March 9, 2015 |

When using sublimation for apparel decorating, ghosting can ruin an otherwise flawless piece. Ghosting is especially common on dark text with a light background. By exercising caution, you can eliminate the “ghosts” and get back to great sublimation.

Full Story

Passion Becomes Profit

September 4, 2014 |

Mobile apparel decorating is an excellent choice for the business owner who wants to dabble in the industry part time, or one who takes a decorating show on the road full time. It is a profitable business that also has a low cost of entry. Here is one decorator’s story.

Full Story

The Personal Touch

May 27, 2014 |

The core factor of profitable personalization sales is the ability to print and apply high-resolution, full-color photographic images to a wide range of quality consumer-oriented merchandise.
 

Full Story

Adding Digital Garment Printing to Your Shop

March 10, 2014 |

If you’ve added a process such as embroidery to your screen printing business, then you’re probably a good candidate for adding direct-to-garment printing. That’s because you’re already looking at yourself as someone who offers decorating services, not someone who only does screen printing. The only question, then, is how to add the process to your shop.

Full Story

The “G” in DTG

December 11, 2013 |

In this Tech Tips Newsletter, sponsored by Anajet, you’ll learn about the major garment considerations you must make when printing with direct-to-garment equipment.

Full Story

The Digital Direction

November 12, 2013 |

The ever-evolving digital market segment offers faster, more efficient and more cost-effective options every year. Suppliers continue to provide apparel decorators with options for delivering orders of all sizes and specs, with machines capable of large or small runs. 

Full Story

Embracing Digital Technologies

October 22, 2012 |

A lot has changed in the garment decorating industry since the first Screen Print Association (SPA) trade show was held in the 1940s and the Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS) began its history in 1978. 

Full Story

DTG The ‘Wright’ Way

August 27, 2012 |

Some people work to live and, consequently, live to work. Thus, the perception is they work because they have to work. Mark Wright, however, is an entrepreneur. He subscribes to the notion that if you do what you love, then you love what you do.

Full Story