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Decoration Glossary
Imprinting
Clear Soft-Hand Ink: clear ink that has no pigment but creates a darker, tonal look when applied to a garment. It also features a uniquely soft hand. Best results occur on color-wash and medium color garments. Not recommended for white, navy, dark brown, or black garments.
Color Separation: separating a multicolor design into its primary colors of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. Individual screens for each color then are prepared, with each color applied where needed to recreate the full-color design.
Distress: to make something appear worn. A variety of distressing techniques can be applied to artwork resulting in different looks.
Four-Color Process: The process of reproducing a full-color design from the original artwork to the screen printed surface. Special process-color inks, which are transparent, are used.
Glitter Ink: colored ink with small flecks of glitter.
Metallic Ink: powdered metals, such as aluminum and bronze, processed with ink to give appearance of gold or silver. Has a smooth finish.
Opacity: the quality or ability of an ink to keep light from penetrating. To completely cover a substrate, thereby fully hiding the color of the garment underneath.
Process Colors: primary printing colors of magenta, cyan, yellow and black that are printed one over another to produce different hues in a multicolor print. The inks used are transparent, exhibiting very low opacity.
Screen Printing: the process of printing by squeezing ink through screens allowing color to pass through open areas to create a design. Multi-colored designs are achieved using one screen for each color in the design.
Shimmer Ink: a very fine glitter ink with a powdered shimmering appearance. Used. See “color separation.”
Suede Ink: inks with a soft textured suede-like hand.
Water-Based Ink: inks that have a water base, as opposed to a petroleum or plastisol base.
Embroidery
Appliqué: decoration or trimming cut from one fabric piece and stitched to another to add dimension or for design techniques.
Embroidery: decoration consisting of needlework created using a special machine that is programmed to stitch a design combining texture, pattern and color.
Sequin Embroidery: a technique in which sequins are embroidered directly onto the item.
Digital Printing
Digital Printing: a 4-color process of printing directly from a computer file onto a garment. Provides a soft finish where the printing feels almost like it is dyed into the garment. Works on white and very light garments only.
Laser Etching
Laser Etching: a process that uses laser technology to etch or burn a mark on a fabric surface. This is mostly accomplished on fleece blankets, but can be done on certain other garments.
Color Transfer
Heat Transfer: the process of transferring a design from a specially treated paper to a garment using high temperatures and a special heat press. Transfers allow for a full color detailed design.
Specialty Threads: threads designed for effects such as shine, glitter, iridescence or thickness. The thread soften are made from synthetic materials including rayon, mercerized cotton, metallics and textured nylon.
Appliqué
Appliqué: decoration or trimming cut from one fabric piece and stitched to another to add dimension or for design techniques.
Sequin
Sequin: a technique in which sequins are embroidered directly onto the item.
Combination
Combination: several different techniques are used to decorate the item. This could be an imprinted sleeve on a sweatshirt and an embroidery on the chest. It may also combine several techniques on one design such as digital printing an appliqué and then embroidering the appliqué on an item.
Clear Soft-Hand Ink: clear ink that has no pigment but creates a darker, tonal look when applied to a garment. It also features a uniquely soft hand. Best results occur on color-wash and medium color garments. Not recommended for white, navy, dark brown, or black garments.
Color Separation: separating a multicolor design into its primary colors of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. Individual screens for each color then are prepared, with each color applied where needed to recreate the full-color design.
Distress: to make something appear worn. A variety of distressing techniques can be applied to artwork resulting in different looks.
Four-Color Process: The process of reproducing a full-color design from the original artwork to the screen printed surface. Special process-color inks, which are transparent, are used.
Glitter Ink: colored ink with small flecks of glitter.
Metallic Ink: powdered metals, such as aluminum and bronze, processed with ink to give appearance of gold or silver. Has a smooth finish.
Opacity: the quality or ability of an ink to keep light from penetrating. To completely cover a substrate, thereby fully hiding the color of the garment underneath.
Process Colors: primary printing colors of magenta, cyan, yellow and black that are printed one over another to produce different hues in a multicolor print. The inks used are transparent, exhibiting very low opacity.
Screen Printing: the process of printing by squeezing ink through screens allowing color to pass through open areas to create a design. Multi-colored designs are achieved using one screen for each color in the design.
Shimmer Ink: a very fine glitter ink with a powdered shimmering appearance. Used. See “color separation.”
Suede Ink: inks with a soft textured suede-like hand.
Water-Based Ink: inks that have a water base, as opposed to a petroleum or plastisol base.
Embroidery
Appliqué: decoration or trimming cut from one fabric piece and stitched to another to add dimension or for design techniques.
Embroidery: decoration consisting of needlework created using a special machine that is programmed to stitch a design combining texture, pattern and color.
Sequin Embroidery: a technique in which sequins are embroidered directly onto the item.
Digital Printing
Digital Printing: a 4-color process of printing directly from a computer file onto a garment. Provides a soft finish where the printing feels almost like it is dyed into the garment. Works on white and very light garments only.
Laser Etching
Laser Etching: a process that uses laser technology to etch or burn a mark on a fabric surface. This is mostly accomplished on fleece blankets, but can be done on certain other garments.
Color Transfer
Heat Transfer: the process of transferring a design from a specially treated paper to a garment using high temperatures and a special heat press. Transfers allow for a full color detailed design.
Specialty Threads: threads designed for effects such as shine, glitter, iridescence or thickness. The thread soften are made from synthetic materials including rayon, mercerized cotton, metallics and textured nylon.
Appliqué
Appliqué: decoration or trimming cut from one fabric piece and stitched to another to add dimension or for design techniques.
Sequin
Sequin: a technique in which sequins are embroidered directly onto the item.
Combination
Combination: several different techniques are used to decorate the item. This could be an imprinted sleeve on a sweatshirt and an embroidery on the chest. It may also combine several techniques on one design such as digital printing an appliqué and then embroidering the appliqué on an item.