Promotional Products Buying Guide

Screen Printing

Screen printing is a versatile branding method which has been used for centuries, and is the most common branding method for promotional products. An aluminum or wooden frame with a fine nylon mesh stretched over it is coated with a light sensitive emulsion or film, when dry the emulsion blocks the holes in the mesh.

The image or logo being printed is output to film positive by image setter. The mesh on the screen and the film positive are sandwiched together and exposed to ultra violet light in a device called a print down frame.

The screen is washed with a jet of water to wash away all of the light sensitive emulsion that has not been hardened by the ultra violet light. What is left is an open stencil which matches exactly to the image or logo what was supplied on film.

The screen is then fitted to the press and is hinged so it can be raised and lowered. The product to be printed in positioned underneath the screen and ink is placed on the top side of the screen, with the frames wall acting to contain the ink. A rubber blade called a SQUEEGEE with a metal or wooden handle is pulled across the top of the screen, pushing the ink through the holes in the mesh onto the surface of the product being printed. To repeat the process the squeegee floods the screen again with a return stroke before printing the next impression.

A separate screen is required for each colour being printed. So if the logo has three colours, the three separate screens are required. Screeb are re-used whereas the film is kept for repeat orders, hence repeat screen costs costing less than original screen costs.

Pad Printing

Indirect offset gravure printing, also known as Pad Printing is a printing process invented hundreds of years ago. The image or logo to be printed is created on a printing plate, normally produced by chemical etching. The plate is usually steel or a nylon photopolymer material.

Inks containing solvents are used in pad printing. The main process that allows pad printing to operate is the evaporation of the solvents. When the ink is contained within the etched image or logo area, the evaporation of the solvents causes the surface of the ink to become tacky.

There is a specific shape to the pad, so when it compresses on the plate the printing surface of the pad rolls across the plate where is comes into contact with the tacky surface of the ink. As the pad lifts away, the printing surface rolls away from the plate and ink is lifted up from the etching.

As the pad moves towards the product to be printed the solvent evaporates further and the outside surface of the ink becomes tacky. The pad compresses when it makes contact with the product, and the print surface of the pad rolls across the product and the tacky surface of the ink attaches itself to the surface of the product. The pad is then lifted away from the surface of the product leaving the ink laying on the surface of the product.

Blind Embossing

Embossing is a process that applies pressure to the surface of a material giving it a three dimensional effect. The procedure involves the use of two dies, one fitting into the other so that the raised die forces the stock into the recessed die to create the embossed logo or artwork. A die maker engraves the desired image onto metal plates also called embossing dies for use on an embossing press.

Generally embossing is used to convey a high quality but subtle finish to a logo onto products such as leather folders and gifts.

Foil Blocking

Foil blocking requires a metal plate with an engraved logo or design. The plate strikes a foil film, transferring the foil coating from the roll of film onto the product that is to be imprinted. The product then receives the high-density metallic finish, resulting in a reflective image with a bright and dense metallic appearance. A wide selection of foil colors, finishes, and effects are available such as gold, silver, and colored metallics.

Embroidery

Digitizing is the process which converts a digital design or logo into a design that can be embroidered. Thread is quite unwieldy compared to other branding processes, so many concessions are made when digitizing an image, therefore creating a faithful impression of the original artwork.

The cost of embroidering a logo is based on the number of stitches required to create the design, therefore the large the design the more expensive the embroidery.