MEET THE FAMILY OF PRINTS | PART II

Our last blog post focused primarily on prints we have been accustomed to in the printing industry. This post, however, will look into the new, innovative methods of screen printing in Malaysia that have begun to arise in recent years.

It is exciting to see how print technology has evolved in the custom corporate shirt printing industry in Malaysia, from regular and basic prints to visually stunning prints that bring out the life of your apparel by adding an extra feature to the visuals of your printed designs.

Here are the few up-and-coming prints in the current market that tick all the boxes when it comes to adding a little twist to your custom t-shirts:

High-Density Printing

One of my personal favourite types of print is High Density, which uses a mixture of a puff base and ink followed by repetitive printing that creates a special effect that rises up above the garment, providing a sharp-edged 3D feature to the print. Not only that but as this is done as a repetitive print, the height and width of the print can be controlled by the number of strokes.

However, it has to be noted that high-density print does have its shortcomings as well. Most importantly, high density cannot be achieved when printing halftone and detailed images. (Eg: Line Width of designs should not be less than 2Pts). On top of that, high-density printing is a labour-intensive process that requires multiple strokes of print, which takes up extra ink and time, which results in it being more costly than regular print methods.

Glow in the Dark Printing

It is a very versatile print that can be done in various types of garments. Glow in the Dark allows designs to stand out even more by emitting a glow from the print when exposed to a dark environment (Eg: Night runs, Haunted Houses, Club events). Not only that, as special inks & treatments are required to be used when producing glow-in-the-dark prints, the print boasts a higher durability and a professional finish when compared to regular silkscreen prints. 

One of the main setbacks of a glow-in-the-dark print is that the strongest glows emitted are from a white-based print. Even though you may use a different coloured base, the glow may not be as strong as that on a white base. Furthermore, the colour of glow currently available in the market is very limited to about 4-5 different colours. (Eg: Blue, Yellow, Green, Red). 

Photochromic Printing

One of the newest prints in town, Photochromic print, will blow your mind! Photochromic has already gained popularity in the market with its unique print, which appears clear indoors and begins to colour when the print surface is exposed to sunlight or UV light. The fact that photochromic can be done in a variety of colours is also one of its advantages, as it allows customers to work with detailed designs.

However, due to Photochromic being a new type of print technology, it requires special treatments and inks in order to create the Photochromic effect which can be quite costly. On top of that, the black and white colour visible when Photochromic print is not exposed to the light may come off as slightly dull. 

So here are a few of the most exciting prints for your custom-made t-shirts, customised Polo shirts, custom hooded sweatshirts, and caps that are currently on the market. However, you can choose from many more types of prints when printing apparel and it would be best to consult with your local custom shirt printing supplier, who should have physical samples of the actual prints for you to touch and feel.