Method × Type: 284 sheets pairing a print method with a product type

Name: Merch Italy
Address: IT

When the product is already decided and the marking is still open, these 284 sheets put one print method against one product type and tell you what that method can carry on that substrate, from which minimum order quantity and in which realistic lead times.

Request a quote

What this matrix contains

A matrix of this kind is not a product catalogue with prices attached. It is a compatibility table. For every method and product type pair, the sheet answers four questions that a buyer meets in the same order: can the technique be applied to this material, what is the minimum quantity the production line will accept, how long does it really take from artwork approval to goods in the warehouse, and how does the unit cost behave as the volume grows. The order matters, because the first answer can close the conversation before anybody talks about money.

The 284 sheets are grouped by method, because the method explains the rest. A cotton product, a recycled polyester product and a metal product do not have different problems: they have different problems for each technique. Heat transfer and sublimation work on synthetic fabrics and fail on blends, embroidery works on almost everything and costs more to set up, laser engraving works on hard surfaces and makes no sense on a soft garment. Reading the sheets method by method lets you rule out half of the options before you open a single price.

Each sheet is a standalone page and carries the full technical picture of that case: the limits of the substrate, how many colours the process handles, how the colour behaves on the textile or the material, the minimum order quantity per item, the production lead time, delivery logistics inside Italy and the certifications available for that product type. The pages are written for the person who buys, not for the person who manufactures, and where those two interests pull apart, the text says which of them has room to move.

This half of the print method and product matrix sits next to Type × Sector, which solves the opposite problem: there the product has not been chosen yet and the starting point is the sector that buys. The two matrices cover 559 combinations between them and they are built to be read together rather than instead of each other.

Choosing the method once the product is fixed

The starting point is the material, not the visual result. A logo destined for a cotton t-shirt and the same logo destined for a ceramic mug follow two different pre-production routes, two different sample rounds and two different unit costs, and asking for a single quote for both always produces an answer that serves one of them. The first question to put to anyone offering a price is which material you are talking about and which fabric: combed cotton, recycled polyester, a blend, terry, leather, metal, ceramic, glass, wood, plastic.

The second question is about volume, and it has to be asked in pieces per item rather than per programme. Two identical t-shirts in two colours are one minimum order, while two hundred identical t-shirts are a programme worth negotiating by volume band. The unit prices in these sheets move through four bands, from the start-up quantity up to annual programmes, and the step between the first and the second band is the point where sampling stops being a cost and becomes an investment.

The third question is about physical contact with the material. A garment that touches skin, such as a t-shirt or a scarf, carries stricter requirements on composition and certification than a desk item that nobody wears. The sheets draw that distinction, because choosing a cheap technique on a material that cannot take it costs far more than the printing: the cost of a return or a withdrawal from the market is an order of magnitude larger than the saving on the unit price.

The fourth question is about time, and time in this business splits into three stages that are routinely confused: artwork and sampling, series production, and transport. Only the second scales with volume, and the other two do not. An order of fifty pieces and an order of five thousand pieces have the same sampling time, and if the programme has a fixed date the real question is not how many pieces you want but when you need them.

What changes in practice between the method groups

Heat transfer is the most versatile method in the group and the first one to try when the product is a garment or a light fabric accessory. Unlimited colours on the front face, no stitching, no minimum fabric quantity, and a unit cost that stays low at moderate quantities. The limit is the same thing that makes it versatile: the ink stays on the surface, on the fabric or on the transfer film. On very elastic fabrics, on very rough surfaces or on garments that get washed often in a domestic machine, the result fades and the choice has to be reconsidered.

Embroidery is the standard answer to every problem heat transfer cannot solve. The stitch is anchored into the fabric, so it survives washing, and there is no surface limit: you can embroider a pocket, a cuff or a set of workwear. The cost follows the number of stitches rather than the number of colours, which makes a complex logo predictable, but the starting point is higher and a minimum quantity is needed to justify the embroidery setup. The sheets in the embroidery group separate the cases where embroidery is technically the right answer from the cases where it is merely the possible one.

Screen printing and pad printing cover large volumes and hard materials. Screen printing has the best unit cost above one thousand pieces, can reach six or seven colours and behaves very well on textiles, at the price of a rigid setup and a minimum quantity. Pad printing works on plastic, metal, glass, rubber and ceramic, with cheaper preparation than screen printing and a very precise edge result. The rest of the group, sublimation, laser engraving and UV printing, covers the materials and uses the two traditional techniques do not touch.

