When it comes to marketing your brand or logo on apparel, consider the benefit of using embroidery and silkscreen. While both methods are offered by quality printing services, one method may be better than the other for your company’s specific promotional needs. A reputable printing company can guide you in choosing the best printing method for optimal advertising success.
What is silkscreen printing?
Silkscreen printing is a popular way for a company to incorporate their brand or logo onto promotional items. It involves the stenciling of a design via a mesh screen and specialized ink transfer. When it comes to apparel, silkscreen can be used for most t-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, and sweatshirts.
Benefits of using silkscreen printing for your company logo on apparel can include:
- Limited expense. While the cost of silkscreen depends on the size, shape, and colors of a logo, it is generally more cost-effective than an embroidered design.
- Silkscreen printing can be fairly versatile on a number of different textures such as polyester, cotton, and leather. In addition to apparel, silkscreen printing is frequently used for a wide variety of other promotional products.
- Ease of mass production. Much of the work involved in silkscreen printing occurs during setup, making mass production of silkscreen designs is quite feasible and at a reasonable price.
What is embroidery?
Embroidery can be an artistic representation of a company’s brand or logo done via needlework and stitching. The overall effect of embroidery on apparel can be one of professionalism and sophistication that can help your company stand out among the rest. When it comes to apparel, embroidery is used most commonly for polo shirts, jackets, scarves, beanies, and ballcaps.
The benefits of using embroidery for your company logo on apparel can include:
- Colorful and customizable designs. Embroidered designs are highly customizable in size, shape, and color.
- Added visual interest with 3-D effects. The needlework method of embroidery usually causes the threads to stand out from apparel fabric, which can create a 3-D effect for added visual interest in an image.
- The threads used in embroidery are typically strong, durable, and resistant to fading even after exposure to normal wear and tear of the washer and dryer.
How Embroidery and Silkscreen Can Support Your Brand
Silkscreen printing and embroidery each have benefits and serve unique purposes, but both are intended to make a company’s brand look its best. When deciding between silkscreen and embroidery for promotional apparel, a company will want to take the following points into consideration:
- Design to be used. Embroidery is often used for smaller scale designs while silkscreen printing lends itself to larger designs with multiple components.
- Surface of apparel. Work with the printing company to ensure that the method you choose works best for the specific items of apparel you choose to have branded.
- Intended use of apparel. Embroidery is frequently used when a piece of apparel requires a special touch of class such as those found in a uniform or upscale shirt. Silkscreen printing can have a more casual feel to it and is often used for t-shirts and polo shirts.
- Recipient of apparel. Companies should consider who will be wearing their branded apparel and if embroidery or silkscreen printing better fits the company’s and recipient’s needs.
A Word About Colors and the Pantone Matching System
When a company has painstakingly put effort into designing their logo, every replication of it must be true to the original colors to be recognizable in advertising and promotional materials. This includes logo designs that are replicated via silkscreen printing and embroidery.
To protect the current and future integrity of a design, both the company and printer should consider utilizing the Pantone Matching System (PMS). This often internationally used scale of colors, including those that are fluorescent and metallic, is standardized using a Pantone numbering system.
Working with a printer that does not use the Pantone Matching System could put the appearance of a company’s logo at risk if the colors used in replications are not true to the colors used in the original logo.
However, by choosing Pantone Matching System colors for logo design and then selecting a printer that also uses the system, clients can have confidence that every replication of their logo will be consistent in color, brightness and sheen, regardless of the surface it is applied to.
How a Printing Company Can Help
Finding a reputable and reliable printing company can be like finding gold in the corporate world. A good printer should be dedicated to making your company shine in everything from logo and brand design to mass printing of various promotional materials.
When searching for the right printing company to meet your business’ needs, ensure that they are able to do the following:
- Assist with logo design. A printing company should be able to help a company design and settle on a logo that incorporates the right balance of simplicity and color to make it an effective advertising tool now and for years to come.
- Be versatile. Corporate promotional items typically range from beach towels to water bottles to polo shirts to ballcaps. Make sure that the printing service you select has a wide variety of promotional items to choose from for your advertising needs.
- Execute mass projects. Companies preparing for a fun run or a fundraising event may require a wide range of promotional materials including banners and signage as well as mass quantities of printed shirts or other giveaway items. A reputable printing company will be able to complete small or large orders on time.
Consult with a respectable printing service today to discuss the benefits of embroidery and silkscreen printing for your company’s promotional items.
