This page is for informing our clients about the systems we use.
All our systems make use of some form of digital transfer process, which by using different techniques we are able to transfer onto a wide variety of surfaces ranging from Stainless Steel all the way to your skin. Yep you heard right, we can print and transfer the image onto your skin.
Some of the frequent questions we get about our digital transfer system:
"Is this the same as those iron on transfers" - In short - NO.
Digital transfers are designed to be transferred at very specific temperature and pressure settings as determined by the manufacturers. This can not be successfully replicated by a domestic iron.
"How durable is the transferred print?" - Each solution has slightly different durabilities but to generalise for garments we speak of 20-30 washes as a typical standard. This does not mean the print will only last 20 washes it just means you will not see much degradation until after 20 washes. This however is dependant on how the garment is washed and cared for. The recommendation is to machine wash on a gentle cycle with warm or cold water and tumble dry on low heat. But in all cases the print will last longer if you offer good care to the item printed. Washing by hand (Stone wash) is not recommended as it is a very abrasive technique.
"What else do you do" - Maybe a quick word on the techniques we DO NOT offer ourselves but can refer you to those who do! This is not an endorsement merely information you can use if looking for one of the techniques.
Laser cutting or engraving.
3D Printing.
Embroidery.
Rotary Engraving
Screen Printing (By hand)
Direct to garment
"Can we supply our own items for printing" - Yes you may - Depending on the item to be printed we will advise the best method and technique to print. If we are unsure we will ask you to provide a sample for testing before doing your actual job.
"Will you only do one print" - Yes, but for some techniques this might be more costly due to the cost of mixing chemicals to develope the print. We will advise when you enquire.
"Do you supply t-shirts" - Yes we do. We supply fruit of the loom and Gildan t-shirts which are made especially for the print industy because of the close knit fabric. Unfortunately we do not carry stock, we only order on demand, so it does take a little longer.
"Do you deliver" - Yes we do. We make use of local and national carriers. If our quotes do not show a delivey fee seperate it is assumed you will be collecting or arranging collection.
"Are the inks used weather proof" - Yes they are. All our techniques make use of inks that are resistant to water.
"Can you help me with my artwork" - Yes we can. Our editors are able to assist with artwork that is not up to print ready standard at a reasonable fee. In each case we will give you a quote if you need this service.
"What type of artwork do you accept as print ready" - Any artwork that has been created by a professional graphics package such as pixel based: Photoshop, Photo Paint or Affinity *(min 300dpi with transparent background) or Vector based programs Illustrator, CorelDraw, Affinity Designer. You may also supply, .PNG .PDF or .EPS files provided they have been created in one of the above programs. It is alway a good idea to send a low resolution .JPG file together with your high resolution artwork as a reference file.
"I don't use one of the programs you mentioned, can i still submit these to you?" - Yes you can. Our editors will evaluate whether our program is able to translate the file into an acceptable print ready format, there may be costs involved but these will be communicated to you.
"What are examples of artwork that is not print ready"
- Most internet images as they do not have good print quality (typically 95dpi, ideal is 300dpi).
- Photo's sent via whatsapp (as the original image resolution is reduced by the app when sending)
- Generally speaking any image not created on one of the mentioned programs would probably not be print ready.
"Other issues that affect whether artwork in Print Ready"
- Images in .JPEG format often have white backgrounds which need to be removed before printing.
- Rather use .PNG format which supports the preferred transparent background.
- Images that have high transparency values in the colours. Ideally we require the colour density to be 80% or higher.
But if unsure we welcome you to send us your artwork and will advise whether your artwork will require any additional processing to make it print ready.
Some of the frequent questions we get about our digital transfer system:
"Is this the same as those iron on transfers" - In short - NO.
Digital transfers are designed to be transferred at very specific temperature and pressure settings as determined by the manufacturers. This can not be successfully replicated by a domestic iron.
"How durable is the transferred print?" - Each solution has slightly different durabilities but to generalise for garments we speak of 20-30 washes as a typical standard. This does not mean the print will only last 20 washes it just means you will not see much degradation until after 20 washes. This however is dependant on how the garment is washed and cared for. The recommendation is to machine wash on a gentle cycle with warm or cold water and tumble dry on low heat. But in all cases the print will last longer if you offer good care to the item printed. Washing by hand (Stone wash) is not recommended as it is a very abrasive technique.
"What else do you do" - Maybe a quick word on the techniques we DO NOT offer ourselves but can refer you to those who do! This is not an endorsement merely information you can use if looking for one of the techniques.
Laser cutting or engraving.
3D Printing.
Embroidery.
Rotary Engraving
Screen Printing (By hand)
Direct to garment
"Can we supply our own items for printing" - Yes you may - Depending on the item to be printed we will advise the best method and technique to print. If we are unsure we will ask you to provide a sample for testing before doing your actual job.
"Will you only do one print" - Yes, but for some techniques this might be more costly due to the cost of mixing chemicals to develope the print. We will advise when you enquire.
"Do you supply t-shirts" - Yes we do. We supply fruit of the loom and Gildan t-shirts which are made especially for the print industy because of the close knit fabric. Unfortunately we do not carry stock, we only order on demand, so it does take a little longer.
"Do you deliver" - Yes we do. We make use of local and national carriers. If our quotes do not show a delivey fee seperate it is assumed you will be collecting or arranging collection.
"Are the inks used weather proof" - Yes they are. All our techniques make use of inks that are resistant to water.
"Can you help me with my artwork" - Yes we can. Our editors are able to assist with artwork that is not up to print ready standard at a reasonable fee. In each case we will give you a quote if you need this service.
"What type of artwork do you accept as print ready" - Any artwork that has been created by a professional graphics package such as pixel based: Photoshop, Photo Paint or Affinity *(min 300dpi with transparent background) or Vector based programs Illustrator, CorelDraw, Affinity Designer. You may also supply, .PNG .PDF or .EPS files provided they have been created in one of the above programs. It is alway a good idea to send a low resolution .JPG file together with your high resolution artwork as a reference file.
"I don't use one of the programs you mentioned, can i still submit these to you?" - Yes you can. Our editors will evaluate whether our program is able to translate the file into an acceptable print ready format, there may be costs involved but these will be communicated to you.
"What are examples of artwork that is not print ready"
- Most internet images as they do not have good print quality (typically 95dpi, ideal is 300dpi).
- Photo's sent via whatsapp (as the original image resolution is reduced by the app when sending)
- Generally speaking any image not created on one of the mentioned programs would probably not be print ready.
"Other issues that affect whether artwork in Print Ready"
- Images in .JPEG format often have white backgrounds which need to be removed before printing.
- Rather use .PNG format which supports the preferred transparent background.
- Images that have high transparency values in the colours. Ideally we require the colour density to be 80% or higher.
But if unsure we welcome you to send us your artwork and will advise whether your artwork will require any additional processing to make it print ready.