ImagesMagUK_Digital_Edition_Feb18

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT www.images-magazine.com 28 images FEBRUARY 2018 Pros: Thread’s sheen and dimension are unmatched when it comes to achieving the vintage look. Embroidery maintains its high perception of value and lends retro cred. Cons: Images with ultra-fine detail, wide-gamut blends and tiny text are always difficult, requiring a skilled digitiser. Even outsourcing decorators may find it hard to get high-quality renderings. Sublimated: Sublimation enables photorealistic images on classic patch polyester from nearly any image, and is easily achieved on pre-edged blank patches. Pros: Heat press owners need only order transfers to try it, and new entrants into in-house sublimation will find small desktop set-ups inexpensive. Cons: Sublimation must use polyester and print on light colours, only achieving a full colour gamut on white substrates. You can print any colour background, but colour management is difficult. I t’s hard to deny the draw of the retro- styled patch cap; I’ve loved them ever since my mechanic dad first donned his iconic five-panel, mesh-backed, GMC Trucks patch cap, and sellers of vintage and vintage-styled caps have gleefully revived these classic promotional staples. What started as the only way to decorate constructed hats before tubular embroidery machines has ridden a wave of nostalgia back into our order queue. This one-time throw- away promotional item has grown beyond replicas to allow for multimedia masterpieces that are impractical for direct, traditional embroidery. With this brief overview of patch styles and a run- through of production, we’ll make patch caps a promotional powerhouse for your customers. Patch styles Embroidered: Embroidered emblems are essential for classically-styled patch caps. Erich Campbell advises how to recreate on-trend, retro-styled patch caps Woven: The technology commonly used for clothing labels is increasingly used for finely detailed emblems. Pros: Smaller text and finer detail than embroidery is possible, and some surface texture sets it apart from prints. Cons: Flat, even with the woven texture; stitch angles and sheen are non-existent. Generally an outsource- only product, and long turnaround times are common. [Below] A brief tour through stores like Etsy will show you that even the original hats from the heyday of patch-decorated caps are selling everywhere. This GMC cap is identical to the one my dad wore and that inspired my love of patches on caps [Left] This rough-cut patch is printed with a DTG machine and stitched down with a multi-run straight stitch, but accented with a touch of embroidery on the flames. This kind of detail can silence the critics that don’t like the flat look of prints [Above} This sublimated twill patch shows you the power of a fully photographic printing process for patches. This piece was stitched with a complete coverage satin stitch