6 Basic Ways to Customize Your Shirts and Apparel
There are many ways to decorate a piece of clothing. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, so choosing the right one for your project is important.
If you're looking for the best decoration method for your custom apparel, we're here to help. Here's our complete guide to basic customization methods and their common uses.
Embroidery
A popular choice, embroidery produces high-quality results and can be used on various fabrics. It's the best choice for sports and business teams that want to design custom caps, jackets, polo shirts, and work uniforms.
Some decorators like LogoSportswear offer digitized embroidery. Our process creates a beautiful stitch that looks handmade.
To embroider a design onto custom apparel, we prepare a digitized version of your logo or turn your image into a three-dimensional format.
Screen Printing
Screen printing is a popular choice for custom t-shirts because it's relatively inexpensive. This manual process involves putting a silk screen over the garment you want to decorate and dragging brightly colored ink across the shirt with a squeegee. Your design will turn out crisp, neat, and sharp when done right. Screen-printed designs have a softer feel and last a long time with proper care and maintenance.
The downside of screen printing is that it is time-consuming, and the results are not always consistent. It is also labor-intensive and requires a high level of skill to do well.
Screen printing can be used on a range of fabrics, including cotton and most types of polyester. It works well for vibrant designs or designs on dark-colored apparel. This method is perfect for printed t-shirts, team uniforms, sweatshirts, and more.
At LogoSportswear, we offer screen printing for orders with a minimum of 48 pieces due to the higher setup costs. The design must have only one or two colors per placement.
CAD-cut Printing
CAD-cut printing is another popular choice, especially for sportswear. It involves using an adhesive material cut and transferred with a high-heat press to print a reversed design onto the fabric. We use specialized films that are highly durable and soft to the touch to transfer the design. CAD-cut printing is an excellent choice for blended fabrics, such as polyester/cotton or tri-blends.
At LogoSportswear, we use high-performance print/cut technology to create contour-cut designs that are applied to garments with a heat press. CAD-cut printing is perfect for those who need athletic uniforms with different team names and numbers and for decorating dark garments.
Digital Direct/Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing
This method is like screen printing, except the design is printed directly onto the garment using a digital inkjet printer. Because the inks are absorbed into the fabric, this print method is used only for pure cotton garments.
Digital printing is perfect for full-color designs like photo t-shirts. Unlike screen printing, digital printing can work with a broader range of file formats, including vector art, high-resolution bitmap images, or digital photos. We do not have minimums or setup fees for digital printing orders.
Sublimation Printing
Sublimation is used for dry performance fabrics with moisture-wicking properties. Unlike other methods where a layer of ink or film is applied onto the garment, sublimation uses extreme heat to bond color to polyester fibers.
Not all fabrics are compatible with sublimation printing. It can be used only on light-colored garments and not with designs that require white printing. We recommend this application only for white garments.
Sewn-on Tackle Twill/Appliqué Embroidery
Sewn-on twill, also known as appliqué, creates a unique, classic look. This method involves sewing or embroidering a piece of polyester/cotton twill onto the garment. The appliqué gives the embroidered design a more three-dimensional look. If you're feeling fancy, you can add glitter to your design!
Appliqué embroidery is highly durable, machine-washable, and won't shrink. It's ideal for custom sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, and team uniforms that will be used for a long time.
Laser Etching
Also called engraving, laser etching creates an upscale, professional look. This method uses advanced laser technology to create a clean, precise garment design. Laser etching can be applied to various fabrics, although we highly recommend it for decorating medium-shade pieces of clothing. Popular applications of laser etching include custom jackets and activewear.
Because of our in-house technology, laser etching can achieve a higher level of detail than other laser machines. This allows us to create more sophisticated designs in unusual placements, such as across zippers and seams or down the sleeves. Due to the necessary setup and equipment, we require a minimum quantity of 12 pieces for laser etching.
Create Your Own Custom Shirt With LogoSportswear
Choosing a garment decoration method can be tricky, but not if you know which type is best for your purpose. It depends on your budget, timeframe, and the fabric or garment you're working with.
If you can't afford to experiment with different methods to find the one that works for you, turn to the experts! At LogoSportswear, our helpful sales team can help you find the perfect decoration method for your project. Call us at 877-535-5646 from Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.