Impressions - April 2011 - (Page 67)

EMBROIDERY >> HANDS ON By DECORATING DIGITAL Christopher Bernat, >> Contributing Editor HANDS ON EMBROIDERY HANDS ON Production DIGITAL DECORATING HANDS ON SCREEN PRINTING HANDS ON TECH TIPS HANDS ON SCREEN PRINTING >> HANDS ON TECH TIPS HANDS ON How to Sublimate on Caps >> With caps gaining popularity in the performancewear arena, adding sublimation services to your shop can increase your margins. Despite all of the historical naysaying about polyester fabrics, sublimation is one of the fastest-growing decorating technologies for apparel. The increased visibility of performance fabrics is a big contributing factor to this. First, here’s some insight into performancewear fabrics and the role sublimation plays in decorating these garments. Consumers have been bombarded with marketing messages from sports icons about performance apparel and moisture-wicking technologies. Nike, adidas, Under Armour, New Balance, Columbia Sports and many other brands are spending billions of dollars marketing the technology to athletes, outdoorsmen and John Q. Public. It even is entering the workwear and corporate wear markets. In addition to the many innovative styles available, these products moderate the temperature for the person wearing them, keeping customers cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. When prepping your cap press, be sure to secure the foam and Teﬂon separately and on all sides using heat tape. To ensure precise pressing, ensure that the press you are using has a cap tension system to lock the cap in place before pressing. Apparel decorators who are not building part of their growth strategy with performance fabrics in mind are missing a major margin opportunity. Sublimation as a decorating technology is a winner in this space for many reasons. For starters, it is ideal because its application requires using polyester, which is the dominant fabric in the performance arena. Also, sublimation does not block the wicking properties of the fabric. Screen printing and other heat-applied graphics will stop the wicking ability on the areas of the garment that are decorated. Caps will be one of the apparel sectors that grow signiﬁcantly in 2011 within the sublimation marketplace. Industry suppliers offer myriad styles that decorators can choose from and headwear is a great upselling opportunity for any apparel decorator. Regardless of your marketplace, this gear makes sense. How is sublimation on caps different from other headwear decoration? You may be thinking, “So what? I already have plenty of ways to embellish hats that cost less money.” That may be the case, but sublimation offers superior customization options. A good decorator using quality, sublimation-certiﬁed blanks can generate major margins with hats. With spring in full swing and summer looming, there are corporate outings, camps, sports events and beach season on the horizon. Now is the time to think about your answer to, “What’s new?” Personalization is increasingly popular and could be a big winner, enabling you to set your shop apart from the competition. DISCIPLINE REQUIRED More people are anticipating the ability to customize each item in a unique way, so follow this advice to expertly execute sublimation on caps. To preserve the high-margin structure that customization can deliver, you need to be disciplined in your production process. It’s important to know that sublimation is very unforgiving and the lack of a predeﬁned standard operating procedure (SOP) will guarantee failure. Here are the critical observations and steps you need to remember about pressing hats with sublimation transfers. • All cap presses are not user-friendly. You need one with a very smooth release that does not jerk the transfer. Pop-up April/May 2011 << Impressions impressionsmag.com 67 http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - April 2011

Impressions - April 2011
Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
In the Team Spirit
Top Sellers
Decorated Apparel: The Next Generation
Adjusting Your Business to the ‘New Normal’
Design & Digitizing
Graphics & Design
For Screen Printers Only
Online Directory
How to Achieve Quality Digital Prints on Dark Shirts
How to Sublimate on Caps
Business to Business
Classifieds
Ad Index

Impressions - April 2011