The types of decorating promotional products can be confusing. Here is a list of available ways to personalize a promotional products or advertising specialties and their meanings.

Decorating Types

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 color you are going to print, and then screen each color 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. A particular format of art such as a jpeg, tif, eps, or bmp, cannot be converted into an embroidery tape. The digitizer must actually recreate the artwork using stitches. Then it programs the sewing machine to sew a specific design, in a specific color, with a specific type of stitch. This is the process known as digitizing.

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 colored 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.

Colorfill

Screen printing an image and then debossing it onto the vinyl?s surface.

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-color Process

A system where a color image is separated into 4 different color values by the use of filters and screens (usually done digitally). The result is a color separation of 4 images, that when transferred to printing plates and printed on a printing press with the colored 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)

Imprinting method by which art or lettering is cut into a material by a laser beam that vaporizes the portion exposed through openings in a template.

Sublimation

Dye transfer process where the image consists of a colored 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.