Printing techniques and methods for apparel and merchandise decoration.
Merch Field Guide
Straight explanations of print techniques, materials, finishes and production realities - so you can brief, budget and approve with confidence.
Edge-to-edge sublimation prints full color across the whole surface of a garment or item - no framed print area, no edges to break the design. It works only on polyester-based materials, because the ink becomes gas and bonds into the fibers; white space in the artwork does not print. It is the technique for all-over, photo-real, seam-to-seam designs on sportswear, outerwear and hard synthetic items.
Embroidery stitches the logo into the fabric with thread - a raised, textured mark that reads as premium and lasts as long as the garment. It uses up to eight thread colors, no gradients, and needs the design to be suited: letters above 5 mm height, no fine detail. It is the standard for polos, caps and workwear where the logo should feel like part of the garment.
Laser engraving removes material with a focused beam to leave a permanent mark - no ink, no coating, nothing to wear off. It works on metal, wood, and a range of hard materials, with a single-color result that stays crisp for the item's lifetime. It is the choice for premium, lasting marks - stainless steel bottles, wooden gifts, metal items where a printed logo would scratch away.
Pad printing transfers a spot-color logo onto items that are curved, small, or otherwise hard to print on flat - pens, tools, bottle closures, tech parts. It uses a soft pad to pick the ink off a cliché and press it onto the surface, which is what lets it wrap around gentle curves. Low setup per color, great for the small logo on the object other techniques cannot reach.
Silkscreen printing is the classic technique for large apparel runs: it pushes ink through a mesh per color, so the setup effort is real but the per piece cost drops fast with quantity. It uses spot colors, handles dark textiles with an underbase, and gives the most durable prints on fabric. It is the right choice for big, simple, high-contrast designs - not for photo-real gradients.
UV printing is how full-color artwork gets onto hard items - drinkware, power banks, desk accessories, pens. The design prints directly on the surface and cures with UV light, holding fine detail at 300 dpi. It is the technique for photo-real grids and gradients on items apparel cannot cover.
Digital transfer (DTF) is SoMerch’s go-to technique for full-color apparel, offering detailed prints, no per-color setup, and reliable results across most common textiles. It works best on flat, non-water-repellent garments, with a 25-piece minimum, an 8-business-day standard lead time, and fast-track production available on selected items.
