'Cap-Tivate' Your Customers

Learn the basics to cash in on cap printing.
February 01, 2006

Considering that most headwear available in stores is embroidered, you might think direct screen printing on caps is a lost art. But don't let this fool you; the continued retail popularity of foam-front, mesh-back styles has re-ignited the demand for screen printed caps in the decorated apparel market. In fact, hundreds of thousands of hats are printed annually for a multitude of markets including promotional products, souvenir, local team sports and more.

Caps are as easy to print as T-shirts and, with a small investment, you too can capitalize on these peripheral sales opportunities. A basic knowledge of the process is all you need to take advantage of this easy and inexpensive opportunity to offer customers a hip alternative to pricier embroidered headwear.

ART SMARTS

First, it's important to keep artwork simple when designing for caps. Remember, you only have a 3" x 5" area to work with, so don't include too much information or detail. Doing so creates a "busy" design or, even worse, the text in the design is too small and can't be quickly read. Just like T-shirts, caps are often the message medium, so clean artwork will please your customer.

Another bonus is that screen selection becomes much easier when less detailed art is used. Printing a cap with a coarse mesh (60 to 80) allows the front to be printed with one squeegee pass instead of the multiple squeegee passes needed when using higher mesh counts. Coarser meshes also are easy to work with when using a curved cap printing system where squeegee angle can be an issue.

Finally, remember that cap platens are smaller than those used for T-shirts. This means that images must be accurately sized and positioned before screen exposure so they will not print off the top of the cap, appear crooked or sit off-center on the cap's front.

Chances are that your manual T-shirt press has a cap printing attachment available from the manufacturer. If so, this could be an inexpensive option for you to dabble in cap printing.

If you want to get into caps as a main product offering, take a look at purchasing a stand-alone cap printer to free up your T-shirt press. The machine takes up minimal floor space and the process is not as cumbersome as printing on a large T-shirt press. In fact, table-top models are available that can easily fit in tight quarters.

DECIDE YOUR NEEDS

Caps can be screen printed one of two ways: flat or curved. Which method works best in your shop becomes a matter of personal preference. Many people are more comfortable printing the cap flat because they are familiar with the squeegee technique associated with printing on a flat surface. Printing caps over a curved surface isn't that difficult, but it requires a little practice using a curved cap printing machine.

When printing flat, loading caps on the press is challenging because the surface is not the natural shape of the hat. This can result in image distortion after the cap is removed from the press. For example, when a circle design is printed on the front of a cap using the flat method, the circle becomes oval when the cap is removed from the platen. Artists can manipulate circle-shaped artwork to compensate for distortion caused by flat printing but, in general, printing on a curved surface reduces this distortion.

Curved printing machines offer faster load times since a spring-loaded holddown device keeps caps in place. Printing flat usually requires spray adhesive and pressing the hat flat, though Livingston Systems, Hagerstown, Ind., sells a flat cap printing attachment that eliminates spray adhesive. Using the jacket holddown approach, it clamps the cap front on four sides to hold it in place while being printed.

When it comes to screen prep, flat cap screens are easier to coat with liquid emulsion and expose since the screens stay perfectly flat. Curved screen frames are made from spring steel and do flatten out for the coating and exposing process, but they retain a slight curve that must be overcome during the emulsion coating process or when applying capillary films.

Flat screens also are easier to register on press. The curved screens make registration a bit more difficult because the curve becomes a factor when you need to move a screen left or right to get the image into register. Some curved screen systems overcome this image placement issue by using a pin registration system to position the art properly on the screen.

SIX-PANEL SURVIVAL

While foam-front caps continue to be a popular choice for screen printing, many of today's young cap wearers demand the lower profile, six-panel cotton-front caps. Screen printing these styles used to be a nightmare because a seam runs right down the front of the cap where the design is placed. Thankfully, manufacturers have developed equipment to simplify this tricky situation.

"The fear of printing over the seam is more of a perception than real fact," says Alan Rhea, president of CAPS (Convex Apparel Printing Systems), Johnson City, Tenn. The company offers a curved cap printing system that uses a spring-loaded holddown to keep the cap secured to the platen while it is being printed. This device opens up the seam a bit and allows for ink to penetrate it. When the cap is removed from the lower platen, this seam closes back up, allowing the design to bridge the seam with no problem.

Livingston Systems' approach to printing over the seam on six-panel caps includes a rubber platen cover that has a v-wedge cut out. The cap's seam drops into this v-wedge, allowing the squeegee to pass over the seam with ease.

The screen printed cap market is a niche that can expand your shop's capabilities and profitability. Whether you decide to print caps flat or use a curved system, investigate all the direct cap printing options before taking on actual jobs.