13 printing techniques for creating the ideal promotional gift

We want to offer you the perfect personalized gift, whereby quality and safety are most important. Therefore, we have an extensive quality control process in place. During our printing process, we guarantee safety by using the right printing inks.

We can offer you the perfect personalized gift in the most cost-effective, fastest, and sustainable way.

By continuously upgrading to the latest specific printing techniques and processes in the industry, we can match the materials and design you are looking for! As we have 13 different print techniques available, we can always assure the best branding result per material. Below we share more details about each of the printing techniques we offer.

Pad printing

Pad printing is an indirect printing method. On a metal plate that contains a photo sensitive layer, the logo is exposed by use of UV light. This will cause the logo to “sink” into the top layer. This deeper part will be filled with ink. A smooth stamp made of silicon rubber takes the ink of the plate and transfers it onto the item. Due to the chemicals in the ink, the ink will bite itself into the material (except for glass, metal, and ceramic).

Almost any kind of shape/item in the world can be printed by use of pad printing. That is why this is the most used printing technique in our business. Pens, desk clocks, business card holders, USB sticks, ceramic mugs, memo clips, key chains … you name it. Round or flat, everything is possible, however the material of the item or the limited printing size can cause having to switch to a different printing technique.

Keep in mind that some materials are harder to print than others and might need pre-treatment (flaming or corona treatment), special additives to the ink (binders, thinners, reducers) or longer drying time (metal, glass, ceramic).

Things to keep in mind:

Pad printing on metal: The ink will not bite into the material; it will stay on top of the material. This means that the ink will go off when the item is scratched with something sharp (a knife or keys).

Pad printing on ceramic: Smaller print size than ceramic transfer. Ink will not bite into the material; it will stay on top of the material. Not 100% dishwasher proof (the imprint will fade after a while).

Advantages:

• All kind of materials can be printed

• All kind of shapes can be printed

• Fast

• Cheap

• Up to 6 spot colours and full colour imprint is possible

• Small details are printable (material dependent!)

Disadvantages:

• Limited print size (especially on rounded items)

• Low ink transfer; light colours (especially on darker back grounds) may take several print runs for good coverage

• Longer drying time on metal, glass, ceramic

Screen printing

In screen printing, the ink will be printed directly onto the item by use of a “screen”. The screen contains a mesh (maze) with small openings. A photo sensitive layer will be applied on which the artwork or logo is exposed under UV light. On the part where the logo is the openings in the mesh will remain open. The screen will be put into a carousel; ink is put onto the screen and by use of a squeegee pressed onto the item. After each print run, the item needs to be put through a drying tunnel, or dried by hand by use of a paint stripper or hair dryer (much more time consuming!)

Screen printing is great for bags, t-shirts, wine boxes, inflatables, caps, umbrellas, etc.

As long as the surface that we need to print is flat, all items can be printed.

Advantages:

• Big print sizes

• Better coverage due to larger ink transfer

• Less adhesion problems

Disadvantages:

• Detailed printing on rough materials not possible. (Solution is transfer-printing)

• Registering colours is complicated on double-layered materials. (This is why these items are printable only in 1 colour) (Solution is transfer-printing)

• Print surface needs to be flat, so printing close to zippers, buttons, cords, seems, etc. is not possible

• Materials that cannot take heat well are difficult to print (PE, PVC, etc.) because they will melt in the drying tunnel. The solution is to use transfer printing or air drying (this last one will cause a significant delay in delivery time and is very space consuming)

Laser engraving

A digital logo will be sent to the laser machine. With a light beam (YAG laser) or a gas beam (CO2 laser) the top layer of the material will be “burned” away, and the logo becomes visible. The more complex the logo or the bigger the surface we need to engrave, the longer the production time. A simple line of text may take 5 seconds, but a square of 10 x 10 cm may take a minute or more per piece.

Materials that can be laser engraved: metal inc. aluminum (colour of the logo is always white), wood (is a natural product so not all engravings will be the same), glass (most of the engravings will be white), fleece (engravings will be a bit darker than the fleece), felt, leather, some (hard) plastics paper polyurethane (PU).

Items that are ideal for laser engraving include business card holders, key chains, pens, wine boxes, desk clocks, etc.

