Design Printing Techniques

In my previous post I talked about the brand and quality of the clothes.  Now, I will be informing you on how the designs will be printed on your apparel.

The three most common printing techniques is Digital, Flex, and Flock.

Digital

Digital printing is the most common printing technique for shirts. It is used mainly for photos and colorful designs which have gradients. The print is sprayed directly onto the apparel. 

• This printing technique does not last as long as flex or flock and the colors fade over time. 
• Digital Direct works well with large designs, however the colors fade after the first few washes. 
• This printing technique is optimal if a "vintage" look is desired. The design looks somewhat washed-out and vibrant colors are not to be expected. 
• The advantages of this technique is printing with photos due to the unlimited number of colors available for the design.

Reading the description for Digital printing probably makes you worried that the designs on your clothes won't last or look good. Therefore, my priority is to create designs that are compatible with flex or flock print.

Flex

Flex is a printing technique where the design is cut from a colored foil and then pressed onto the shirt under high heat. 

• The printed colors have a slight shine to them and contrast extremely well with fabric. 
• Tests have shown that the form and color of the flex print barely change after 100 washes. 
• It is made of a flexible and resilient material - even thin lines do not break. 
• Due to the vibrant colors and the precise edges, the text appears extremely sharp.

Specialty Flex

Specialty flex prints differ from normal flex prints due to the special visual effects in the printing foils. 

• Designs printed with these foils glisten and reflect light. 
• The glitz foil is a very fine mix of the foil color's spectrum from darker to very shiny particles. 
• It shines and glistens intensely, especially as light catches it at different angles. 
• The glitter foil has a mixture of the main color and a touch of silver glitter - this gives the main color a contrasting and intense glitter effect, with less glistening as glitz. 
• Designs with specialty flex prints retain their vibrant color and glisten even after many washes.

Flock

Flock is a printing technique where the design is cut from a colored foil and then pressed onto the shirt under high heat. 

• A flock print has a velvety, fuzzy surface. 
• The foil (0.5 mm) is somewhat thicker than flex, which causes the design to appear slightly elevated from the apparel and results in the plush feel. 
• The colors have a soft glow to them. 
• Flock designs retain their vibrant color after many washes.

Designs for Flex and Flock print must be uploaded as a vector graphic and be approved for printing on certain apparel.  Therefore, it takes more time to create and edit designs for this type of printing.  But the end result will be a more durable, vibrant, shiny, and smooth surface on your new clothes.

I will be linking to this post whenever I explain my designs, so that you'll know exactly how your design will look like.