What is All Over Printing?

The new trend in custom printed T-shirts and garments, is all-over-printing. All-Over printing allows designers to explore seams, hems, and zips in a way that is similar to regular printing. However, it's not limited to a single area of the Tee.

DTG, screen, and/or transfer printing are all well-known. On those occasions, we can see the stamp of the machine focusing on a particular area and suspending the design in the negative space. In this instance, however, the print extends all the way to the edges of the garment and fills every inch.

We will walk you through each stitch, so don't be alarmed if it seems overwhelming. We'll handle it for you, so leave it to the pros.

Who could you be?

Do you need bulk quantities of full-print t-shirts to make an impact at an event? Do you want to impress your clients by using a new printing method that allows for a lot of pazaz on their merchandise? Are you an internet celebrity looking to make more money? Do you need inspiration for revamping your uniform, workwear, or promotional garments for events? You are a trend-setter so why not get in on the latest trend? You might be looking for all-over print.

What is All-Over Print?

This term is used to describe a technique of garment printing that covers every inch of the garment. Hidden in seams, hems and other elements such as zippers is the best way to determine if the fabric has been all-over printed. This would not be possible with regular or more popular garment printing methods.

This type of print is created by printing on top of the t-shirt and layering it on a flat surface.

If the hem or interior of the garment are printed, it is likely that the fabric was printed before it was sewn. This is traditional and more efficient way of all-over printing. But don't confuse this with "oversized printing". This is often achieved using large screens and is intended to exceed the limitations of traditional printing methods.

Why should you consider All Over Print?

Is there a continuous or fractal design in your mind? Custom All-over printing will look seamless if this is the case. This is called "bleed" by graphic designers. It is when an element is built in such a manner that it appears to extend beyond its canvas borders.

Let's get into it. When a designer is working on a graphic, they must ensure that there is bleed. What is bleed ? It's the extra space beyond the intended border of the design. All Over printing requires that your design be trimmed. The bleed acts as a safety net to ensure the final product is exactly what you intended. Each printer is different, and each printer has its own unique kinks. Designers allow for 2-5mm extra space on either side to ensure that the final graphic is properly applied to the garment. If the graphic extends beyond the "bleed zone", you can trim to your liking to avoid an ugly white border. The "trim zone" can also be used to refer to the inner area of the design when it is cut to the intended dimensions.

Artwork is often placed on a garment or t-shirt that has a limited area. However, with all-over printing, the artwork can be all over the place. This is a striking process that will make bold statements and leave an impression.

Printing Techniques For All-Over Printing: How Do They Do It?

There are many ways to achieve all-over printing. Today we will focus on two: large-scale screen printing and sublimation printing.

What's Large-Scale Screenprinting?

Large-Scale screen printing is not the same as regular screen printing. Instead, it uses a huge screen that can consume all of the garments in an XL-sized male t-shirt. This popular method can be used with any fabric. It can also be done by hand or using an industrial "belt printer".

Screen Printing at large scale:

You can do it on any fabricGreat finish qualityDurableIt is faster than other techniques

The disadvantages of large-scale Screen Printing

Each new color has a different screen, so the price goes up.For small orders, it isn't economically feasible.For complex or hyperrealistic images, it is not recommended.

What's Sublimation and DYE Printing?

Sublimation printing uses heat to transfer dye onto material. The commercial heat press is used for transfer of the design onto the T-shirt. Sublimates is when the dye becomes a gas and not a liquid. The dye is then absorbed by the fibres (mostly polyester or polymer-coated substrates).

This means that the dye is now part of the fabric's make-up, and the design won't bleed in the wash. Even better, the dye doesn't fade. Sublimation printing is best done in 100% polyester, drirelease (85% Polyester and 15% Cotton), or 50/50 (50% Polyester and 50% Cotton). T-shirts are always white. The base colour is used in the print.

The 100% polyester option gives you the most vibrant and vivid finish because the ink is absorbed into the fabric. This option will produce the darkest, most intense black colour.

The drirelease option falls somewhere in between the two other options. Black will be a very dark gray. It also has a softer feel than 100% polyester.

Although the 50/50 version doesn't have a very sharp print, it is more comfortable due to the 50% cotton blend.

Sublimation and DYE Printing:

Very durableCapability to reproduce intricate designs in detailThe production costs are usually the same regardless of whether you order one or more garments.It is a sustainable method because it uses very little water

Sublimation and DYE Printing:

Polyester t-shirts are not compatibleExpensiveThis process is slower than other printing methods.

Things to Remember About All Over Printing

All-over printing is a new option for printing, but it is still in its early stages and has some flaws. Most importantly, any wrinkles or creases on the t-shirt during printing will cause the print to be ruined and leave a white spot rather than colour. You must ensure that the person performing the process is careful. Otherwise, the finished product could look like a white-spotted Dalmatian.