Screen Printing /
Silk-Screening

An image is transferred to the printed surface by ink, which is pressed through a stenciled screen and treated with a light-sensitive emulsion. Film positives are put in contact with the screens and exposed to light, hardening the emulsion not covered by film and leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee to press ink through. Also, you must create a different screen for every colour you print, and then screen each colour separately allowing drying time in-between.

Embroidery

Stitching a design into fabric through the use of high-speed, computer-controlled sewing machines. Artwork must first be "digitized," which is the specialized process of converting two-dimensional artwork into stitches or thread. The digitizer must actually recreate the artwork using stitches in order to make the embroidery tape that’s used to sew the design.  

Deboss

Achieved by depressing an image into a material’s surface so that the image sits below the product surface.

Emboss

We Impress an image in relief to achieve a raised surface.

Hot Stamp

Setting a design on a metal relief die or plate, which is then heated and pressed onto the printing surface to achieve a deboss.

Etching

Using a process in which an image is first covered with a protective coating that resists acid, then exposed, leaving bare metal and protected metal. The acid attacks only the exposed metal, leaving the image etched onto the surface.

Laser or Foil Stamp

Applying metallic or coloured foil imprints to vinyl, leather or paper surfaces. Usually with a deboss.

Die-casting

Injecting molten metal into the cavity of a carved die (or a mold)

Die-striking

Producing emblems and other flat promotional products by striking a blank metal sheet with a hammer that holds the die.

Colourfill

Screen printing an image and then debossing it onto the vinyl’s surface, or filling a cavity with colour.

Pad Printing

A recessed surface is covered with ink. The plate is wiped clean, leaving ink in the recessed areas. A silicone pad is then pressed against the plate, pulling the ink out of the recesses, and pressing it directly onto the product.

4-colour Process

A system where a colour image is separated into 4 different colour values by the use of filters and screens (usually done digitally). The result is a colour separation of 4 images, that when transferred to printing plates and printed on a printing press with the coloured inks cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black, reproduces the original color image. These four colors can be combined to create thousands of colors just as your computer printer does.

Laser (Engraving)

Art or lettering is cut into a material by a laser beam that vaporizes the portion exposed through openings in a template. Used mostly with metal or wood.

Sublimation

Dye transfer process where the image consists of a coloured dye permanently embedded into the material surface of pores. Used to imprint messages, graphics and photographs on a variety of items, primarily mouse pads, mugs, T-shirts, caps, and trophy medals.

Decal

Artwork is produced on a transparent decal, then applied to product.

Offset Printing

A process of transferring ink from a metal printing plate to a rubber-covered cylinder. Used on more complex artwork and for higher quantity runs.

Pantone Matching
System (PMS)

A book of standardized colour usually in a fan format used to identify, match and communicate colors in order to produce accurate colour matches in printing. Each colour has a coded number indicating instructions for mixing inks to achieve that colour.

Personalization

Imprinting an item with a person's name using one of several methods such as mechanical engraving, laser engraving, hot stamping, debossing, sublimation, or screen printing, just to name a few.

Set-up Charge
Screen Fee
Plate Charge

Usually the cost of making the plate or screen, or embroidery tape. Usually a one time charge, but not always.

Exact Rerun

Usually there is no setup charge on exact reruns of an order.

PMS Colour Match

Some factories will charge to match a colour exactly.

Paper Proof

A proof of your job on paper usually showing the product to be printed and a depiction of the imprint. This will usually be supplied without charge to check for accuracy.

Pre-production Proof

An actual physical sample of the product itself produced and sent for approval before an order goes into production. We will try to supply an actual proof where possible and required. This may involve additional costs, due to extra set-up and transportation costs.  

Production Time

The amount of time needed to produce and ship an order, once an order and artwork have been received, and approved. Our normal delivery time is under 4 weeks, but we can usually deliver within days if required.  

Overruns/Underruns

Many print processes result  in over and under runs compared to actual order quantities. In order to avoid embarrassment, we will usually produce extra in case of damages during production. We reserve the right to ship and bill for quantities 5-10% over order quantities. Due to production constraints certain products such as plastic bags may be subject to overs or unders of as much as 20%. We will attempt to ship exact quantities wherever feasible.    

Copy Change

Charge to change copy during a production run. Allows combined quantity prices for different imprints (usually same colour) of the same item.

Halftone

An image produced by breaking the subject into small dots of varying intensities of grey ranging from white to black.

Bleeds:

Refers to the ability to print right to the edge of the paper. In order to print to the edge of paper products, usually the printer must use larger sheets  and then cut them back. Artwork needs to incorporate bleeds.

Mechanical Artwork

The traditional standard for acceptable mechanical artwork that is "camera-ready black and white" material. For the most part replaced by digital art files

Vector files

Sometimes called a geometric file and created with tools such as Adobe Illustrator  in the form of vector image files. Vector image files are easier to modify than raster image files.

Bitmap files

A collection of bits that form an image. The image consists of a matrix of individual dots (or pixels) that all have their own color (described using bits, the smallest possible units of information for a computer). Unless these are in very large sized resolution (600 DPI or better), they are not suitable for printing.

(PDF) files

Adobe® Portable Document Format preserve the visually rich content of original files, and are easier to read than HTML content that appears in a Web browser. Adobe PDF files print cleanly and quickly, and anyone can share Adobe PDF files, regardless of their platform or software application. This is good to show the end result you would like, but usually not good for sending artwork that needs to be printed.

TIFF - Not usable

Tagged Image File Format file: A file format for exchanging bitmapped images between different applications. This format will not work to use in the printing process

EPS - Accepted

Encapsulated Postscript file: An alternative picture file format that allows PostScript data to be stored and edited and is easy to transfer between Macintosh, Windows machines, and other systems.

AI - Accepted

Adobe Illustrator File, the very best in quality to recreate your artwork in the printing process.

JPG - Not usable

Commonly used on the web due to it's excellent ability to compress the graphic to save webpage load time. Not suitable for use in the printing process.

GIF - Not usable

Commonly used on the web due to it's ability to reduce the number of colors an image uses to be viewed to save webpage load time. Not suitable for use in the printing process.

BMP - Not usable

A low resolution Image format. Not suitable for use in the printing process.

Doc - Usually Not Usable

Word doc files can only be used if you would like to display typeset text. Not suitable for use in the printing process.

Web Pages- Not Usable

As a general rule, if it can be viewed on the web it will not be suitable for printing.