Custom Umbrella Printing Techniques
What Print Options Are Available for Umbrellas?
Last Update: 23rd April 2025
Umbrella Planet offers three different options to personalise umbrellas. Of the three options, screen printing and digital printing are done locally in Australia. The three branding methods offer distinct benefits and challenges depending on the design and quantity. Here's a breakdown of the most popular options:
1. Screen Printing
What It Is:
Screen printing is a traditional method in which ink is pushed through a mesh screen onto the umbrella fabric. Each colour in the design requires a separate screen, making this process ideal for creating simple, bold designs with minimal colours. This technique is especially effective for products like custom Blunt Umbrellas.
Advantages:
- Cost-Effective for Bulk Orders: Screen printing is highly economical when producing large quantities of umbrellas.
- Durability: The inks used in screen printing are thick. This thickness helps with durability, ensuring that designs remain vibrant and intact for a long time. This is important when umbrellas will get wet with rain.
- Suitable for Simple Designs: It is best for designs with fewer colours and straightforward logos or text.
Disadvantages:
- Limited Design Complexity: Screen printing is less effective for highly detailed or intricate designs, especially those with multiple gradients or fine lines.
- Setup Costs: While cost-effective for larger quantities, screen printing requires significant setup for each colour and screen, making it less cost-effective for small batches.
- Colour Limitations: Each colour requires a separate screen, which becomes cumbersome for professional printers. Also, setups for multiple colours become expensive if the design involves a lot of colours.
2. Sublimation Printing
What It Is:
Sublimation printing uses heat to transfer dye colour. This is done into the fabric before the umbrella is assembled. The result? Vibrant, full-color designs. This process works by converting the dye into gas and embedding it directly into the fabric.
Advantages:
- Full-Color, High-Resolution Prints: Think photographs and domestic inkjet printers. As a result, you can print many detailed colour shades.
- Long-Lasting: Since the ink becomes part of the fabric, sublimated prints are highly durable and resistant to fading, even in sunlight and water.
- No Limits on Design: The number of colors in a design is not restricted, making it ideal for intricate artwork or logos.
Disadvantages:
- Cost for Small Runs: Like screen printing, sublimation printing can have high setup costs, making it less economical for small production runs. We don't recommend it for any orders under 500 pieces of umbrellas.
- Cannot Print White: You will be surprised, but sublimation cannot print white ink.
3. Digital Printing
What It Is:
Digital printing uses advanced inkjet technology to print the design directly onto the umbrella fabric. This method works like a regular printer, applying liquid inks to create highly detailed and colourful images. It's a popular option for printed Medium Umbrellas, letting the designs pop on their practical size.
Advantages:
- Detailed, High-Resolution Designs: Digital printing can reproduce photo-quality finishes.
- No Setup Fees: There are no setup charges like those in screen printing. This is because screens do not need to be created.
- Flexibility: Ideal for multi-colour designs, digital printing can handle any number of colours without additional charges.
Disadvantages:
- Less Durability: While the prints are vibrant, they are less durable than those from screen printing or sublimation, especially when exposed to outdoor elements like rain and sun.
- Colour Variations: The colours you see on a digital screen may not perfectly match the final print, and colours might appear differently when printed on dark fabrics.
- Cost for Large Orders: Digital digital printing can become expensive for large production runs compared to screen printing. For large production runs
Each print method offers different benefits based on your needs, design complexity, and quantity. Screen printing is best for bulk, simple designs; sublimation is excellent for vibrant, full-colour artwork on synthetic fabrics; and digital printing is ideal for detailed, multi-colour designs with no minimum order requirement.
Read more why Pongee Fabric is a superior quality for umbrellas.
