Heart on your sleeve

Branding was originally a simple way of identifying one person’s cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. Today, although still used to distinguish one company’s goods or services from those of others, a brand comes in many forms and may be represented as a name, design, symbol, sign, colour combination or slogan.

Among the first recorded promotional items to be used to advertise or promote a message, logo, image or event were the commemorative buttons used in George Washington’s inauguration in 1789.

Some of the first promotional business products were items that companies knew their customers would need, such as bags, calendars, horse blankets, fans and aprons. In those pre-radio and television days, it was an ideal means of getting the company’s name to a wider audience as their customers travelled around.

Today the promotional goods industry is extensive, with garment branding being a major sector, from the small scale half-a-dozen t-shirts for a stag night, to merchandising for major events such as rock concerts and the London Marathon.

Fashion and sports ranges have long used the technique—effectively putting the label on the outside to generate ‘lifestyle’ sales, where customers want to demonstrate that they are part of ‘the club’.

Uniform work is also a significant element of the garment branding market, promoting an organisation as well as presenting a consistency of appearance that communicates a ‘message’ to its customers and users.

Making your mark

There are many methods and equipment for applying branding to garments. Heat transfer, using either digital or laser printing equipment, is ideal for t-shirt printing. It uses a heat press to transfer a printed image from special transfer papers. Although a very traditional process, new developments in transfer paper technology make it a very easy to create a professional finish.

“It’s particularly suited to users such as high street outlets and others where only small quantities are required,” comments managing director of garment branding equipment supplier Dalesway Print Technology, Andrew Stocking.

Rhinestone setting is a more recent technique for garment decoration that can be used alone or as an additional effect for embroidered designs, heat transfer prints, prints from direct-to-garment machines and some screen printed designs.

To increase the potential value of garment work, the GX-24 cutter from Roland DG is designed for cutting a wide range of colourfast heat-applied materials such as flock, reflective, neon, glitter and twill. In addition, Roland R-Wear Studio design software, optional with the GX-24, enables the latest style to be added to products quickly and intuitively. It allows the production of a wide range of custom applications including, heat transfers for garment decoration and rhinestone placement templates.

“Highly profitable jobs such as garment decorations featuring rhinestone embellishments and heat transfers using vector-based designs, logos and letterings are all facilitated by Roland R-Wear Studio design software,” explains business manager signs and graphics at Roland DG UK, Rob Goleniowski.

Direct-to-garment printing is generally used for one-off full colour designs using modified inkjet technology, which is ideal for businesses such as mail order companies that need to print single items or offer personalisation to individuals rather than commercial customers. One of the latest pieces of equipment available is the Texjet Plus direct-to-garment printer manufactured by Polyprint and distributed in the UK by Amaya Sales UK.

“Texjet Plus has been designed to print directly onto cotton-based garments and gives excellent reproduction of even the most complicated designs,” says Amaya managing director Peter Wright, adding: “It uses water-based pigment inks that are cured by placing under a heat press or dryer for two minutes.”

There is no set up cost, as the design is processed within the included RIP software and then the garment is ready to print, which means that this type of printer can economically print an order of one. 

“This compares favourably with screen printing, where you have to create expensive screens before you can start, making small orders impracticable. The Texjet Plus is ideal for one-off or runs up to 100 and you can make the highest margins,” adds Wright.

Digital printing offers a cost effective alternative and Roland’s VersaCAMM SPi and the desktop VersaSTUDIO BN-20 series of printer/cutters are among its best-selling wide format inkjet printers. Both machines are powerful and easy-to-use four-colour digital printers suitable for garment branding and other fabric applications.

“The good news for the sign-maker is that this technology is also currently considerably cheaper than direct-to-textile printing technology and the quality is largely the same across both, so long as you invest in quality hardware,” comments Goleniowski, adding: “These solutions are ideal for full-colour, short-run t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, hats and other textiles. All that’s required is a Roland printer, a standard heat press, and specialised heat transfer material (HTM), specifically designed for inkjet transfers to cotton or cotton blend garments.”

However, it is the long-standing, tried and tested techniques that still rule the day. Screen printing is well established and remains one of the most popular methods for personalising garments—testified to in the recent product personalisation / screen printing episode of The Apprentice. On the equipment side, products range from the very small hand operated machine to sophisticated high volume, fast output machinery.

