Tech Tips Digital Decorating: Make a Sublimation Statement

Feb 1, 2009

Offering your customers unusual decoration placements, such as on the inside of a hoodie, can set your shop apart from the competition and boost your bottom line. One of the best ways to achieve these unique retail looks is through using sublimation transfer printing, and experimentation is the name of the game.

You can print designs on 11" x 17" transfer paper using a large-format inkjet printer and large heat press, or standard size equipment. By dividing a large design file into sections to fit in the 11" x 17" blocks, you can achieve the allover look by pressing the designs to the garment in sections. Allover sublimation works on any kind of garment that has polyester content, including today's trendy hoodies.

Follow these tips for successful allover hoodie sublimation:

• Once it is on the heat press, make sure you smooth the garment out, pulling it apart so minimal to no wrinkles pop up.

• When sublimating a zippered hoodie, be careful! The metal becomes very hot under the press.

• If your design continues onto the hoodie's cuffs and bottom band, do a test to make sure those areas get enough pressure.

• Create a design without any type of repeating symmetrical pattern. That allows for greater flexibility when aligning sheets of transfer paper when pressing the garment.

• From your desktop printer, print a thumbnail of the completed hoodie design. This is an excellent visual reference to use as you press the garment. — From the Impressions archives

Hirsch Video Demonstrates Oversize Shirt Printing
A new video from Hirsch Intl. shows how to print oversize designs on the Mimaki inkjet garment printer the company distributes. To see the video, visit hirschinternational.com . Click on “Direct To Garment Printer” and search the right navigation bar for available videos.
September 28, 2009

Diversifying Your Customer Base  
Learn to evaluate and adjust your mix of clientele for optimum profitability and stability.
While the economic lows that many American markets have been experiencing for the past year are certainly painful, they’re also nothing new. Historically, the tide of business success continually ebbs and flows, with one market experiencing a rush of good fortune while another watches its revenue all but dry up. This cyclical nature of business is precisely why decorators must have a diverse customer base that allows them to weather slowdowns — or even meltdowns — in parts of the economy.
September 02, 2009

Decorators Open Up on DTG Workflow, Profits
Impressions interviewed apparel decorators from all corners of the industry to discuss the promise and the real-world results of investing in digital inkjet-to-garment printers. 
Since its introduction to the decorated apparel industry several years ago, direct-to-garment printing has been heralded as a game-changer — a disruptive technology that would dramatically change the way shops conduct business. It would allow decorators to tackle small orders, suppliers said. It would let shops offer personalization and print photographs with amazing detail, they promised. And it would dramatically reduce set-up time, they’ve claimed.
September 01, 2009