01May/14

Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing

Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing

One of the most impressive design methods for T-Shirts is the use of Dye Sublimation.  Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing begins with a 100% white polyester t-shirt, a custom dye sublimation printer, special transfer papers, and most importantly a very good industrial heat iron or heat press.  The end results of Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing is heavily reliant on ink quality, technique and heat.

Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing

Companies that are launching their own line of t-shirts and are starting on a shoestring budget often turn to Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing because of the low cost of entry.  Unlike screen printing that requires custom screens to be created for each color, and where the number of colors heavily influences the price, Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing has virtually no setup, and the number of colors is irrelevant to the pricing.

The design work for each project begins at the concept stage, moves into the computer using standard graphic design software, and in minutes, a brilliantly colored t-shirt is created.

Many start up companies consider getting into sublimation and doing everything in-house, and there are some compelling offers out there for desktop sublimation set ups.  The issue that most start-up companies don’t consider is that one of the distinguishing factors of Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing is the “all over” printing aspect.  100% of all desktop sublimation setups limit the user to a square or rectangular print field that is smaller than the overall garment.  This means that while you can sublimate on a budget, you can’t possibly cover the entire garment front and back with a desktop setup.

Serious Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing operations have massive heat machines as big as your car that are required to print all over the garment on the front and the back.

Another consideration is that Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing requires a 100% white garment to begin.  The t-shirts that you’ve seen are likely not all white, and that’s because the printer of that t-shirt changed the color from white to whatever colors were required in the design.

With a desktop setup you will be limited to a mostly white shirt, with sublimation prints in small areas.

If you are interested in launching your own line of sublimated t-shirts or you are interested in Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing in general, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing

Dye Sublimation T Shirt Printing

28Apr/14

Wholesale Sublimation

Wholesale Sublimation

Dye Sublimation has dramatically increased in popularity in the last 5 years.  Most of the new lines of t-shirts that are hitting the market from small start-up companies are being printed using the Dye Sublimation process.  Wholesale Sublimation printing is a key component for these start-ups.  Dye Sublimation involves using specialized opaque inks and heat to fuse high quality images or designs into fabric and other polyester substrates.  Dye Sublimation will only work on 100% polyester fabrics or substrates, or a fabric or substrate with a high concentration of polyester.  Cousins of polyester like Rayon, Nylon, Satin and Spandex also work well for Sublimation Printing.

When searching for Wholesale Sublimation partners, small start-up companies need to be careful of selecting the right partner.

Wholesale Sublimation

When searching for the best Wholesale Sublimation partner to help launch your new line of t-shirts consider these things:

1. Will they create prototypes for you i.e. one of a kind to wear test and show off

2. Do they have low minimum orders 25 per run?

3. Can they provide fast turn around time within 2 weeks.

4.  Will your Wholesale Sublimation partner collaborate with you?

5.  Does your Wholesale Sublimation partner have patience and time to talk to you?

If you are launching a brand new t-shirt line, sublimation is a great option.  Screen printing works well and looks great, but for small run launch, sublimation is going to enable you to get an amazing print product and keep your launch costs low.

If you are looking for a high quality Wholesale Sublimation partner, we would be very interested in talking with you.  We are start-up friendly and are very flexible, which makes launching your new line of sublimated t-shirts a breeze.  Please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Wholesale Sublimation

Wholesale Sublimation

23Apr/14

Contract Screen Printers

Contract Screen Printers

Finding Contract Screen Printers with vision and passion is not an easy thing to do, but it’s imperative that you do!  The last thing that you want on an important garment decorating project that you are either doing personally or contracted to do for someone else, are Contract Screen Printers that treat you like you are one of many customers that just fill their coffers.

Contract Screen Printers

Printing a T-Shirt is much more than just laying down ink on fabric.  There is a lot of planning to be done in advance and a lot of questions to be answered.  For example, when interviewing potential Contract Screen Printers, ask these questions:

1.  How many customers do you have? And am I going to be important to you?
2.  Will you collaborate with me via phone or in person ?
3.  How will you ensure that my concept gets translated properly to the garment?4.  If I call you, am I going to get you on the phone or someone else?
5.  How do you build long term relationships with your customers?

Some of these may seem like deep questions to be asking Contract Screen Printers, but your business, brand and concept are important, you don’t want to trust them in the hands of some that wants to load and print your “stuff” and get them out of the shop as quickly as possible.  You’ll want to work with Contract Screen Printers that take care in their craft, that understand your project and will actually think about your goals and your company while they are preparing and printing your job.

