A successful campaign or promotion – no matter what it’s for – can seriously hinge on the way it looks in the eyes of your audience. We all judge a book by its cover from time to time, and this is especially true when it comes to our responses to brands. It’s not just the design, either; the printing method you choose really matters.
Here, we’ll talk you through the pros and cons of different printing methods – including screen printing, pad printing, digital printing, heat transfer, and embroidery.
At Promo Gear, we’re always here to help you choose the best option for your products, no matter your priorities. So, if you finish reading this guide and you’re still not sure – get in touch!
So, take control of your messaging with the right fit for your promotional prints: here’s our guide to finding a printing method that works for your brand (and your audience).
Print Style Summary
No time to read the whole article? Here’s a speedy summary on how to pick the perfect printing style for your products.
- Make sure you know what your priorities are when it comes to balancing print run size, material, and overall design
- Screen printing (single colour) is perfect for bold designs and bigger print runs on fabrics.
- Pad printing is a great choice for oddly shaped items, but can be time (and budget) consuming on large runs.
- Digital printing is an amazing all-rounder on a huge variety of textile, but is out-shone by screen printing in larger runs.
- Heat transfer can be used on plenty of materials and surfaces, but is best for small runs where durability isn’t a huge concern.
- Embroidery gives a beautiful, premium feel, and is best for smaller designs on apparel that’s made of non-stretch fabrics.
- Engraving is a great match for high-quality, premium goods. Perfect for milestone gifts and commemorations.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Printing Style
Where should you start when you’re choosing a printing method? You’ll need to consider a number of factors before you make a printing decision, including material, design complexity, and printing volume. It’s about deciding what result you want, and prioritising factors in the printing process that align best.
Material
Most of our clients come to us with some idea around the surface they’re hoping to print on, with some degree of flexibility around the exact type of material they might end up with.
Sometimes, even subtle differences in material, like colour or thread count, can impact your choice of printing technique.
It’s always good to have a little flexibility around material: some printing techniques look best on certain kinds of surfaces, and not all materials will accept all kinds of printing.
For instance, cotton fabrics tend to work best with water-based printing techniques, whereas polyester often achieves better results with heat-based techniques.
Print Volume
Is an efficient production cycle your priority? Or are you looking for a small batch of a more premium product? Some printing processes are better suited to larger print runs, as they create a large amount of waste for smaller batches, and some are more labour-intensive and can result in longer lead times.
Design
How complex is the design you’re looking to print? Some designs won’t reproduce on certain fabrics, some will take extra time to achieve, and some printing techniques won’t offer certain colours. So, if you’re set on a specific level of detail or your brand has strict rules around the use of colour, you might find that your printing options will be more limited, or even pricier. However, there are still plenty of cost-effective ways to achieve brilliant, bold prints without breaking your budget – read on to explore some of our most popular printing styles. We’ve got an option that will work for you – just get in touch with one of our print specialists to discover how we can achieve the right balance for you!
Common Printing Styles for Promotional Products
Screen Printing
If you’ve got a solid, block-style design, with bold colour and clear shapes, screen printing is an excellent choice. The colours in screen printing penetrate into the materials quite deeply, so it’s great for garments and items that might need to be washed frequently: the designs will fade less than with other techniques. Screen printing benefits from larger single print areas when printing on flat surfaces.
Limitations:
- One design per screen/print
- Unable to have variable unique data for each product
- Additional colours result in additional set up costs.
Pad Printing
Pad printing is the process of transferring a 2D design onto a 3D object using a silicone pad. You’ll recognise it on items like mugs and other curved surfaces. It’s suitable for use on surfaces like glass, metal, rubber, wood, and plastic. It offers a great level of detail and is extremely flexible, being able to print multiple colours through a single pass
Limitations
- Halftones/gradients are often inconsistent
- Unable to have variable unique data for each product
- Additional colours result in additional set up costs.
Digital Printing
Digital printing uses an ink-jet style printing method, not dissimilar to the one in your everyday average printer! It gives you high-speed results on demand, with very little setup, making it perfect for highly customised, smaller print runs. It’s ultra-versatile and can offer a high degree of detail on a variety of materials. When it comes to uniforms or merchandise, it works best on cotton rather than synthetic blends and can produce a slightly less durable result than screen printing. Screen printing tends to be more cost-effective for large print runs, with digital printing offering a great solution for smaller runs.
Limitations
- Metallic/Neon Colours cannot be printed
- White colours cannot be printed on certain wood, clear or metallic product
Heat Transfer
As the name suggests, heat transfer uses pressure and temperature to transfer designs onto surfaces, including fabrics, plastics, and ceramics. It offers unlimited colour variations and high-definition results, with quick turnarounds enabled by low setup requirements. The low setup barriers make it perfect for smaller runs, too – think of runs under 100 units, such as prototypes and special-event apparel.
Limitation
- Less durable print, resulting in fading after frequent washing
- May cause fabric to be stiff
Embroidery
Embroidery isn’t technically a form of printing, but it is a technique that is often used alongside or as a substitute for printing. It stitches your desired design into the fabric of your product, offering you a design that’s durable and delicate at the same time, perfect for merch and uniforms with a premium touch. It can be used on fabrics including denim, cotton, and linen, but can cause damage to less rigid fabrics without proper stabilisation. Embroidery – even when done by a fully automated machine – can take time and often requires a generous lead time for large batches.
Limitations
- Colours are limited to the types of thread colours that are available
- Unable to have variable unique data for each product
- Having more threads in a small design will result in a stiff final product
Engraving
Engraving is a permanent printing process that results in your logo/artwork being etched into the product itself.
Limitations
- Final engraving colour cannot be changed due to being limited to product material
- Small very fine detail may result in illegible results.
It pays to pick the right print style
At the beginning of your promotional-product journey, it helps to break down your vision for your product into priorities – like design specificity, print run size, and preferred materials. While the above techniques are a great overview of the printing styles available for most applications, Promo Gear has experience with even more styles — there’s almost certainly a printing technique that balances all of your requirements, no matter how specific they may be. Working with a dedicated printing partner like us at Promo Gear, you’re sure to find something that captures both your vision and the attention of your target audience. We’re keen to hear about your next project or campaign – get in touch with any questions or ideas you might have: we’ll help you make them a reality! Our specialists would love to hear from you – get in touch today.
Get in touch with our product specialists today and let’s create corporate gifts that work harder for your brand.