A club contacts us and needs 5,000 club logos.
No problem.
- The design is final.
- The colours are defined.
- The size has been agreed.
At first glance, everything seems straightforward.
However, during the discussion, we discover that the logos will not only be applied to jerseys and T-shirts.
They are also intended for:
- Softshell jackets
- Rain jackets
And this is where things become more interesting.
Because even though the logo remains exactly the same, that does not automatically mean the same solution will work on every garment.
The design is often not the challenge
Many customers understandably focus on the design first.
- What does the logo look like?
- What colours should be used?
- How large should it be?
Those questions are important. But another question is often just as important:
What textile will the logo be applied to?
A polyester jersey behaves very differently from a water-repellent rain jacket.
And that difference can have a significant impact on the type of heat transfer solution that works best.
Why softshell and rain jackets require special attention
Many outdoor and performance garments use special coatings.
One common example is a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish. These coatings help water bead off the fabric and allow the garment to perform as intended.
The challenge is that the same properties that repel water can also affect how well a transfer adheres to the surface.
Put simply: If a fabric is designed to resist things attaching to it, that can sometimes include the adhesive used in a heat transfer.
That does not mean heat transfers cannot be applied to these garments. It simply means that they may require a different solution than a standard football shirt.
A jersey is not a rain jacket
The club logo needs to be applied to:
- Jerseys
- Cotton T-shirts
- Rain jackets
- Softshell jackets
The challenge is that all of these materials behave differently.
A standard polyester jersey is very different from a water-repellent rain jacket. Particularly with coated fabrics, standard solutions can sometimes reach their limits.
Not because the logo has been produced incorrectly. But because the material places different demands on the adhesive system and the overall transfer construction.
That's why we prefer to test first – free of charge
Before a larger project begins, we like to answer as many questions as possible in advance.
That is why we offer free in-house testing.
Customers simply send us:
- The original garment
- Or a fabric sample
We then test different solutions directly on the intended material.
This allows us to evaluate:
- Which technology is most suitable
- Which adhesive systems perform best
- Whether any special requirements need to be considered
Most importantly, it helps us identify potential issues before production even starts.
Why we sometimes ask so many questions
Some customers are surprised by the questions we ask at the beginning of a project.
For example:
- What textile will the logo be applied to?
- Who will apply the transfers?
- How will the garment be washed?
- Are any coated fabrics involved?
- Will the garments be industrially laundered?
The reason is simple: The more we understand about the final application, the better we can recommend the right solution.
Not every project requires a specialised transfer. But when it does, we want to identify that as early as possible.
Conclusion
When we recommend multiple versions of the same logo, it usually has very little to do with the design itself.
It has everything to do with the textile.
That is why it is worth discussing the intended application from the start, not just the artwork.
A logo may look the same on the surface. The ideal solution behind it may not be.
If you are unsure which heat transfer solution is best suited to your textiles, we are happy to help. With application testing and experience gained from thousands of projects, we can often determine the best solution using nothing more than a small fabric sample.
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