If you are researching and seeking high quality Contract Screen Printers, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Contract Screen Printers

Contract Screen Printers

21Apr/14

Silk Screen Printing

Silk Screen Printing

Silk Screen Printing is the process of using plastisol based inks and passing them through a silk screen onto a substrate, usually fabric, metal or glass.  The process of Silk Screen Printing evolves every year and new and interesting methods and techniques become available on a regular basis.

Most of the advances in Silk Screen Printing have come in the form of unique inks.  Today, if you are interested in Silk Screen Printing you can print with scented inks, florescent inks and even conductive inks used in the medical field.

Silk Screen Printing

One of the most intriguing aspects of Silk Screen Printing is the low cost of entry for start up companies that are launching their own t-shirt line.  For minimal set up fees and even lower cost per piece/print fees, any start up can get started with their brand in no time and with a tight budget.

Screen printing can also be used effectively on fabric that can be delivered in panels and then sewn into items like bags, covers, t-shirts and other items.  One of the major advantages of using screen printing as a method of personalization is the cost.  Other print methods like DTG or Sublimation produce unique results but are far more costly than screen printing.

For small projects, or prototypes, screen printing can provide rapid turn around and changes can be made quickly and within days.

When searching for a screen printing partner, one of the things that you want to check is if they are doing their printing on an automated press or by hand.  Hand presses produce inconsistent quality and produce items slowly.  When moving into full production, you may want to work with a shop that has automatic equipment so that they can print thousands of items per hour.

If you are interested in Silk Screen Printing or are trying to find a high quality and reasonably priced Silk Screen Printing services, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Silk Screen Printing

Silk Screen Printing

18Apr/14

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation Printing is the process used to create amazing t-shirts and other garments with an eye popping color that looks almost identical to a photograph.  Sublimation printing begins with a 100% polyester garment, typically a T-Shirt.  Some poly blends can be used, but the lower the percentage of polyester, the more dull your Sublimation Printing product will appear.

Sublimation Printing relies on opaque inks that at a specific temperature turn into a gas and embed themselves into polyester fabric.  Since they are opaque, the substrate (T-Shirt) has to be white to start with, as the white of the fabric plays a major part in the Sublimation Printing results.  You can’t sublimate the color white, so any design element in your Sublimated T Shirt that is white, is actually the absence of sublimation dye.

Sublimation Printing

Through the use of Dye Sublimation, you can accomplish a result that covers an entire T Shirt with your design.  This means that your design concept can be printed on the sleeves and from the neck down to the bottom of the t shirt and all over the front and back.  Most of the T Shirts that you see in a retail store are sublimated while the T Shirt is still just a roll of fabric.  The fabric is then cut and sewn into a T-Shirt which provides true 100% sublimation coverage.  However, the technology has advanced to the point where you can sublimate on a T Shirt that has already been sewn.  There will be small gaps of white near the arm pits that can’t be helped due to a pre-sewn T Shirt with gaps near specific areas.

Typically, Sublimation Printing companies require high minimums and all over t shirt printing is costly as well, however, there are some companies that specialize in Sublimation Printing like AMBRO Manufacturing that will run small Sublimation Printing jobs in the range of 25-50 shirts per order.  AMBRO prints large runs of thousands of T Shirts as well, but AMBRO Manufacturing has found a niche in the small Sublimation Printing arena.

If you are interested in large or small quantity Sublimation Printing T Shirts, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation Printing

14Apr/14

Dye Sub

Dye Sub

The process of Dye Sub Printing occurs on 100% polyester garments and produces a very vivid and eye catching color spectrum.  Many of today’s professional, college and even some high school football, basketball and lacrosse uniforms are printed using the dye sub printing method.

When printing with dye sub, your substrate (T-Shirt, Jersey etc …) must start out completely white and must be made out of 100% polyester, or at the very least a high polyester content, with cousins of polyester present for the balance of the fabric (Rayon, Nylon etc …)  Cotton and dye sub don’t mix and result in muted colors.

Dye Sub

Dye sub inks are opaque, in order to create every color in the spectrum with CMYK the ink base needs to be opaque so that the printer can layer inks and create different colors.  As a result, the base garment must be white to start.  The white fabric is dyed with the design.  In sublimation printing, there is no white ink, white in the design is the absence of dyes.  If you were to attempt to dye sub on a black garment, you would not see any image.

