How to Print on Promotional Items

Learning how to print on promotional items such as tote bags, duffel bags, lunch coolers is not as difficult as you may believe. The solution may be as easy as ordering custom heat transfers from an experienced custom heat transfer vendor.

How to Print on Promotional Items – Why use Heat Transfers?

For many years, the largest suppliers in the promotional product industry have used the heat transfer to decorate items that just do not fit on a standard screen printing machine. Printing on a flat surface is easy for most screen printers, but just try to print on a pocket which has a zipper over two thirds of the area is not so easy.

Some promotional items which are commonly printed using heat transfers are

• Duffel Bags
• Lunch Coolers
• Umbrellas
• Laundry bags
• Can wraps
• Zippered Tote Bags
• Pocket Tote Bags

How to print on Promotional Items – Advantages of Heat Transfers

Knowing a little about heat transfers can really go a long way in learning how to print promotional items. Unlike printing basic t-shirts, promotional items are not always made of cotton. In fact, most of today’s promotional products are made of polyester, nylon and now non-woven polypropylene.

Traditional screen print inks need to be altered in order to stick to these types of fabrics. The same ink alterations need to be made when using heat transfers. One of the main advantages with using a custom heat transfer comes from the development of low temperature adhesives which are now being used in heat transfers.

Low temperature application is a key requirement in knowing how to print on promotional items. The heat transfer can be applied as low as 235°F and still maintain good adhesion to polyester and nylon.  

The ability to apply heat transfers at a lower temperature helps eliminate scorching and melting of the synthetic fabrics. Using a heat transfer to print on a tote bag or lunch cooler with a “gusset” or zipper can be very easy using a heat transfer when applied with an automatic heat press machine. The user simply places the transfer where it needs to go and in just a few short seconds the application is finished.

How to print on Promotional Items – Print Full Color Logos

One thing that many of the largest suppliers of promotional products know is when their customers need full color on a promotional item, a heat transfer is the only way to go.

When printing more than 3 or 4 colors is required for a customer, a heat transfer can be made using CMYK also known as four color process. This type of transfer uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black to blend together to create and simulate spot color printing. The CMYK transfer is applied the same way as most other transfers.

If you were to try to screen print using a direct screen print method, the coarse texture of many promotional tote bags and other items will cause the print to blur.  Since the custom transfer prints on paper first and then backed with white, the transfer lays on top of the fabric while the white under base is used to bond to the substrate.

How to print on Promotional Items – What is the secret?

Did you ever wonder how promotional product suppliers print things like umbrellas and director chairs?  The answer may surprise you. While you may think these larger items all are disassembled, printed and then put back together, this is now always the case.

Many promotional product suppliers use special custom made platens for their heat press machines. The custom platen may be in a non-traditional rectangle shape made to fit a specific high volume product. How many screen printers do you know that advertise they print umbrellas or director chairs?  Not many right, because it it were easy everyone would do it.

It’s not really that difficult if you know how to print on promotional items.  The heat transfer can be applied in seconds. Once you have the fabric set flat on the heat press, all you need is good pressure and the right amount of time and temperature to make a beautiful imprint.

How to Print on Promotional Items – Where do we go?

Now that you know how to print on promotional items, the question may be where do we go to find a source for both the blank goods as well as the heat press machines and custom heat transfers?  

You can find many of the blank promotional products from your closest wholesale t-shirt distributor such as Sanmar or Alpha Broder. These distributors often carry a good basic selection of tote bags, duffel bags, towels and more.  

You can also go to the promotional product supplier. Many of these suppliers offer their products blank and a discounted price. The advantage from buying from the Promo supplier is they often have a much deeper selection of unique products which are exclusive.

Now where to find the machine and heat transfer vendor. When searching for the right heat transfer press machine, it is very important to get a machine which is adaptable to print other items than t-shirts. This type of machine should have an interchangeable lower platen. This type of platen can be removed and replaced with a custom size which will allow you to print nearly any promotional product fabric item.  

To find the custom heat transfer printing services, you need to find a vendor who can produce both low temperature transfers as well as full color heat transfers.  The custom heat transfer vendor should state the product is suitable for polyester fabrics, nylon fabrics or non-woven polypropylene fabrics.
Transfer products such as Promo HD from BestHeatTransfers.com are suited for this type of application. Be sure to ask your heat transfer vendor if they know how to print on promotional items. It’s important to tell your vendor what you are applying the transfers to so you get the right product.