Advantages:

• Print cannot be removed

• Luxurious look, especially on shiny metal

• Extremely detailed

• No chemicals needed in the process

Disadvantages:

• Colour of engraving is determined by the material and cannot be influenced

• Limited print size on rounded items

• More expensive than pad printing

• Large or complex logos can be time consuming during production

Transfer printing

A screen is created in the same way of a “normal” screen print. The logo is printed on special silicon-based paper instead of directly onto the item. The colours are printed one by one on a white base.

After each print run, the item needs to be put through a drying tunnel or dried by hand by use of a paint stripper or hair dryer (much more time consuming!).

After all colours are printed, a layer of glue is printed, in the same shape as the logo and a special powder is applied. Because of the glue and the powder, the transfer has adhesion on an item. By use of a heat press the transfer will be applied to the item. The heat will liquify the glue and the pressure will make for good adhesion. Once the transfer is cooled off, the paper is removed, and the logo will remain on the item.

When to use transfer printing:

• More colour imprint on a double layered surface; in screen print, colours cannot be registered because of the movement between the two layers.

• Small details; small details on rough materials will not show (part of the shape will disappear into the material).

• Light colours on dark surfaces; the background colour will “bleed” through the ink causing the colour not to match the exact.

• Pantone colour; In these cases, we will use a screen transfer.

As long as the surface that we need to print is flat, all items can be printed. Bags, T-shirts, caps, umbrellas, waist bags, etc.

Advantages:

• No limitation in the number of colours

• Small details printable

• Printed colours are very bright

• Exact Pantone colour match possible due to white base

Disadvantages:

• Print prices are higher than screen printing (because of extra applying step)

• In general, production times are longer than in screen printing

• Print surface needs to be flat, so printing close to zippers, buttons, cords, seems, etc. is not possible.

• Some materials are not printable with a transfer (for instance, PVC will melt when applying)

• Fleece, felt, and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) materials: the shape of the plates used on the machine may be visible in the material after applying

Embroidery

A digital logo is “redrawn” to determine how many stitches are needed. (Therefore, there are higher set-up costs for embroidery). Once the logo is redrawn, a ring is put on two sides of the item than needs to be embroidered. Then, the item is put under a large sewing machine which sewing heads can contain up to 15 needles. (So 15 different threads (colours) can be embroidered in one run.)

Which materials can be embroidered? Polyester, nylon, fleece, cotton.

Which items can be embroidered? Hats and caps, backpacks, laptop bags, t-shirts, body warmers.

Advantages:

• Luxurious looking

• Long lasting

• Up to 15 colours in one print run

Disadvantages:

• More expensive (costs are based per cm2)

• No small details (lower case letters need to be min. 5-6 mm in height)

• Time consuming

• Some positions are hard to embroider because of zippers, buttons etc.

• No exact Pantone colour matching

• Additional charge for personalization or use of gold/silver thread

Doming

The term “doming” comes from the rounding that is reminiscent of a dome. On a plotter, the logo is printed on a roll of adhesive paper, a cutter will cut out the desired shape and then a 2-component resin layer (epoxy) is applied. This layer is crystal clear, which means that not only will the logo be protected from fading, it also looks slightly enlarged and is protected against scratching.

Which items can be printed? Key chains, pens, folders, wine boxes, kitchen appliances, etc.

Any item with a flat surface suitable to put a sticker on.

Advantages:

• Any desired shape is possible

• High quality result

• Luxurious and exclusive looking

Disadvantages:

• Surface will have to be flat

• No adhesion on textile fabrics

• More expensive (costs are based per cm2)

• Time consuming

Digital transfer

On a plotter, the logo is printed on a special roll of paper (white base and glue are already printed on the paper by the manufacturer). A cutter will cut out the desired shape and by use of a heat press the transfer is applied onto the item (just like in normal transfer printing).

Which materials can be printed? Textiles (polyester, nylon, cotton), leather, polyurethane (PU), carton, fleece, felt.

Which Items can be printed? As long as the surface that we need to print is flat, all items can be printed. Bags, t-shirts, caps, umbrellas, waist bags, etc.

