As apparel continues to grow in the branded merchandise space, more and more collaboration is happening between the groups. Working with a contract apparel decorator is a great way to build business, but that doesn’t mean a distributor should completely wash their hands of learning the techniques and technology used to embellish garments.

Educating yourself as a distributor on apparel decorating techniques will not only strengthen your relationship with your contract partners, but it will also ensure that your customers are happy having their orders fulfilled correctly and on time.

As a contract decorator located in Arlington, Texas, Hightech Grafix (HTG) knows a little something about apparel decorating techniques. More importantly, the company understands the value of educating its partners on what the equipment is capable of, realistic timelines, and more.

Basic Technology Breakdown

Since the company offers a variety of decorating services, this is particularly helpful to promotional products distributors looking to expand their understanding of the equipment. Included in the lineup are screen printing, embroidery, vinyl heat transfer, and coming soon, direct-to-film (DTF), each offering its own unique process.

Screen printing is perhaps the most well-known, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things distributors might not know about it. “It has color limitations (set by press size), requiring each color to be isolated and printed separately,” says Bryan Nichols, CEO at HTG. “This method is great for a wide variety of materials such as cotton, polyester, blends, or even paper.”

Embroidery also ranks up there with the traditional decorating methods, and it does come with certain parameters. “It does have size and color limitations, as well as detail limitations, but has no quantity minimums,” Nichols notes.

Vinyl heat transfer is also a popular choice. Distributors should know that this method is an ideal choice for both short runs and custom personalization. “One limitation of this method is the tedium that accompanies ‘weeding’ the discarded vinyl,” notes Nichols.

But what’s really getting Nichols and the team at Hightech excited is DTF, a relatively new technology on the decorated apparel scene. “DTF is a relatively new process of creating roll-to-roll ink transfers without the restrictions that occur when using vinyl transfers,” he notes. “Ink is printed to substrate then coated with adhesive powder before it is precured under specific heat specifications. Those transfers are then secured to fabric using heat and pressure, similar to vinyl transfers, only with a softer feel.”

Since it’s still in its infancy, Hightech is working on rolling it out in the coming weeks at the time of publishing. Perhaps that’s even why it’s more important to focus on education. “Being such a new technology in the United States, the machine manufacturers are racing to get them in the decorators’ hands, [so] it’s critical to choose the right partner,” says Nichols. Hightech is set up to be that partner.

Before You Commit …

Now that you’ve had a little education dropped on you, let’s talk about why you should care. Let’s start at the top. “The most important reason a distributor should understand the basics of each decoration process is to know the limitations that each decoration method has,” says Nichols. “Before committing to decoration requests, one must first be aware that not all demands can be met.”

For example, it’s crucial to understand that while vinyl transfers have certain limitations, those don’t necessarily apply to DTF. “DTF works well on all fabrics, including cotton, blends, and polyester, [and it] works great on several applications including shirts, hats, bags, etc.,” Nichols states. “The challenges are purchasing the right equipment.”   

It is for this reason that it’s crucial to build a great relationship out of the gate with your contract decorator. It’s also a point that HTG prides itself on. “At Hightech Grafix, we take pride in being your preferred decorator, and to us that means more than just offering a service — we are your partners in the apparel industry,” Nichols says. “We are here to help you grow, and that begins with understanding the fundamentals of decoration.”

The company provides a variety of avenues to educate its customers. “Whether it is providing you with samples, instructional material, or taking a tour of our facility to see the magic happen first-hand, we are here to ensure that you can offer the most informed suggestions to your customers,” lists Nichols.

Educating yourself on basic apparel decorating serves a few other purposes. “Educating yourself on best practices is helpful in many ways, such as (but not limited to): cutting down on production time, saving money on returns and reprints, and because there is often more than one way to achieve the look you are going for,” Nichols states. “You can feel confident steering your customer into a decoration technique that will be sure to please.”

In addition to samples, Nichols also states that instructional material is one way HTG educates its partners. “A contract decorator can educate their customers through instructional materials like infographics, video tutorials, seminars/webinars, and phone consultations.”

Of course, the company is proof that the model works, and it is poised to be the ideal contract partner for promotional products distributors. For example, Nichols notes that they often get many requests for quotes in the span of just a day, which can take hours to get through. “We have delivered a screen-printing quote tool for our customers so they can price their own jobs,” he says. They’re working on one for the embroidery process as well.

At the end of the day, it comes down to working together for the end customer. “Rather than just processing through each of your orders, we want to empower you to feel confident when discussing options with your clients,” Nichols finishes.