Custom hoodies are wildly popular amongst the many schools and sports teams that ARES supports, so here are some tips to consider for your next hoodie order!
Winter has officially arrived, which means that all of us at ARES Sportswear are anticipating a rapid influx of orders oriented around custom hoodies, as well as other types of sweatshirts and cold-weather custom apparel.
We understand how much of an honor it is to be your go-to screenprinting company, and our entire team prides itself upon supporting schools, sports teams, businesses, non-profit organizations and many other groups when it comes to developing custom apparel campaigns.
What we’ve noticed is that custom hoodies are extremely popular amongst many custom apparel campaigns during the fall/winter months, but that a lot of people don’t quite understand the certain challenges that coincide with screenprinting designs and logos on hoodies.
Although many custom apparel businesses would prefer to not divulge this type of information about the screenprinting process, at ARES we understand how much transparency means to each and every one of our clients; and we’re more than happy to let you in on some trade secrets and what you should keep in mind when it comes to perfecting your screenprinted custom hoodies.
So below we’re going over what you should keep in mind for your next custom hoodie orders!
Orienting Your Custom Design Around Pockets, Seams and Zippers
Hoodies are much different than other types of crewneck sweatshirts and ¼ zips, and this is partly because hoodies tend to have many features like pockets and zippers.
There are some instances in which features like pockets, seams and zippers can pose a screenprinting challenge, which is why it’s increasingly important to pay close attention to your custom design’s placement and sizing throughout your creation process. We want all of your custom apparel, including your screenprinted hoodies, to be absolutely perfect and as you intended. This is why our design team will always provide guidance when we recognize any potential warning signs!
The Custom Screenprinting Process
To better explain why things like pockets, seams and zippers can sometimes be problematic while customizing your hoodies, we’ll go through the screenprinting process one step at a time.
The first thing that happens within the custom screenprinting process is our design team building screens, which are mesh stencils that are the reverse image of your desired logo/design. We’ll then lay one of your screens over the hoodie and utilize our state-of-the-art apparel press technology to squeegee the screen’s ink into the hoodie’s fabric. We’ll then repeat this process when applying all the other customization elements within your design, and once we’ve finalized the last screen we’ll be ready to reveal your team or school’s customized screenprinted hoodie!
It’s always really important that the hoodie is as flat as possible in order to ensure the most clarity and vividness with your customized prints, which is partly why seams can receive ink differently as compared to other parts of the hoodie. This is why printing a design on a hoodie’s seams can potentially lead to unevenness, and why printing on seams is generally not recommended!
What Is Printing Registration?
Printing registration is the practice of printing multiple colors over one another, and this is a general commonality with many different team logos. It’s important to understand that a hoodie’s seams can throw off a print’s registration, which can potentially lead to white pixels being noticeable within your design.
It’s common to develop a white underbase for darker apparel items, and this is because the underbase helps us bring out the vibrancy of ink colors as much as possible.
So it’s really important to keep the screenprinting process and printing registration in mind as you’re customizing your custom hoodie orders!
It May Be Necessary To Submit Multiple Design Templates For Different Apparel Items
If your team needs custom hoodies and t-shirts, then it may be necessary to submit two separate screenprinting orders. This is primarily because we’ll be utilizing different types of equipment for these apparel options. It’s also important to understand that certain designs/logos that work well on t-shirts may not be quite as aesthetically pleasing on hoodies because of pockets and zippers.
Custom hoodie designs work well on the backside because it provides a nice, flat surface; but there truly are many different options and our team will always be more than happy to help you throughout each step of your customization.
Reach Out To The Screenprinting Experts At ARES Sportswear To Learn More About How We Can Help You With Your Custom Hoodies!
ARES Sportswear is comprised of a large team of custom apparel and screenprinting specialists based in Hilliard, Ohio, and we’ve helped countless teams, schools and businesses with custom hoodies and all types of apparel campaigns.
Always feel free to reach out to us online or call us at 800-439-8614 to get in touch with our experts and learn more about the customization process and the costs associated with your unique orders!