How to get your logo on clothing
How to get your logo on clothing
There are a few ways to get your logo onto clothing. This guide should help walk you through the process of getting to the desired outcome of having your logo on some clothing. This guide will focus primarily on outsourcing rather than any DIY processes. There are processes where you can buy transfers to iron on or inks that fix into the garment under sunlight and they might be fine for what you require but this guide won’t cover those processes.
The first stage of the process in getting your logo on clothing is to decide what the purpose of the clothing is.
Are you looking for a batch of T-shirts for a charity event, are you looking for a garment to promote your business at an event, are you looking for a full work uniform for you and your team. Will the garments be used under heavy use? Such as tradesmen/women on the tools. Or light use such as office staff doing desk work? Knowing why you want your logo on clothing and the end-use will help establish what kind of garments you require.
What kind of garment is it going on
Once you know why you need your logo on clothing then you need to know what sort of clothing it is going on. Different garments lend themselves better to the different decorating processes. T-shirts and hoodies generally have your logo applied to them using any of the decorating processes. However, fleeces or garments with a textured surface don’t always work well with print or heat-sealed vinyl and would be best to be embroidered. Likewise waterproof garments when embroidered don’t always remain waterproof as the stitching process generally has to pierce through the waterproof barrier on the garment.
Decide on a decorating process to get your logo on clothing
Once you have established what garments you want to have your logo added to, then you can pick the correct decorating process. The three main processes are heat-sealed vinyl (often referred to as print), embroidery, and screen printing. You can read more about the decorating processes here. Heat-sealed vinyl is where your logo is printed onto and cut from vinyl, which is then stuck to your clothing using heat. Embroidery is where your logo is stitched onto the clothing and screen printing is where ink is spread through a screen onto the clothing.
Vinyl gives the most versatility in terms of colour range. As logos can be printed with gradients onto the vinyl before it is cut and applied. Embroidery is most hardwearing as your logo becomes part of the garment. Screen printing works best for larger volumes of clothing.
Find a supplier who can help to get your logo on clothing
Once you have established why you need your logo on clothing. The purpose of the clothing, and what decorating process be.t suits you. You are now ready to find a supplier. This is or should be relatively straightforward by conducting a google search. The main thing here is to decide whether you want someone local. Or someone you can speak to versus an automated online process.
Speaking to someone via telephone, email, or face to face will allow you to make sure the supplier understands your requirements. They can also give further advice they think may be relevant. Going automated and ordering online might be quicker. However you must be fully confident in what you are ordering. As generally online what you order is what you will get. So if you pick the heat-sealed vinyl to go on fleeces. Heat sealed vnyl on a fleece is what you'll get. Leaving you disapointed.
Place your order
Once you have found a supplier and are happy with everything they offer. You simply place your order and wait for it to be delivered. Different suppliers may have different processes. However generally you would send your logo either by email or upload it to their website. Sometimes you will get sent a design proof. Or see an onscreen visual before your logo is applied to the clothing, but not always. If you do want to see what it’ll look like make sure to request a proof before printing, most suppliers should accommodate this.
Wait for your order to arrive
Once you have placed your order you just need to sit back and wait for it to arrive. Generally, 2 weeks is the maximum you would wait, unless it is something custom. However it is always best to check your chosen suppliers' delivery times, especially if you have a deadline, there is no point ordering something that will take two weeks to come if you need it in one week.
Summary
- Establish why you need your logo added to clothing
- Decide the purpose and use of the clothing
- Decide what garments you need
- Pick a decorating process best suited to your needs
- Find a supplier and place your order
If you want to learn about the cost of printing T-shirts read this article. Or if you want to work out a price check out this online calculator.