Hello again and welcome back to our Printing Techniques blog series, where we will explore diverse printing methods around the clothing and accessories industries.

For our third entry we are going to talk about Direct to Garment Printing, or DTG!
Maybe you’ve heard about it in such a form, maybe you have not… but this technique is the process of printing full-color images onto garments.

What are the uses for DTG?

Due to its less expensive setup DTG is perfect for short runs of full color prints onto a wide range of clothing.
Direct to Garment printers have currently evolved exponentially and are now capable of handling complex prints and a variety of garments, providing a perfect finish for occasional prints.

What are the Pros and Cons of Embroidery?

Pros:

Able print full-color images onto a wide range of clothing
Produces high-quality prints on a short amount of time
Can be used on both light and dark colored garments

Cons:

Colors are not matched to their Pantone color
Unsuitable for large runs of garments

Have a look at the video below to see how this technique is used currently on an industrial level:

Welcome back to our Printing Technique blog series, where we will explore diverse printing methods around the clothing and accessories industries.  On our second register we are going to talk about one of the oldest yet still very popular printing techniques in the industry – Embroidery.

Embroidery is a great technique as it’s applicable to all types of textiles and contexts – from corporate clothing to uniforms and other types of clothing.  

This method is the perfect way to customize your garments and ensure that your Brand name and logo is represented perfectly and with the quality it deserves.

What are the uses for Embroidery?

Firstly, a design is setup within a special file format called a DST file.

This file is then passed along with a running sheet to the machines so that they know exactly how the garment should be embroidered.   

After this file has been sent to the machine, the cloths are then fixed into place using a special support which clamps the embroidered area of the garment so it is tight and will not move.

Finally, thread colors are added to the machine and the design is stitched onto the garment

What are the Pros and Cons of Embroidery?

Pros:

High-Quality finish guaranteed
Provides a stylish and refined look
Durable and accurate outcome

Cons:

Makes it difficult to achieve exact replications of complicated design
Can only use single colored threads and stitches to re-create designs
Minimum recommended order quantity is 25 units due to its setup costs

Have a look at the video below to see how this technique is used currently on an industrial level:

The idea behind this Printing Technique Series is to explore various printing methods in the industry, focusing on their specifics as well as their popularity and advantages and disadvantages according to their usage.

We are going to start by exploring one of the most popular printing techniques available in the industry:

Screen Printing!

Screen Printing is a process that applies ink directly onto clothing or any material through a silk mesh screen.
In order for this process to work and for this screen to be created, all of the artwork should be supplied in vector format since the colors are separated and a different screen is created for each color that is to be printed.

The ink is then mixed to the required color reference and applied to the screen.

On a final stage the ink is pushed with a squeegee through the mesh of the screen and onto the garment.

What are the uses of Screen Printing?

Screen printing works very well on nearly all garment types with the exception of garments that have long fibers.

Being a versatile technique, Screen printing makes it possible to print onto T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Polo Shirts, Tote bags and many more products .

What are the Pros and Cons of Screen Printing?

Pros:

• It is the fastest printing technique for printing in large volumes
• Able to produce designs with multiple colors
• High durability
• Professional finish
• Able to print on a variety of fabrics

Cons:

• Setup costs make it unsuitable for small quantity orders

Have a look at the video below to understand how this technique actually applied:

At Wordans we wanted to let our customers know why we believe in giving unbeatably low prices.

As a blank wholesale company starting out in Canada in 2015, we reached the best solution to serve our customers. Quality clothes but at incredibly low prices.

After making tens of thousands of happy customers, we still weren’t satisfied and new we needed to get our idea across to a larger audience.

After expanding internationally to the US and Europe. We wanted to up our game, adding prestigious brands such as New Balance, Puma, American Apparel and Adidas, we set ourselves the goal of cutting the prices 30-70% off retail.

We knew the more we helped our customers out, the more they would spread the word of our excellent service.

Here in 2017, we now have many suppliers under our product categories. Proving our wholesale low-cost, high-quality vision was a great success.

Want the best products at the lowest prices? Check out our June Style Guide.

Sport-Tek T210 – Short Sleeve Henley

 

Try out an edgy look this summer with an enzyme washed distressed cap. Perfect for shielding your face under the sun in style.

Alstyle Apparel 1701 – Adult Tee

Try a light tee this June, with the perfect beach wear. Alstyle Apparel Tees are designed with quality and care, made with 100% soft spun cotton Jersey.

Wordans have you covered with the lowest prices and the best deals!

Now that Summer’s here we can get to those feel good feelings we’ve all been craving!

We’ve chosen a list of Delta sporty summer wear to get you back out under the sun.

Delta 21734 – Delta® Pro Weight™ Adult Tank Top

This top is bound to get you in the mood to play some volleyball on the beach!

Delta 65000 – Delta® Magnum Weight™ Adult Short Sleeve Tee

Playing tennis?

