When you placed the order for the gloves, you may want to know which printing method to use.
Before choosing the best method to print your gloves, you need to know the pros and cons for different printing methods.
Sometimes I got my customers complain about the order they received not match their expectations and preferences. It can happen to you and that’s why you need to be savvy with your customers.
Here are the 3 different printing methods:
1.Ink Printing
Ink Printing, also called pad printing, which is the most common printing method on the gloves, is an indirect offset (or a gravure) printing process, where an image is transferred via the template onto the surface to be printed.
Ink printing costs less, requires less production space, and wastes less ink, the process is much simpler.
However, it has one problem:
You can end up with a low resolution design with dot patterns if you have an inferior textile printer. You can’t use this method to create design for dark fabric, because the ink is thin and won’t look well.
Ink printing is ideal for printing small logos or designs in one color. The more colors used, the longer the process will take.
What’s more,Ink Printing is least durable and the fabric may fade in a year or less.
2. Screen Printing
Screen Printing is also called silkscreen printing because silk was used in the process. It is also known as serigraphy, and serigraph printing.
For this method to work, you will need a stencil and a mesh, (mesh could be made of a synthetic polymer, such as nylon, and a finer and smaller aperture for the mesh would be utilized for a design.) You set up the stencil, which is held by the nylon mesh. A water proof material will block the negative space that you want to design.The negative space is the only part permeable for the dye. Ink is then flooded into the screen.
The screen printing method is ideal for printing high quality gloves designs, because it guarantees ultimate replication of the design, which is clear, unique and impressive look.
This method is suited for one color per screen. It is not ideal for super complex multi-color designs.
3.Heat Transfer Printing
Heat Printing, also known as heat transfer printing, which is the process of applying heat-applied materials to various items with a heat press.
This method incorporates a design printed on a special paper called transfer paper. Here is how it works.
You take a glove, press it on the best heat transfer vinyl, then apply heat and pressure. A more similar approach like the dye sublimation with slight differences. You do the process until the heat softens the dye on the paper until it gets a beneath the gloves.
After that you take the glossy paper transfer and strip off the dye which leaves you with the intended design on the gloves.
If you want to be complex designs, the heat and press method is ideal for you, however, it won’t work well with dark gloves liner because of its translucent dye.
Gloves printed through heat printing are durable,they work well when the printed object is exposed to the elements.
