Decoration Direction: Apply Some Heat

You don’t have to offer screen printing to create great graphics on team uniforms. With new technology and materials, you will be amazed at what’s possible with heat-applied graphics.
May 6, 2008

You can order pre-cut letters and numbers or you can purchase a computer-driven cutter and buy the roll goods to cut them yourself.

Nearly everyone in the decorated apparel business has, at some point, used traditional die-cut heat seal letters and numbers to decorate team uniforms. They are a great, inexpensive way to get names and numbers on uniforms. But if you’re not aware of the latest heat-applied decorating technology and materials, you are missing the boat — and potential profits — on new technology that provides full-color graphics without the investment of a screen printing press or embroidery machine.

The recent introduction of print-and-cut technology has created a new option for decorating uniforms with heat-applied materials — one in which you can be much more competitive with screen printing. Print-and-cut decorating uses specially formulated materials that allow for four-color process inkjet printing. That means you are no longer limited to two or three colors that must be cut separately, as is the case with traditional cutters. You can print as many colors as you like. After the material is printed, using a cutter with an optic eye, the shapes are contoured, cut and ready for application. This opens the door to doing full-color mascots, multicolored numbers with shadows and other fancy graphics.

Benefits
• Low investment needed to get started. If you choose the computer-driven cutter option, with a mere $3,000 investment, you can purchase all the equipment and supplies you need to offer uniforms, T-shirts, sweat shirts and jerseys, among other apparel styles.
• Cost-effective for small orders. Heat-applied graphics are cost-effective for even one- and two-item runs, which often isn’t the case for other decoration options that involve relatively costly set-ups.
• Create split-front designs. These designs are popular on baseball jerseys that have buttons down the front.

Material Options
• Fabric types. Most suppliers offer heat-applied products suitable for 100% cotton, 100% polyester and poly/cotton blends, while materials such as nylon, leather and other substrates require different products with more aggressive adhesives. Polyester mesh also requires a special heat-applied product because with mesh, there is not as much surface to adhere to.
• Screen printed transfers or pre-cut letters and numbers. Apply using a heat press. The letters and numbers come prespaced — so you’ll save time — and are available in a variety of fonts, materials and colors.
• Purchase a cutter. If you are a high-volume uniform decorator, consider purchasing a cutter that will allow you to eliminate waiting on another source to deliver and you can do fill-in orders in minutes. A cutter allows you to create your own pre-spaced names, letters and numbers out of a thin, lightweight vinyl film that comes with an adhesive layer between the vinyl and the carrier paper, making it easier to do detailed work.
• Print and cut method. The image is cut from the sheet of roll material so you do not have to hand cut it with scissors. The materials available for print and cut technology are soft, stretchy and durable.

Source: Lee Tringes' "Apply Some Heat," Team Sports Supplement, Fall 2007

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