Try the Delta Short sleeve Tee to keep you cool and dry on the court.

Delta 11730U – Delta® American Made Pro Weight™ Unisex Short Sleeve Tee

Skating in the park? Look stylish and cool with a Delta American Made Unisex Short Sleeve Tee

Delta 12900 – Youth 30/1’s Soft Spun Tee 4.3 oz

Shop for more ranges at Wordans here

Would it be too much to ask for quality clothes but without the price tag?

Well, maybe there can be such a thing.

When it comes to setting up your online retail apparel, you have to be picky about the quality. The last thing we want is to have clothes that leave customers in dismay.

Which is why we take extreme care in stocking clothes that have the highest quality but still leave you with plenty of room to not go over your pesky budgets.

Production Standards:

How do you know whether the clothes you are buying are of high quality?

Well, you need to do your research. Production standards are an important part of everyone’s search list when it comes to finding the right wholesale partner to meet your quality needs. You need to know if the company are in full control of the quality from start to finish or are outsourced to reputable others.

Fruit of Loom clothing hits the nail on the head, quality clothes but rarely going over the 10 dollar mark. Using finest raw cotton and ethics to match the standard of the clothes, we are proud to stock Fruit of Loom as one of our best sellers at Wordans.

We checked to make sure the company has complete control from start to finish to ensure production (and of course ethics link to ethics post) are maintained at high standards across the board.

Try out our Fruit of Loom collection. With this amount of attention to detail, it’s no wonder these products are in high demand.

The clothes wholesale industry can leave a serious amount of negative footprint on the environment. To create the ‘best shade’ of red, toxic dyes and other ingredients are used in the manufacturing process which can contribute to a big whole in the ozone layer.

Pesticides are used when growing cotton and 1/3 of a pound of toxic chemicals is used to make just one shirt.

So what’s the solution?

We try to find sustainable organic suppliers, that use natural fibres or sustainable fabrics to trim the amount of carbon utilized in the pursuit of the perfect outfit. Renewable fibres add durability to your clothes. Making your clothes appear timeless after multiple uses and washes. The textures are often thicker and can show off the quality of the stitching.

We look for companies that are WRAP certified and with a transparency that promotes green use. Suppliers such as Bella + Canvas, Alternative Apparel and Fruit of Loom are promoting forward thinking eco friendly policies. In today’s world of fast moving consumer goods, it is imperative that companies like these act as inspiration to the rest of the western world.

Now, we’ve talked about being eco-friendly. But what what about the quality?

Did you know that two seemingly identical tees can be very different? When you look into what goes into its construction all the way down to the thread level you will be able to see these differences.

How a tee is made has immediate influence on the way it feels, the fit, durability and printability.

Below we will break down the different elements of a tee you’ll want to pay attention to so you can ensure you’re getting the right blank for you and your business.

Carded Open End vs. Ringspun

Ring spun cotton

You start with the same cotton fiber strands. But in the Ring–spun process the yarn is made by continuously twisting and thinning the strands making a very fine rope of cotton fibers. The twisting makes the short hairs of cotton stand out, resulting in a stronger yarn with a significantly softer hand.

Combed and ring-spun cotton, this kind of fibers are spun then combed through to remove impurities while ensuring they stays soft to the touch. Fewer impurities mean a smoother surface to print on. Our BELLA+CANVAS products, for instance, are broadly known for their superior quality as they use this combing and ring-spun method.

Carded open-end. The industry standard is usually a carded open-end tee, since it is a cheaper way of turning cotton into yarn. In this method, fibers are bound by a wrapped fiber that runs perpendicular to the bundle, whereas in ring-spun cotton, all of the fibers are aligned in the same direction. Up close you can see that carded open end fiber is bulky, fuzzy and creates an uneven knit.

Side-Seamed vs. Tubular

Side Seams create the tailored structure a tee needs to fit correctly. Although pricier to make, these are the only type of tees you’ll find in a retail store. They also happen to be the only type of tees you’ll find at BELLA+CANVAS.

Tubular Tees are cheaper to manufacture because they require less sewing. They are made by cutting “tubes” of fabric, so they’re exactly the same in the front and the back, aside from the neck drop. Because of this, and the fact that our bodies are not tubes, these types of tees tend not to fit right.

Singles and Weight

Single is a term that refers to the diameter of a yarn, determined by number of times you twist the fiber. The higher the single, the finer the yarn and the softer resulting garment.  Think of it like you do sheets—a higher thread count means softer the sheets! Most cheap shirts are made from 18 or 20 singles. 

Weight, as you can probably guess, is the weight of per square yard or meter. Lighter fabrics tend to be made from combed and ring-spun cotton and are typically much softer than the heavy weight, open-end alternatives.

Now you can navigate the market like a pro! 

If you think that’s cool come here our take on Bella + Canvas Fast Fashion.