Decoration is what turns a stock product into your product — your logo, your colors, your design applied to a tee, a mug, a notebook, a bag. The right method depends on the item, the artwork, and how the finished piece needs to look and hold up. Each method below has its own article with the details that matter when you are picking one.
#Choose a method
| Method | Best for | Typical lead-time impact | |---|---|---| | Screen printing | Tees, sweatshirts, totes, anything flat with a small number of solid colors | Standard | | Embroidery | Caps, polos, jackets, fleece, bags | Standard | | DTG (direct-to-garment) | Photo-style or many-color art on cotton apparel, especially short runs | Standard | | Sublimation | All-over prints, performance apparel, drinkware | Adds time | | Laser engraving | Drinkware, tools, wood, leather, metal gifts | Standard | | UV printing | Hard goods (drinkware, tech, plastic, wood, metal) with full-color art | Standard | | Heat transfer vinyl | Small runs, names and numbers, single-color graphics on apparel | Fast for small runs |
Most products support more than one method. If you are not sure which to pick, share the product and the artwork with your account team — picking the method is the easy part once they see both.
#What to send us
For most methods we want vector artwork (.ai, .eps, .pdf, .svg) with fonts converted to outlines. For photo-style decoration — DTG, sublimation, UV — high-resolution raster files (.png, .tif, .jpg at 300 DPI at print size) also work. Include any specific brand colors as Pantone values where you have them. The per-method articles call out the specifics for each one. If you do not have art ready, the design team can help you prepare files from a logo, a brand guide, or a rough idea.
#How decoration affects pricing and lead time
Decoration is a meaningful share of what you pay. The main drivers are the number of colors, the imprint size, the number of decoration locations, and the method itself. Some methods carry one-time setup work for each new design or color. See Understanding your pricing for how a quote is built, and Lead times for how method choice affects the timeline.
#Decoration locations
Most apparel and bags support multiple decoration locations — left chest, full back, sleeve, hat front, hat side. Each location is its own setup, so each one adds to the price. Many programs go with a single location to keep things clean and economical.
#Approving the look
Before production runs, you approve a digital proof showing how the decoration will appear. For higher-stakes runs, request a physical sample so you can see and feel it in person.