Professional dye sub companies produce some amazing results on pre and post sewn garments.  Most of the industry dye sublimates fabric while it is still on the roll and then those rolls of dye sub material are then cut and sewn into the finished garment.

However, recently garment decorating companies have been using dye sub on already finished garments and getting spectacular results.  Polyester (performance, moisture wicking) t-shirts can be dye sublimated on the front and back with acceptable results.

Dye sub on pre-sewn garments won’t yield perfect results, examples are that creases and folds usually near the arm pits and seams will result in white t-shirt showing through, but if the artist designs the t-shirt art properly, the results can look quite amazing.

If you are searching for a dye sub partner to help you with dye sublimated t-shirts, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Dye Sub

Dye Sub

09Apr/14

USA Screen Printing

USA Screen Printing

Over the last decade there has been a big push on bringing manufacturing back to the United States and I can tell you that USA Screen Printing is a very strong niche industry and is thriving.  AMBRO Manufacturing has been in the screen printing industry for over 26 years and we’ve seen the industry change each year in a positive way.  New technologies for printing emerge and new methods and techniques are being developed on a regular basis.

What is most encouraging about USA Screen Printing methods and industries is that the bulk of the manufacturing of equipment, engineering, inks and processes are happening in the USA.  Major equipment manufacturing companies that support USA Screen Printing continue to release new products for the industry and do so right here on American soil.

When you are searching for an American Screen Printing Company, ask for samples of the work that they’ve done and if you are concerned that everything happens here in the USA, then ask questions about their in-house production capabilities.  Some companies may be based in the US, but sub their work over seas.  If you are working with a sub-contractor, you may be sending your work overseas without realizing it.

Most contract screen printers will welcome tours of their facility and when choosing a USA Screen Printing partner, it’s important to know who you are working with and what their in-house capabilities are.

USA Screen Printing

Screen printing is still a very economical way of promoting your organization, team, brand or business.  There are many selections of garments available for every price range and budget.  If you are looking to partner with a USA Screen Printing company for your screen printing project we would be interested in hearing from you.  Please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

 

USA Screen Printing

USA Screen Printing

01Apr/14

Screen Printing Companies

Screen Printing Companies

Locating the best Screen Printing Companies to partner with can often be a daunting and frustrating but not impossible task.  There is a fine balance between experience, capability, price and quality that has to be met in order for any relationship with a screen printer to be successful.  Here are some things to consider when trying to find the best Screen Printing Companies to work with.

Screen Printing Companies

Yes we can!

Every screen printer is going to say “yes” so be careful to ensure that the company that you choose can actually do the work.  If they can’t, you’ll end either having your job be sub-contracted out without your knowing or you’ll end up missing your deadline because the screen printing company that you chose, bit off more than they could chew and left you missing your deadline.  Interview the company carefully and ask for links to photos of their shop, look for them on the web and review what their customers are saying about them.

Don’t always go for the cheapest price

It’s so tempting to get multiple quotes and just pick the cheapest quote.  After all, screen printing is just screen printing right?  Wrong.  Screen printing is an art, and knowledge, experience and equipment all matter in the outcome of the product that leaves the shop.  You could go to your local craft store and for less than $200 buy a table top screen printing press and start making your own t-shirts.  Screen Printing Companies have professional equipment that produced professional results.  Your clients are particular and you will want to have a print quality that meets not only their standards but their customer standards as well.  “you get what you pay for” has never been more true than with the varying qualities of Screen Printing Companies and their products.

Work with a master of their craft

Printing t-shirts is not rocket science, but there are lots of factors that need attention in order to get a high quality, long lasting print.  Most of the images that are printed by Screen Printing Companies on t-shirts are logos or emblems that identify a company or entity.  Brand importance is of paramount concern to most companies and color matching as well as logo replication and placement are important factors in a quality job that Screen Printing Companies need to pay attention to.  For example, what happens if the printer that you choose didn’t think about where a hood falls on a hoodie when the person wearing it doesn’t have the hood up?  What happens is that your logo, website and phone number are hidden by the hood!  That’s one small nuance that an experienced Screen Printing Company would never allow to happen.  Or … what happens when your logo includes a light color like yellow, but your garment is dark.  If the Screen Printing Companies that you are working with don’t apply a white underbase, your bright yellow logo is going to be dull and gold.

If you are trying to find high quality experienced Screen Printing Companies, researching their work online is critical, see what other customers are saying, ask for samples of their work or to go to their shop and watch them print.

