Garment Printing Gloucestershire
We offer several different types of printing services here at Freedom. Printing can be a good alternative to embroidery and also lends itself to larger designs/logo’s, names and numbers on Sports Kit, Sponsor Prints etc.
Before making a decision as to what type of printing you require, it’s a good idea to ask yourself the following questions:
- How many items do you require?
- How many colours are in your design?
- What will the end product be used for?
Cad Cut Vinyl Printing
This type of printing lends itself to personalising garments with names and numbers on sports kit, simple one or two colour designs.
Vinyl comes in many great striking colours and is also available in metallic, fluorescent, flock and reflective finishes which are great for workwear. It is a very durable fabric and can be washed up to 60° without colour deterioration, it is also very flexible so is perfect for stretchy sports fabrics such as Lycra®.
Supplied artwork needs to be in an eps or Ai vector format which is usually created in Illustrator or CorelDraw. It needs to be in this type of format rather than a raster format such as a jpeg, png or psd as vector images are created with points and lines, this allows a digital cutter to read the design and cut it to the required shape. If vector artwork is not available, we do offer a low cost conversion rate to convert raster files to vector images.
The design is uploaded back in to design software where it can be manipulated to the required dimensions, this information is then fed to the cutter which is pre-loaded with the chosen colour vinyl and the design is then cut out. Once the design has been cut, any excess vinyl is then removed by a process known as “weeding”. If designs are quite detailed this can be a lengthy process, which is why this type of printing lends itself to more basic designs and text.
Once the design has been prepared it is then applied to the garment at a very high temperature using a commercial heat press.
Pro's
- Not the best form of printing for detailed designs
- Do not advise tumble drying garments after application
Con's
- Not the best form of printing for detailed designs
- Do not advise tumble drying garments after application
Screen Printing
Screen printing is perfect for printing larger quantities and we can print up to 6 colours per design. Screen print offers a highly durable quality finish that maintains colour well. It lends itself to the flat surface of all types of garments and Pantone colours can be matched closely if required.
Where a design has several colours each colour has to be applied one at a time, which means a separate mesh screen has to be made for each colour. The reason this type of printing lends itself to larger runs is that there are set up charges for each screen that has to be made. However, these charges can pale into insignificance when averaged over a larger quantity of products.
Once each colour ink has been applied to create the design or logo the garments are then dried and cured.
Water based inks are also available for customers who require environmentally friendly garments these work well with products from our organic and eco-friendly range.
Artwork should be supplied in eps or ai vector file format as this allows colours to be separated and design manipulated easily. If a vector file is not available we do offer a low cost conversion service to convert raster file types such as high resolution jpeg or png files at least 300dpi and 100% of the intended print size.
Pro's
- We can print up to 6 colours per design
- It offers a highly durable finish
- Eco-friendly inks are available
- We can match to specific Pantone references if required
- Screen printing can offer a very competitive form of printing if larger quantities are required
Con's
- Depending on the amount of colours required, it may not be cost effective for smaller runs due to screens setup charges
- Print placements need to be free from seamed or pocket areas
Screen Printed Heatseal Transfers
Products that require coloured corporate branding or sponsor prints that require matching to exact pantone references we can also manage this service for you. They can be produced in any shape or size, in high design definition, they will stretch and flex with the garment, and can be applied to the majority of fabrics. They can also be supplied with flame retardant properties with FR certification, and reflective properties conforming to EN471, they are colour fast and can be tumble tried.
Artwork should be supplied in eps or ai vector file format as this allows colours to be separated and design manipulated easily. If a vector file is not available we do offer a low cost conversion service to convert other raster file types such as high resolution jpeg or png files at least 300dpi and 100% of the intended print size.
We can then apply them to garments using our commercial heat press.
Pro's
- Perfect for high volume orders
- Colours can be matched to Pantone references
- Can be produced in any shape or size
- Can be supplied with flame retardant and reflective properties
Con's
- Not cost effective for small orders
Laser Transfer Printing
This process can reproduce more detailed images, depending on the quality of the artwork supplied. It’s great for promotional items and colours can incorporate Pantone references if required.
Photo images or designs are uploaded back into digital design software where they can be formatted to a unique shape and size then printed on to special transfer paper. An adhesive backing is then heat applied to the transfer paper. The transfers are then applied to garments at a very high temperature by using a commercial heat press.
The better quality of image supplied the better the results. For logo’s and designs, print ready eps or Ai vector files are required or we offer a low cost conversion rate for high resolution jpeg or png files which need to be at least 300dpi and 100% of the intended print size. For photo images, the following formats are acceptable jpeg or psd files, image resolution 150-300dpi and should be 100% of the intended print size.
Pro's
- Can reproduce high quality images
- No set-up charges if artwork supplied in correct format so perfect for smaller quantities
- Artwork can be matched to Pantone references
Con's
- Colour fastness will deteriorate over time
- Do not advise tumble drying after application.