So you’ve picked your promo item, and now you’re asked which decoration method you’d like to bring your brand logo to life. Depending on which giveaway you’ve landed on, you might find that you have more decoration options than you know what to do with. Picking how you brand your promotional gift shouldn’t take longer than picking the promo itself, so we’ve put together a brief overview of all the common decoration methods, the advantages, and some considerations to take into account to help streamline the process.
Screen Printing:
A traditional and economical way to brand items that uses a mesh screen, ink, and a squeegee to stencil designs onto various surfaces.
Used for: Apparel, bags, pens, drinkware, technology items, and generally anything plastic or fabric offers this option.
Advantages: When compared to digital printing, screen-printed items are generally considered to be more durable and of higher quality. This method is cost-effective for small batches or single or limited-color logos.
Considerations: Creating screens is labor intensive, and different screens are required for each color in the design, which means multi-color logos can become more expensive with this decoration method. This cost is usually reflected in either the setup charge or something called a “run charge,” which is typically a color-per-piece fee. Screen printing also has a more limited color palette than digital printing, and details can be lost in more complex designs.
Digital Printing
This method uses an inkjet printer to digitally print directly onto a material without the need for a printing plate or screen. Digital printing allows for fine halftones, an expanded color range, and even PMS matching to capture the sharpness of the design before transferring it to the product.
Used for: Apparel, bags, pens, drinkware, technology items, and generally anything plastic or fabric offers this option.
Advantages: Digital printing is a simple way to capture colorful or complex images without using more expensive decoration options. It is not as labor-intensive as screen printing and often offers a quicker turnaround time.
Considerations: Digitally printed designs are less durable finished products than screen printing and will degrade faster over time. This method is also usually offered at a fixed cost that scales less with bulk purchases.
Heat Transfer
A two-step process where a design is transferred from a special wax paper to fabric using heat and pressure. The heat triggers the ink to create an adhesive on the opposite side of the wax paper, sticking it to the fabric.
Used for: Flat fabric items like totes, bags, and apparel.
Advantages: This method is great for small-run printings and is a quick alternative to traditional printing. This method offers full color and PMS matching and usually has more placement options than direct or screen printing.
Considerations: While great for small runs, heat transfer can be expensive, labor intensive, and time consuming when used for large quantities. This method is not very durable and can degrade after just a few washes and cannot be ironed as it will melt the graphic.
DTG (Direct-to-Garment)
A process similar to inkjet printing for fabric uses a special pre-treatment on the fabric so the ink bonds directly to the material's surface. This creates a strong, durable, and vibrantly finished graphic on your product.
Used for: Cotton fabric items like totes, bags, apparel, and lanyards.
Advantages: Quick and simple method that offers full-color designs and a fast turnaround time. Like digital printing, DTG usually features a flat setup fee, meaning it’s great for complex or colorful branding.
Considerations: Unlike other fabric decoration options, DTG requires a very specific fabric, and garments need to be at least 50% cotton (though 80% is recommended). Larger runs tend to be a bit more time-consuming due to the pre-treatment process so lead times can increase with quantities.
Dye Sublimation
Dye sublimation is a process that prints ink one line at a time, using an electrically heated element to produce images. Instead of spraying jets of ink onto a page as inkjet printers do, dye sublimation printers apply a dye from a plastic film.
Used for: Fabric items like totes and bags, apparel, backdrop displays, and lanyards.
Advantages: The dye sublimation process produces more vibrant colors than traditional inkjet printing. Ultimately the dye becomes part of the fabric, so it’s generally more durable and longer lasting than traditional printing.
Considerations: Dye sub is a considerably slower process than traditional inkjet printing, which can often mean longer lead times. This process is also labor-intensive and often more expensive than other traditional printing methods.
Embroidery
You’ve undoubtedly seen this traditional method of decorating material with needle and thread on garments and apparel. Most commonly used to decorate clothing, this is a popular favorite year after year.
Used for: Fabric items like totes, bags, backpacks, apparel, blankets, and towels.
Advantages: Typically seen as a high-end decoration option with a high perceived value that is more durable than printing and more resistant to any damage from wash cycles than other methods.
Considerations: Depending on the complexity and size of your design, it can be substantially more expensive than other print methods. Logos need to be digitized before they can be embroidered, sometimes resulting in additional costs. Additionally, due to the material qualities of the thread used to produce your design, small, intricate details can be lost with this process.
Deboss
A method that utilizes a heated stamp or die that is pressed into the substrate to leave an impression of your logo on the material’s surface.
Used for: Commonly seen in harder fabric and leather-bound items like journals, padfolios, keychains, backpacks, bags, and general apparel.
Advantages: Debossing is a unique decoration method that yields a high-quality finished design with a higher perceived value. Debossed designs are extremely durable and capable of capturing small details.
Considerations: When compared to screen or digital printing, the high-quality nature of this method is reflected in the higher price point. Like laser engraving, there is a limited material range that can actually be debossed. Foil can be used to add some color to your design for an additional cost, but otherwise, the design is limited to the color of the item being debossed.
Laser Engraving / Etching
This process uses a high-heat laser to vaporize materials to engrave deep, permanent marks. The laser beam acts as a chisel, incising marks by removing layers from the surface of the material.
Used for: Most commonly seen in metal and ceramic surfaces used for drinkware and tech, but can also be used for wooden surfaces and even some apparel (like leather).
Advantages: Laser engraving offers a very quick turnaround time and can capture complex designs with the high precision of the lasers. It’s high-quality offers a more durable option than printing as it will not degrade over time.
Considerations: High-intensity laser makes it one of the most energy-intensive decoration methods, which is often reflected in the cost. Because there is no ink involved, the color of the design is limited to the color of the material being engraved.
Still have questions? Our Customer Relations team is here to help! Contact us with any details you might be unclear on or if you’re ready to get the ball rolling on your next promo purchase, and let's get branding!