Explanation of application methods
Application methods
Thanks to our state-of-the-art machinery, Pullmark can offer you a range of techniques to apply your logo to a garment of your choice.
Our embroidery and printing machines will bring your logo to life on any garment. However, there are factors, such as the material of your clothing, that you should consider before deciding which type of application you want to use.
As a quick guide to help you choose which customization method is best for you, we've put together a few points about each type of logo application.
Embroidery
Embroidered garments are ideal for a number of purposes, the most popular being used by employers to give their workforce a strong identity and help promote their brand.
With this technique, when you add a logo to your garment through embroidery, a metal frame is placed on the garment and the backing material is applied to the logo area. This ensures the garment is secure while the logo is sewn on. Occasionally, this process can leave a mark on the garment, but it's nothing that can't be easily wiped or washed. The actual embroidery process is done by a computerized embroidery machine. Your logo is digitized and sent to the embroidery machines, and the process begins once additional instructions such as thread color have been sent. We use only the best embroidery threads and machines to guarantee the best quality result.
In terms of fit, embroidery tends to work best on polo shirts, business shirts/blouses, aprons/stools, jackets and headwear.
Print
Printing offers you many advantages: it is durable and can create unique and complex designs using extremely vivid colors' we use the best quality printing machines to guarantee a top quality final product that will leave you with a smile on your face. There are a number of different printing techniques available and one may be more suitable than the others depending on the garments you are using or the complexity of your logo. As an overview, we can use screen printing, DTG or Transfer - these methods are explained below.
Screen
If your logo has bright and vibrant colors, then screen printing might be the best choice to bring those colors to life. This process is recommended for multiple garments of the same design. Screen printing uses multi-colored inks to recreate your logo, which are then applied to the garment via mesh screens. After we received your logo, it is separated into different colors for each mesh, after each mesh, the garment will be put under a heat lamp, then after each color mesh has been applied, the garment will go through a drying process to ensure that the ink does not wear or wash off. This process is great for a wide range of garments from t-shirts to hoodies, this type of logo application is great for high back designs where multiple garments use the same logo. Screen printing is for larger orders.
DTG
DTG, or Direct to Garment Printing, is a method by which a printer applies ink directly to the garment (as the name suggests). To ensure the best quality application when inking directly to a garment, it is necessary a specialized printer, along with specialized ink that is absorbed by the fibers of the clothing. A fixing agent is also applied to the garment before it goes into production to help the color adhere to the garment. For this reason, clothes often need to be washed before being worn for the first time to remove the slight odor of the fixative. This type of customization is best for complex logos and multiple colors, and is typically used for one-off, full-color work that requires fast execution. This type of print works especially well for t-shirts and hoodies.
Transfer
The third and final way we can print on a garment is through transfer, the best way to think of transfer is comparable to the names and numbers on the back of a football shirt. A sheet of vinyl is carefully cut into the specific shape of your logo or design, the remaining design is then flipped over and finally heat sealed onto the garment using a heat press.
A vinyl transfer is great for less complex designs with a low number of colors, typically a 1-2 color logo would be applied using this method. This process works well for relatively small quantity orders. Vinyl transfer is suitable for most garments (apart from fleece and wool), we recommend this process for Hi-Vis garments.
Other notes:
To adhere to our own quality standards, we do not offer embroidery on garments that weigh less than 175g/m2 (this is because the material is so thin that it cannot hold the embroidery and therefore tends to puff ; therefore we do not offer embroidery on thin garments as it does not provide the polished logo look we pride ourselves on). For the same reasons, we also do not offer DTG printing on garments that are 100% polyester as the material cannot hold the print (screen printing can be used as an alternative printing method - but this service is only available for larger quantity orders, of 20 items or more).