Advantages:

• No limitation in the number of colours due to digital print process

• Any desired shape is possible

• Small details printable

• Printed colours are very bright

• High quality

• Cheap in small order quantities or print sizes

Disadvantages:

• Pantone colours cannot be used because of 4 colour print process

• Only suitable for “single cut forms” (in text, all the inside of letters need to be peeled out by hand)

• More expensive with big order amounts or print sizes (prices per cm2)

Ceramic transfer

A transfer is printed, similar to the normal transfer process or the digital one, on a special paper. The paper is made wet and put on/around the item. Then the item is baked in an oven at 700 degrees, causing the pores of the material to open up. When cooling down, the pores will close again, and the imprint is embedded in the material.

Which materials can be printed? Ceramic, porcelain, glass.

Which items can be printed? Mugs, plates, glasses, pots.

Advantages:

• 100% dishwasher-proof

• Also possible on the inside or handle of mugs

• Big print size possible (up to 20 x 7 cm on a straight mug)

Disadvantages:

• Time consuming

• Exact Pantone colour matching is difficult (for instance, light colours will come out quite darker)

• More expensive

• Full colour imprint only possible on a white background

Digital printing

In a special UV digital printer, the imprint is printed directly onto the item. Print heads move above the item and create images. At the same time, an UV lamp dries the ink. The printer can print in CMYK color mode but also white. The printer heads can be adjusted in height, so even high items (150 mm e.g. beer cradles) can be printed by use of this technique, as long as the surface that needs to be printed is even and flat.

Which materials can be printed? Plastic, metal, wood, paper, imitation leather, glass.

Which items can be printed? Wine boxes, sliding games, lids, notebooks and other flat items.

Advantages:

• Photo quality

• Bigger print sizes compared to pad print

• You can print a BMP file (vector not necessary)

• Print with white ink

• Printed very quickly (depends on item size)

Disadvantages:

• Pantone colour matching is more difficult due to full-colour production process

• Depending on the material, pre-treatment may be necessary

• Production time and costs depend on the logo size

• No curved items print

Digital printing textile

For this printing technique, we are using a special digital printer in CMYK color mode. The printer can print directly on garment. It is a digital printing technique, so we can print full-colour images also with white ink. We put the white garment into the printer, then print the image and strengthen the image by using a heat press. For colored garments, we need to use a special pre-treatment liquid for better adhesion. We can perform the printing on fabric which consists at least 90% of cotton.

Which materials can be printed? Cotton Fabric (min. 90%)

Which items can be printed? T-shirts, hoodies, polo, shirts, bags.

Advantages:

• Photo quality

• No color separation process needed

• Print with white ink

• You can print the BMP file (vector not necessary)

Disadvantages:

• Low speed print

• More expensive technique

• Pantone colour matching more difficult due to full colour production process

• Depending on the fabric color pre-treatment may be necessary

Sublimation transfer (ts)

Sublimation is a digital print technique. Firstly, a digital plotter prints the image on special paper. Then, the paper template is applied on a polyester surface by use of a heat press. A sublimation template can be transferred on almost every item, but the template must be covered by a polyester layer. We can also apply sublimation transfer on polyester fabric. It is very important that the heat press temperature must be 200°C. This means that the item has to be resistant to high temperatures.

Which materials can be printed? Every material covered by a polyester layer, polyester fabric.

Which items can be printed? T-shirts, mugs, bags, umbrellas, mug pads, tablet bags.

Advantages:

• Photo quality

• Fast printing (depend on item size)

• You can print a BMP file (vector not necessary)

• Big surface print

• Relatively low costs

Disadvantages:

• Printed only on special items

• Polyester surface must be white

• High temperatures needed

• Pantone colour matching is more difficult due to full-colour production process

Debossing

Firstly, the logo is engraved into a metal stamp. Then, the logo is pressed into the material of the item. The material must be thick enough to withstand the pressure of the machine and the surface has to be even and flat.

Which materials can be printed? Leather, polyurethane (PU), carton.

Which items can be printed? Document folders, wallets, business card folders, notebooks.

Advantages:

• No chemicals needed

• Foil print possible (clear shiny foil will be printed into the embossing, limited colours available)

Disadvantages:

• No small details

• Limited print size

• In foil print, no exact Pantone colours are possible