>>Graphics Hot Spot
by Josh Ellsworth
;;;;Beginner/Intermediate
Hot Effects
SFX With Heat-Applied Graphics
Josh Ellsworth is an industry expert on apparel customization and General Manager of Stahls’ CAD-CUT Direct. His portfolio includes a You Tube
site ( youtube.com/joshellsworth) with more than 50 educational videos,
a blog ( joshellsworth.com) that is updated regularly and consulting visits
that have been made to some of the largest apparel-customization businesses in the U.S. You can reach Josh by email at josh@cadcutdirect.com
and you can find him here, on the hot spot, talking about customization
beyond the basics in every issue. Tune in for marketing strategies and sales
tips in the heat-applied graphics discipline.
Buyers of decorated apparel want more—they’re looking for more colors, odd place- ments, fewer pieces at a lower price and they want to see something special. Take a
walk through a mall or even a tour of online apparel stores. The trends vary per market but
all of them have a common thread—buyers want something different. Simply put, they
want effects. Those offering heat-applied graphics can give it to them, and it doesn’t even
have to be hard. Let’s explore some of the special-effect options that can be achieved with
a heat press.
All that glitters
Glitter is by far one of the most popular special effects for apparel, so naturally there are
plenty of choices available to achieve this finish. Heat-transfer film that can be cut with a
vinyl cutter boasts a range of glitter options. There are two basic types—a smooth and a
textured glitter. With smooth glitter, the finish features small pieces of glitter that are actually
encapsulated inside of the base color. The glitter flecks are usually silver or gold and accent
the base color of the film.
In contrast, the textured glitters have a tactile element that gives them a rough hand, created
through the thousands of tiny pieces of glitter that comprise the material. A textured glitter
product will pop a lot more than its smooth counterpart, making this an extremely popular
option for spirit wear as well as for retail-oriented fashion styles. A supplier typically carries
only one type of textured glitter in a variety of colors. A comparison across brands will reveal
that the actual pieces of glitter are in varying sizes, almost like a grit level with sand paper.
If you are looking to move past single-color graphics with glitter, your choice may be digital
print/cut media that can be printed with a solvent-based printer. But, in order for the ink to
lay down properly on this media, it can only be done in the smooth glitter finish. The beauty
of the product is that it starts with a white-base film with silver or gold glitter and the color
turns glittery as it is printed from your output device. Remember, digital print/cut media is
only compatible with solvent and eco-solvent based printers and does need to be cut after
printing.
Finally, big glitter jobs may be better fulfilled by ordering a screen printed glitter transfer.
There are a multitude of options within this category for glitters—though they almost always
are offered in a textured finish—and often suppliers will be able to sample them. This option
also makes this type of decoration service available to those that don’t own a vinyl cutter or
printer.
Heavy metal
Foil is another effect that is extremely popular and is available in a couple different
finishes as well. Metallic foils offer a true
metal-like appearance; the silver color has
that distinct chrome finish. Another type,
hologram or sparkle foil, has a sparkle-like
finish.
The process for ordering a screen-printed
transfer to achieve a foil effect is very similar
to that of actual screen printing. The transfer will arrive as an adhesive along with a foil
overlay sheet. Heat press the adhesive transfer to the garment, then overlay the foil and
press it on. After the design cools, peel away
the foil sheet and the foil sticks only to the
adhesive on the garment.
If you want to achieve a foil or metallic
print with heat-transfer film, it’s ultra simple. Suppliers stock foil and metallic transfer film in a multitude of color choices. No
extra steps with this process—simply cut,
weed and press it on.
Choices for foil are not quite developed for
digital print/cut media, but a metallic silver
base material for this process is comparative
to foil. Similar to glitter media, when the
ink is printed, the color turns metallic. This
can then be cut, weeded, masked and heat
applied to a garment.
Deep reflections
Reflective material is a unique special effect
finish that will open the door to new business. Most decorators who take the time
to use reflective materials and learn how to
sell them usually do quite a nice volume in
business. Opportunities abound with police, fire, EMS, and security personnel as
well as for roadside work crews, children,
runners, bikers or any other target market
that benefits from high-visibility embellishment. When dealing with reflectives, all
three decorating choices apply.
For single-color, low-quantity jobs or
personalization, heat-transfer film makes
38 • PRINTWEAR • JULY 2010