The choice between methods that look equivalent usually closes on two non-technical criteria: the sampling time your programme can absorb, and the supplier's ability to hold the colour steady between the sample and the production run. A method that needs three sample approvals and a method that needs one reach production at different moments, and on an annual programme that difference counts for more than a two per cent saving on the unit price.

The material decides more than the method

The first thing to settle is the composition. It is printed on the label, and the composition is what determines which technique is possible, not the other way round. The difference between eighty per cent cotton with twenty per cent polyester and pure cotton looks negligible on paper, in practice it changes almost everything: how the ink lays down, how the garment reacts to washing, whether the product accepts sublimation, and how much it shrinks after the first wash. Before discussing the technique, take the composition of the item and set it next to the compatibility table. If the composition is not to hand, ask the supplier for a sample with the material data sheet, otherwise the conversation drifts towards a place where everyone treats their own product as a special case.

Cotton absorbs the ink and holds it inside the fibre, and that is why direct printing, screen printing and embroidery all work well on it, and why sublimation does not: the pigment enters the fibre and cotton has no room for it. Cotton shrinks a little and softens after a few washes, which is normal behaviour for a natural fibre, and it should be said to the client beforehand so that the first batch does not turn into a complaint. Items in brushed jersey need a different printing process from flat knits, because the print sits on the surface while the nap distorts it.

Polyester and recycled polyester behave differently. A synthetic fibre does not absorb ink, but it passes heat into its depth, and sublimation is built on that property: under pressure and heat the dye layer turns to gas and settles inside the fibre, so the design does not rest on the surface, it lives inside it and survives hundreds of washes without cracking or fading. Direct printing on polyester works as well, screen printing needs plastisol inks, embroidery is run with backing and stabilising backing cloth, and heat transfer on light polyester gives a result close to sublimation and costs less on small runs.

Blended fabrics are the most common reason a finished batch disappoints. The rule is simple: if polyester is above half, sublimation gives a washed out design, because the pigment finds no room in the cotton part of the fibre and sits on the surface, where the first washes take it off. If cotton prevails, sublimation is out of the question and direct printing, screen printing and embroidery remain. The practical conclusion is that the exact fibre percentage is needed before the method is chosen, and a client who arrives with the question we have a blend, which technique is better gets a clear answer: the composition comes first, and only then can the methods be compared.

Hard, clear and coloured surfaces

Metal, plastic, ceramic, glass and rubber follow different rules. There is no fibre to push the ink into and no fabric to lay a film on, so four other methods do the work. Pad printing moves the image from a matrix onto a silicone pad and from the pad onto the item, so it takes flat and curved surfaces equally well, including handles, flasks, caps and glasses. Laser engraving adds no layer, it removes material, and gives a durable result with its characteristic texture, suitable for metal, plastic, wood and leather. UV printing lays a layer that cures instantly and wins where the look matters and printing on a coloured surface is allowed. Screen printing on glass stays the classic for large runs of clear items.

Laser engraving needs a prepared drawing, and that is the most common reason a batch comes back. The line has to be at least a tenth of a millimetre wide or the beam does not open it; small details such as the dot over an i or thin serifs at that size simply vanish. The colour does not appear on its own, it appears because the material in the cut zone heats slightly and changes tone, and that tone can be raised with ink: the engraving is cut in depth, the ink fills the groove, and the result becomes high contrast. The rule for whoever designs is that a file meant for the laser is prepared with a margin on the line weight and without fine detail, and every drawing has to be approved before the run enters production.

Pad printing rests on a matrix whose stamp passes through the pad, and that is where its limits come from. The number of colours on a single item usually does not exceed three, and every extra colour needs a separate pass and a separate pad, so multicolour logos on flasks and mugs are costed differently from logos on a t-shirt. The pad is chosen to match the shape of the item, and for spherical or conical surfaces the pad itself becomes a separate cost line. The inks are chosen by substrate: plastic, metal and rubber need different ones, and the same ink that gives shine on a glossy surface can sit badly on a matt one.

Clear and coloured surfaces add another layer to the calculation. With sublimation on glass or clear plastic the design without a white base comes out pale, because the pigment settles on a transparent carrier, so a white base goes down first and the colour passes over it. On a dark surface direct printing lays an opaque layer, and covering the background properly needs more ink. Pale tones disappear on white, and if a pastel logo is meant for a light item it has to be moved to a darker tone or given a coloured ground. All of these decisions are taken at layout stage, which is why the colour specification is written before production opens.

