When it comes to mass printing of apparel, screen printing tends to win out in terms of cost and efficiency. But what happens when a client wants an order of 12 t-shirts with an 8 color image? Or suppose that same person needs some promotional items and/or signage – are you able to handle that too or do you wave bye-bye to those dollars as they… In this case screen printing for fewer items, 50 or less on average becomes costly to the client as the set-up cost, positives are built to the few quantizes and those initial costs are significant.
There are some items that are easier to print than expected if you understand the potential problems before you start. Umbrellas are really easy once you have the proper items in place and work out the procedures. The first thing to realize is umbrellas are usually made of nylon. When nylon is heated, it shrinks, so pre-shrinking the nylon is a must for multicolor printing. Umbrellas are also waterproof. The reality is, you are not going to wash your umbrella, you are only going to get it wet, so getting the ink to adhere to it is not as difficult as a nylon jacket which will probably be washed.
Nylon does not absorb, so whether you are printing on a light color or dark doesn’t matter, the ink will stay on top and look vibrant as long as you started with an opaque ink.