When selecting promotional products, marketers must choose not only useful products for consumers that they would use frequently but also ensure long lasting of the brand message or logo imprinted on it. The latter is as much important when selecting promotional products in NYC because extended visibility provides a better brand promotion. This is particularly important for some specific promotional products like T-shirts and hats that garner wide attention when displayed at public places which help to spread the brand identity across a wide section of people.
Choosing the printing method can sometimes be overwhelming because there are several types of printing techniques for different kinds of items. It is better to have some idea about the printing methods without dabbling in technicalities by focusing on its suitability for some specific types of items. Knowledge about the printing methods will surely help you to make well-informed decisions.
Screen printing
Fabric type materials, as well as plastics and aluminum, need a special type of printing technique like screen printing to produce the best quality of print on the surface that lasts long. The printing process uses a nylon or silk screen mounted on a frame on which the stencil of the logo created by the process of the emulsion, which is a liquid hardening process, is affixed. Spreading ink across the screen and wiping it with a rubber squeeze transfers the image to the surface of the product. When using many colors, the process entails using one color at a time and then drying the ink and placing a new screen on the top of the surface for using another color.
Digital printing
When it is required to print the logo in multiple colors, four or more, digital printing is the best option. The printing method uses machines like a printing press and allows printing the entire surface. Paper surfaces are best suited for digital printing, and you can even use it for some other surfaces like printing mouse pads made from soft sponge-like material. The method of printing consists of printing digital based images directly on a variety of media or substrates. The process of printing is swift and perfect for all volumes of jobs from a few pieces to many thousand. If you hear someone talking about 4 color printing process or full-color printing or CMYK, you must know that it is the same digital printing.
Laser engraving
Printing is good when it does not peel off but to ensure that there is no peeling off you must choose the right printing method according to the material on which to create the imprint. Even the best quality printing will defy the promotional objective if it does not last long. Printing on glass surfaces, wood items, metal pens and gifts with metal plaques requires special printing technique like laser engraving. It creates sharp, crystal clear prints that cling to the surface for a long time by withstanding the forces of rubbing. Laser software helps to create the logo with proper programming and then with the help of laser beams printed on the desired surface. For adding additional color and making the print more distinct, you can use the oxidation process.
Embroidery
Creating logos with embroidery gives long life to the logos when used on fabric material like caps or apparels. The vibrant stitching brings the logo to life by first creating artwork and then developing digital images of the logo and finally by using threads and needle to craft the embroidery in multiple colors that simply look amazing. Using sewing machines for embroidery helps to meet the demand for mass production.
Sublimation
This kind of printing is suitable for printing logos and marketing messages on acrylic or polyester surface by transferring the image from a special paper to the surface by using heat sensitive ink. While in other printing processes the ink transfers from one media to another in liquid form, in the process of sublimation the ink vaporizes due to the application of heat and then sticks to the fabric like surface to create a design that remains permanent. The longevity of the print is much more because it is permanent and not removable by any means.
Debossing / Embossing
The 3D logos that you see on some promotional products is the result of debossing or embossing that uses metal dies in the shape of the logo. The final polished look of the logo culminates from the process of transferring the image by using heat and metal plates.
To make the printed impression on promotional products last longer, you must choose the right type of printing that is appropriate for the particular material. There is no common printing technique applicable to all kinds of materials, and you must select the preferred imprinting method according to the item that ensures its high longevity.