Colour and sampling: the cost of approvals

The colour you see on a screen does not reproduce in print, and that is not a failing of any particular supplier, it is a property of ink and light. A screen emits, fabric reflects, and the two processes give a different result for the same palette number. Colour is therefore approved on the physical sample, and that is the only way to see what arrives in the box. The palette gives the frame you work inside, and for most programmes it is enough: the producer matches the palette number to the material and flags where the deviation exceeds the agreed tolerance. Where the colour has to hold on the thread or across the whole surface of the item, the palette is ordered separately, and its lead time enters the programme calendar as its own line.

The approval chain is simple and almost always underestimated on time. One person decides, but several influence the go ahead: the client, marketing, and sometimes a legal check on the use of symbols and restricted elements. Every step costs time, and the waiting between steps usually takes more than the work itself. The order that works is this: first request with the description of the need, then proposal with artwork and sample, then written confirmation from whoever is authorised to decide, and only then production. If the confirmation arrives verbally it should be put in writing the same day, because the argument about which version was approved tends to surface after the shipment has gone out.

An extra round of approvals costs money, and understanding that in advance is worth more than avoiding it. Each round pays again for the specialist's time, the sample print and the logistics, and with laser engraving and embroidery the preparation cost comes on top. Two rounds is normal for a plain t-shirt with direct printing, and a logo in embroidery usually needs three, because every detail is checked on its own. If the dates are tight the right move is to shorten the rounds in advance, not to skip them: skipping almost always costs more, because it means reworking a batch that is already finished.

The colour file is prepared differently for each technique, and a file requested properly removes half the questions at preparation stage. For screen printing and direct printing it is a vector with the colour separation and a note of which colour is the background. For embroidery it is a vector with the text converted to outlines and a list of the elements in stitch order, because the order affects both the time and the appearance. For laser engraving it is a closed outline with the holes and letter counters prepared for the way the material burns away, plus the minimum line weight. A specification sheet goes with it, stating the material, the size of the imprint, the position, the colour and the expected result, and that document is what the delivered batch is checked against.

Comparing two offers on the same basis

Two offers on different items or on different volumes are not comparable, and the shorter and prettier looking one usually loses. For the comparison to mean anything, five fields have to match in both: the material of the item, the quantity per line, the number of colours and print positions, the volume of preparation, meaning how many lines and how many separate matrices or programmes, and the delivery term with production and transport separated. While those five fields match, the price difference reflects a difference in costs. While one of them differs, the price difference says almost nothing.

Hidden costs show up when the price is broken down. Preparation per line, the cost of the samples, packaging, transport, VAT and the threshold at which the reduced band starts are separate lines, and in two offers they always look different. It is worth checking whether the right to reuse the matrix on a repeat order is included: if it is not, the second run of the same line costs more than a client plans for when they spread the annual volume over several purchases.

Before signing it is worth obtaining three things in writing: the full item specification with composition, size, weight and packaging, the production time and the delivery time as separate figures, and the re-order conditions stating the price and the term for the next batch. After delivery it is worth recording which version of the artwork was approved and attaching it to the file, otherwise every quality dispute ends up arguing about which file counted as approved. Acceptance against the sample, against the specification and against a control batch of a few pieces removes most of the risk, and on programmes of several hundred units the procedure pays for itself completely.

Minimum quantities, lead times and prices

The minimum order quantity is the floor below which the line will not start, and it varies a lot from one technique to the next. Heat transfer and textile screen printing have low thresholds, in some cases as few as ten pieces per item, because preparing the film or the screen is light. Embroidery has higher thresholds tied to the stitch count, because programming the machine and the frame has a cost that has to be spread. UV printing and laser engraving sit in the middle, with the particularity that for single pieces or very small runs production is often outsourced, with a cost and a lead time that belong in the quote from the start.

The unit price moves through four bands: a start-up band for the first orders, a standard band for recurring programmes, an enterprise band for medium-high volumes and a corporate band for programmes above several thousand pieces or that become annual. The final price depends on how many items make up the programme rather than on the total piece count: two hundred t-shirts in three models do not carry the same price as two hundred identical t-shirts, because every model has its own setup. In the quotes we prepare we always split the per-item line from the per-programme line, so the client can see where the cost sits that does not shrink when the piece count rises.

