As a decorator working with imprinted apparel, you can get by on the basics, but keeping up with the latest decoration trends and techniques can be critical to staying competitive, and will give you more tools to delight your customers.

Seeing how other decorators overcome the same challenges you face can is another way you can add to that tool set. We spoke with Brayden Jessen, owner of Zome Design in Spokane, Washington, about some specific techniques he and his team have discovered along the way.

Brayden finds that a lot of his customers are interested in flock transfers on tees, sweatshirts and hats. Flock’s soft, velvety texture is unique and memorable. “When your client sees flock for the first time, it’s going to leave a lasting impression.”

However, applying flock transfers to caps present a potential issue – the center seam on a six-panel cap will sometimes show through the decoration. One approach to solve this is to reduce the pressure on the heat press.

If the seam is still showing, an alternate placement of the decoration might be the solution. “If the center seam is giving you too much trouble, you may consider moving your design to a different part of the cap,” Brayden advised.

For more on this subject, watch the full video about placing flock transfers on hats.

Brayden also had some ideas about adding some interest when working with bags. “We decorate a lot of bags here,” he said, “and the go-to method is typically embroidery.” However, a large embroidered decoration gets expensive quickly, and screen printing a bag requires a lot of labor and often results in a high error rate.

One alternative for a tough-to-decorate bag is digital heat transfer. “You’re capable of doing full color designs, without the headache of separating colors, burning in screens and setting up a press.”

Interchangable platens are also helpful for getting inside and around the zippers, seams and pockets. A Print Perfect Pad can slide into the area to be printed and raise it away from these kinds of obstacles.

You can see more of Brayden’s tips on decorating bags in this video.

Knowing the options you have available to you can make the difference between just meeting a customer’s request, and going above and beyond to create something truly unique.

Sign up for SanMar’s October 19 webcast – Decoration Tips and Trends – to learn even more about the latest trends in apparel decoration.