If you are looking for amazing Screen Printing Companies, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Screen Printing Companies

Screen Printing Companies

28Mar/14

Wholesale Screen Printing

Wholesale Screen Printing

Searching for the best Wholesale Screen Printing company can be very frustrating.  There is no shortage of screen printers in the market, but it is VERY difficult to distinguish between who’s the real deal and who isn’t.  Building your T Shirt business or getting quality event T Shirts for your clients is too important to guess on the right Wholesale Screen Printing Partner.  Doing research online can be frustrating, and asking for and checking on referrals can be time consuming.  So what should you do to make sure that you’re finding the right partner?

Wholesale Screen Printing

Here are 5 things to consider when trying to find the best Wholesale Screen Printing partner:

1.  What is the experience level of the screen printing partner that you are considering?  If they have been printing less than 5 years, you may want to consider another partner.  There are always exceptions and there are some amazing printers out there that have only been printing for 3 months, but you want to make sure that you see several examples of their work before you make a decision.

2.  Will your screen printing partner communicate with you and keep you informed on each contract print job?  Keeping your customers informed during their custom t shirt printing job is critical.  However, you can’t keep them in the loop if you aren’t being kept in the loop yourself.  If you’re working with a 1 man/woman shop, communication might be a challenge, so looking for an organization that has several employees might be a better option.  Again, there are some single person shops that do amazing work, you just have to decide if they are going to be amazing for you.

3. Is there the proper balance between price and quality?  If you are searching for a partner and using terms like “cheap screen printing” or “low cost screen printing” then you are going to find partners that likely won’t meet your turn around time and print quality standards.  Just like in any business, there is a cost of doing business and if you find partners that skimp on those costs, there have to be quality issues that follow.  It might be quality of print, quality of duration of print, quality of communication etc … Finding the proper Wholesale Screen Printing partner may require compromise in terms of price vs. value.

4.  Do you like who you’re working with?  You may have heard the term “business is business” but in reality, business is people.  You may find an amazing partner that meets the quality that you want, the price point that you want and is great at communicating, but if you don’t like them because they are rude and abrupt, or because they treat you like a number instead of a valued customer, your business relationship with them won’t last.  It’s one thing if you are buying a non-custom product that requires no communication and not interfacing with your vendor.  But in the Wholesale Screen Printing business, there is a lot of interaction with your partner, whether it is face-2-face, phone or email, you will need to be able to deal your partner or eventually the relationship will fail.

5.  Does your Wholesale Screen Printing meet your expectations?  You might find a partner that has amazing print quality, good artistic design and is a good communicator, but if you have expectations of 5 day delivery and they work on a 6 week turn-around time, then you have a major miss match.  There is always going to be some give and take in any business relationship, you have to determine which expectations are the most important and which you can be flexible on.  When finding the best Wholesale Screen Printing partner, compromise is a factor, because not every company is going to meet all of your requirements.

If you are searching for the right Wholesale Screen Printing company to suit your needs, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Wholesale Screen Printing

Wholesale Screen Printing

24Mar/14

All Over Screen Printing Companies

All Over Screen Printing Companies

The method of printing all over a t-shirt, including front, back, sleeves and neck is not a new technology.  In fact, all over screen printing companies have been around for a while.  The difficult part of all over screen printing is finding a company that can do it for you in a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost.

The process of printing all over a t-shirt is a simple one if you have the right equipment, the right artwork and the right experience.  Most customers that have an interest in locating all over screen printing companies get disappointed when they find one because they learn of high minimum orders, very high costs and long delivery times.

All over screen printing companies have to invest a good amount of capital in acquiring the right type of printing presses, and typically those presses take a long time to set up for an all over T-Shirt printing job.

Finding the right All Over Screen Printing Companies and what to look for

When you are interviewing all over screen printing companies to perform your work, here is a top 5 list of things to ask them.

1.  What are my minimum orders for all over T-Shirt Prints, and are they by size?

2.  Does the artwork that I have work for an all over T-Shirt print?

3.  How much will it cost for the setup of the entire order?

4.  What is the turn-around time for an all over T-Shirt print?

5.  How quickly can I get re-orders?

Finding the right all over screen printing companies can be tricky, but when you find the right partner, you’ll be happy that you did the research and the reaction of your customers will prove it to you each day as they appreciate the unique look of an all over T-Shirt print.

If you have been searching for all over screen printing companies, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

All Over Screen Printing Companies

All Over Screen Printing Companies