Digital Print in Coeur d'Alene

Our new Digital Print option really is the wave of the future. Screen Printing will always have it's place, but this new tech has come into it's own at last-- And Atomic Threads is leading the way making it available to our clients.

Forget about the limitations of traditional Screen Printing-- Digital Print makes the process incredibly simple.

  • Have a full-color design or a photographic image you'd like printed? No problem.
  • Don't need the mountain of shirts that Screen Print might require? Easy.
  • Want to personalize part of your order? Wishing you could get the team's names added, in full color to match your logo or design? Digital Print to the rescue!



We can use Digital Print for specific situations where screen printing is either not possible or would be too costly. We can digital print practically any item, with only some limitations. Most screen print designs can be re-created as Digital Print, with only some limitations there also. The main reason we prefer screen print over Digital Print is longevity– A screen print will last the life of the garment, where the Digital Print may begin to fade after VERY prolonged washing. However, we've tested up to 50+ washings WITHOUT any fade!). The best uses of Digital Print are:

  • Difficult Substrates: Items with double layers, unusual fabric materials, nylon materials, spandex items, swimwear, items which are not heat-resistant, items with reflective Scotchlite material, and oddly shaped items which cannot be screen printed.
  • Small Quantity Runs: Our single color plotter cut and full-color digital printed, CAD-cut transfers are available in quantities as low as 12 pieces.
  • High number of colors or full color, even photographic designs: Screen print setup costs become VERY costly with big color (6+ colors) designs, especially at lower quantities (<72 pieces). Digital PRint is a great alternative, especially for recurring small reorder jobs with lots of colors.
What it isn't:
This is NOT "DTG" or Digital Garment Printing! Simply put, we've neve been impressed with the quality offered by DTG, plus the process is quite cumbersome, which translates to high cost for a subpar product. Our new Digital Print is heads and tails better than DTG, as it holds up to repeated washings extremely well. The vibrance of the color and highlights is night vs. day compared with DTG.

This is NOT vinyl!! While we do still offer Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) for select applications, this new Digital Print process has replaced virtually everything we used to use HTV for. Gone are the days of having to modify your Screen Print design (adding borders, removing thin areas) just to make it work with HTV. Our new Digital Print will match your Screen Print very, very well, all details included.

What it is, and how to create art for Digital Print:
  • Think of this exactly the same as designing for Screen Print - No need to make any changes, just send the final art from your designer.
  • No extra "outlines" need added (HTV) and...
  • We can print both "Light" and "Dark" colored fabrics (DTG never did well on "Darks") with no hesitation. Both turn out great!
Details to consider:
  • One factor here is, the cost of a Digital Print design depends primarily on the SIZE of the design.
  • The larger the design's overall dimensions, the higher the cost. Plan your designs accordingly.
  • As with all other decoration types, additional print locations increase the cost. We must build a custom quote to give you finished/decorated pricing per item.
BONUS:
  • We can decorate nearly ANYTHING with this new process! -- Hats (!), the BILL of a hat, top + bottom (!!!), yoga pants, spandex fabrics, infant & toddler items (which would normally require separate setup with Screen Print!), jackets, visors and any of the items we'd typically screen print or embroider.
Feel free to get more creative than ever before, and utilize the power of our new Digital Print process.


Now available: Metallic ink & Scotchlite reflective Digital Prints!



Digital Print trucker hat with metallic ink

More Digital Print & Heat Transfer Vinyl possibilities

Digital Print can be an alternative to traditional screen printing. There are two general types of transfers we use:

  • DTF direct to film Digital Print - for full color or multi-color designs
  • Solid-color, CAD-cut heat transfer vinyl HTV - includes 3M Scotchlite Reflective material & specialty vinyls - Glow in the dark, glitter, holographic & more. Ask your sales rep what's available in these specialty materials.

Digital Prints, like screen print & embroidery, have their limitations. The main limitation is the minimum size a design can be printed, but don't worry-- We can go VERY small (about 1mm minimum thickness). Some fabric materials will not accept Digital Print (such as fleece, beanies), but most will and we use specific materials for specific applications, so your gear will be sure to look great for years after we decorate them.