Embroidery is also regularly used for branding of garments such as t-shirts, polo shirts, trousers, bags, caps, and jackets and can be carried out on a traditional sewing machine or more modern computer-based embroidery machines. These can be either single or multihead systems, dependent upon whether the user wishes to personalise one or several garments at a time.

“The traditional systems of screen-printing and embroidery are still extensively used,” confirms Stocking.

A view from the sharp end

With garment branding representing around 80 percent of its total output, Dorset-based Taylor Made Designs UK is a leading supplier of uniforms for the leisure industry, education, attractions and corporate sector of the market, the balance of output being made up with merchandise. Branding methods applied include screen printing, embroidery, heat transfer and CAD cut. However, 95 percent of the company’s garment decoration is either embroidery or screen print.

“Other techniques, such as heat transfer, are too costly and time consuming for large volume work,” explains managing director, Ed Taylor, adding: “However, we offer a full consultancy service and always advise clients as to the most appropriate technique dependent upon a number of factors including colours, target audience, budget, usage and quantities required.”

Nottingham garment branding specialist October offers a similar viewpoint, as its director Paul Stephenson explains: “While there have been considerable advancements in terms of quality and speed, and therefore time and costs savings, the standard long-standing methods and machinery are still very much the same as they always have been; there are no great differences. Modern effects, such as foil, gloss and glitter, are all applied in essentially the same way.”

Pertinent pointers

So what is the advice for sign-makers who may be considering garment branding as an additional service? Responses range from ‘don’t do it’ to ‘go for it’.

“In general, I wouldn’t advise it at all; it’s a very competitive market that can be quite tricky to enter,” says Taylor, adding: “For volume work, the equipment is very expensive, with a good quality machine costing around £35,000; and you would certainly need more than one machine. You would also need to keep up to date regularly with new equipment and techniques.

“If you have the capital, then look for a niche market, otherwise my advice to anyone going new into the market would be to outsource in the first instance.”

Stephenson concurs, explaining: “Setting up a large scale operation could easily cost £100,000 in terms of equipment, and competition in volume work is very keen.

“On the other hand, it is possible to set up a small-scale operation relatively inexpensively for short-runs and manual work with just a screen print machine and a dryer. But very small volume work is not very profitable unless you can identify a very specific niche, so that you become a big fish in a small pond, or if you have a good existing customer base with high potential for offering garment branding as a value added service. Otherwise, avoid it.”

Consideration of your potential client base is also a recurring theme, as Wright advises: “Look at your database of customers and imagine how many of these would also want to purchase branded clothing. The advantage of direct-to-garment printers is that you can print any design that you are asked to produce. Other processes like vinyl lettering, transfer and laser printing are more restrictive.”

Stocking shares Wright’s enthusiasm, commenting: “Go for it—it’s still a very buoyant market—but look very carefully at your client base. If you’re working with clients who are already using promotional merchandise, you may be able to convert them to purchasing from your business. If you’re in a high street location then you need to consider whether your clients are general public or businesses.”

Staffordshire-based Axit Screen Printing Equipment supplies a range of entry-level equipment that can be used as an extension to an existing screen print business.

“My advice would be to do small volume work to start with and then expand. It’s complicated for a one-person set-up to move to large automated ‘factory’ machines. But, before you do anything, you must research your market,” stresses managing director, Malcolm Richards.

Goleniowski also has advice for companies, concluding: “The potential of the market for printed textiles and garments has been recognised for some time but it still remains an emerging market with plenty more growth to come, which presents some great opportunities.

“Cost effective printers and cutters have dramatically lowered the barriers to entering the garment branding sector, opening up yet another avenue for sign-makers to diversify their businesses. Many sign-makers will already have the necessary hardware to offer this service. And they will also find that many of their skills are readily transferable between the disciplines of producing display graphics and branding for garments.”

Stocking adds a final word of caution to UK firms, explaining: “Think about the type of signage work you are currently producing. For example, if you are working in an engraving environment you may find that you are moving into an area that ultimately you’re not comfortable with. Working with inks is a very different skill.”

Overall, there is potential for sign-makers to diversify into garment branding, but it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. To avoid making a potentially costly mistake, it requires careful research of target markets as well as consideration of the cost of equipment and the space required to house it. But if you can tick all the boxes and have the drive and energy to make it work without detracting from your existing business, it could be a profitable addition."