Lead times are measured in two ways and must be kept apart in a quote. Cycle time, the time on the production floor, scales with volume: a five thousand piece screen printing run occupies the line for days, a hundred piece run of the same line occupies it for a few hours. Programme time, from order to delivery, adds the sample time, the wait for approvals, the payment terms and the transport, and on a programme with a fixed delivery date it is the second figure that decides. Delivery inside Italy moves on a twenty-four to forty-eight hour window for most postal codes, with D+1 shipments and collection at the Milan hub.

The rest of the commercial picture is the same for every technique and is worth keeping in mind when two quotes are compared: invoicing in euro with twenty-two per cent VAT sent through the electronic invoicing system, a thirty per cent deposit on the first order and payment at thirty days from invoice for clients with an established history, with a quarterly price review in annual contracts. A quote that does not state the payment terms, the deadline for artwork approval and the transport cost cannot be compared with another one, and that holds as much between two different techniques as between two suppliers.

Preparing the artwork: where the time is lost

Most of the delays visible in merchandise programmes are not born on the factory floor, they are born in the file. The first requirement, valid for every technique, is a vector: PDF, AI, EPS or SVG with the text converted to outlines. A file with live text gets rejected or converted imprecisely, and the result is lettering that does not match what was approved. The second requirement is resolution: at least 300 dpi at real size, which for a thirty centimetre card means a bigger file than a designer usually sends out of habit.

The third requirement depends on the technique and has to be given to the graphic artist before the work starts, not after. For heat transfer the limit is the number of colours, which has to be declared up front, because a six colour logo on fabric needs a different separation from a one or two colour logo. For embroidery the limit is the stitch count and the minimum detail size, and stitches below a millimetre do not hold their shape: a narrow letter has to be redrawn rather than shrunk. For laser engraving the file must be a closed vector with the holes and the letter counters designed for the way the material burns, and for UV printing the outline of the support is part of the artwork.

Sampling is the fourth stage, and it is the one that should never be skipped. A sample approved in a single round, in front of the person who decides, costs much less than an error in production. What works in practice is a short sequence: send the file, receive the digital proof with the colours on a photograph of the material, approve it, have the physical sample made, approve the sample, start production. Every stage should carry a date, because the time is consumed above all in the waiting, not in the work.

One detail is often forgotten: the number of items in a programme. Every model, every colour and every print position is a cost line with its own setup, and for a programme of twenty models the preparation time grows even when the piece count does not. When you ask for a quote it pays to list the items with their colours and their quantities, because that is the information that separates a genuinely sustainable programme from one that only holds together on the unit price.

The questions to ask before ordering

The technical part of the questions is always the same, and it should be put in writing before prices are discussed. What material the item is made of, with which composition, weight and grammage. How many lines the programme contains and how many pieces per line. How many colours per line and how many print positions per unit. Which quantity forms the basis of the price, because below that threshold the unit price changes, and above it the unit price changes less. Which production time and which delivery time, stated separately. All of these answers fit on one sheet, and whoever puts them in writing saves a month of email. A supplier who answers with general statements about quality and service is not able to answer about composition and print positions, and that is the most honest sign that an offer cannot be compared on its merits.

The commercial part concerns what the price is made of. How much preparation costs per line, and whether it is paid again on the next order. From which volume the next price band starts. What a sample costs, and whether it comes back into the cost of the batch once the quantity is reached. Who pays for transport, and what happens if the quantity is split into two shipments. Which payment terms apply to the first order and which after the first ninety days of history. All of these lines have to appear in the quote, and in two offers they always look different. It is worth asking separately what happens to pieces that are not taken when the quantity is not complete: returned, stored, or invoiced.

The third question matters most and gets asked least: what happens if the plan changes. What does it cost to add a line to an approved programme and what does it cost to remove one. Can the batch be split into two deliveries. Can production move to the following month without losing the approved price. Is a reorder of the same line in the same colour possible after a year, and in which volume. The answers to these questions usually do not move the price, they move what a change of circumstances costs, and circumstances change almost every time. They should be asked before signing, because once production starts the negotiation is conducted in the language of loss rather than of plan. A good brief and a good list of questions produce the same result: half the decisions are taken before there is a price at all.

The 284 sheets, grouped by method

Under the group that concerns you, every entry carries the title of the sheet and leads to the page that describes that combination in full: substrates, limits, minimum order quantity, lead times and prices. The combinations a programme uses first are almost always concentrated in two or three groups, so start there, read the sheets, and come back here for the comparison.

Talk to the team

Send the product, the quantity and the delivery date: we pick the technique that suits the material and prepare the sample within forty-eight working hours.