For the Business of Apparel Decorating
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32 || P R I N T W E A R J U N E 2 0 1 6 PRESSING MATTERS of color and apply it to any per- formance wear to set yourself apart from the competition with a look similar to what your customers are finding in retail stores across the country. And because the transfer is trans- lucent, it's going to look different on every color fabric you apply it to. Try to stick within the same color family to really get that tone-on-tone look. Maybe you've seen those graphics on T-shirts that leave a wet finish? Again, they're flying off of retail shelves. Did you know that you can offer that same look to your customer base too? Find a transfer film that is transpar- ent with a gloss finish. Cut it on your vinyl cutter or simply order these clear transfers from a manu- facturer and apply them to almost any fabric to achieve a wet finish. Usually, the darker the item, the more "wet" the look will be. You can also layer those wet look trans- fers on top of other films and vinyl to create an ultra-gloss finish on any shirt. The key to keeping up with the Joneses is threefold. First, we have to define who your customers are keeping up with. Then, we look at who we are keeping up with. Lastly, we need to know where we can find the looks and supplies to help us keep up. Heat transfer technology has come a long way and the industry fashion leaders are using it more and more as a preferred decorating method to achieve these special ef- fect finishes. That means you, as a heat printer, are in a great posi- tion to benefit from the conspicuous consumption complex that we all have at one time or another. So, go ahead, visit your local mall, outlet store, or your favorite apparel websites and start showing your customers exactly how easy it is for them to look like the pros with just a heat press. mixed and matched with regular fin- ishes but also standing on their own as a great way to add inter- est and value to a garment. There are a number of differ- ent metallic finishes that you can achieve with a heat press. One such look, and the one that is the most sought after right now, is the foil finish. This finish can be achieved by heat print- ing a base layer of ink via screen-printed transfer or adhesive via vinyl cut transfer. Then you simply place the foil over the ar- eas you would like to finish with a metallic look and apply it at the same heat as the base layer application. Once the garment has cooled down, simply peel away the foil and you'll be left with a shiny, metallic finish that will put your customers in the same category as any of the Joneses with whom they may be keeping up. Maybe a single color metallic fin- ish isn't enough? You can also create a full-color metallic finish with a print- and-cut transfer. Whether you have a print-and-cut device or just a heat press, you can put your customers in a position to be the Joneses with this unique, full-color finish. Of course, you also have to con- sider the types of garments you're decorating when it comes to keeping up. Today's trendsetters are decorat- ing soft, stretchy fabrics that require a low-temperature application and lots of flexibility from the transfer once applied. The great news is more and more soft, stretchy transfers are avail- able with these on-trend finishes. TONE-ON-TONE, ETCHED, AND WET LOOKS These looks couldn't be more different from the bright and shiny finish of a metallic transfer, but they are just as hot. These looks are for the trendsetters that believe less is more. Performance wear is the perfect item to print with these low-heat transfers. Take a CadCut film that is translucent and tinted with a little bit Metallic finishes are popular not only in women's wear, but in men's apparel as well.