Welcome to our Guide to Branding Techniques for Promotional Products.
Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about the different personalisation techniques available to bring your creative ideas to life on promotional products and branded merchandise.
From classic screen printing to innovative digital transfer, we explore a wide range of branding methods that can help your brand stand out in a distinctive and effective way.
Whether you’re looking for durable, high-quality prints or specialised techniques to create striking visual effects, our guide provides the information you need to make informed decisions about how to personalise your products.
Our aim is to give you a comprehensive overview of each branding technique, highlighting its key advantages, recommended applications and important considerations.
With our guide, you can find the technique that best suits your branding requirements and ensure your promotional products represent the essence of your brand in the best possible way.
You can also explore our branding colour guide and sustainable materials guide.
Start exploring our branding techniques and discover how to take your marketing strategy to the next level with MyM Regalos Promocionales!
Pad Printing
Pad printing is a branding technique that uses silicone pads to transfer a logo or design onto a product. It provides a sharp, precise finish and allows for accurate colour matching using PMS colours.
It is one of the most widely used printing techniques for promotional products. First, the logo or design is etched onto a metal plate. Ink is then picked up by the silicone pad and transferred onto the product, creating a clean and detailed print.
As with screen printing, each colour is printed separately to achieve the desired result.
Advantages of pad printing
- Suitable for a wide range of materials
- Can be used on products with different shapes and surfaces
- Allows for PMS colour matching
- Provides a precise and detailed finish
Materials
Thanks to the wide range of inks available, pad printing can be used on a broad variety of materials, including:
- Plastics
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polystyrene (PS)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- PVC
- Metal
- Glass
- Ceramic
- Wood
- Paper
Products suitable for pad printing
Almost any shape or type of product can be branded using pad printing, which is why it remains one of the most widely used printing techniques in the promotional products industry.
- Pens
- Desk clocks
- Business card holders
- USB flash drives
- Ceramic mugs
- Note clips
- Keyrings
- And many more
Screen printing and 360° Screen printing
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a mesh screen with small openings to transfer ink onto a product.
A stencil blocks certain areas of the screen, leaving the logo or design to be printed.
Ink is placed onto the screen and then pushed through the open areas onto the product, where it adheres to the surface. Each colour is printed separately, so multiple screens are required when a design contains several colours.
Once printed, the product is placed in a drying tunnel to ensure the ink bonds properly to the surface.
With 360° screen printing, the same technique is applied to cylindrical products while the item is gradually rotated during printing. This creates a continuous print around the product.
Advantages of Screen printing
- PMS colour matching
- Suitable for large print areas
- Excellent coverage thanks to the higher volume of ink transferred
- Suitable for a wide range of materials
- 360° screen printing for cylindrical products
Materials
- Plastic
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polystyrene (PS)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- PVC
- Metal
- Glass
- Ceramic
- Wood
- Paper
- Textiles (polyester, nylon and cotton)
Products Suitable for Screen printing
Screen printing can be used on a wide range of flat products and surfaces.
- Bags
- T-shirts
- Wine boxes
- Inflatable products
- Caps
- Umbrellas
- And many more
Digital Printing
Digital printing is carried out by placing the product underneath a full-colour digital printer. With specialised UV digital printing, the design is printed directly onto the surface of the product.
The image is created by applying numerous tiny dots to the printable surface. Together, these dots form the desired colours and image.
Digital printing is particularly suitable for flat, even surfaces, as the distance between the print head and the product remains fixed. The printer can reproduce CMYK colours as well as white.
We also offer 360° digital printing for cylindrical products, such as our glass, plastic and metal bottles. This technique is only suitable for products without handles.
Advantages of Digital printing
- Photo-quality printing
- Large print areas
- Full colour + white
- Edge-to-edge printing
- Fixed set-up cost
Materials
- Plastic
- Metal
- Wood
- Paper
- Polyurethane (PU)
- Glass
Products
If a product has a flat, even printing area, it can generally be suitable for digital printing.
- Pens
- Sliding puzzles
- Notebooks
- Covers
- Technology products and gadgets
- And many more
Screen Transfer
With screen transfer printing, the logo is first printed onto a special silicone-coated transfer paper rather than directly onto the product. Each colour is printed separately on top of a white base.
After each layer is printed, the transfer passes through a drying tunnel. Once all the colours have been applied, a layer of adhesive in the shape of the logo is added, followed by an adhesive powder.
The finished transfer is then applied to the product using a heat press. The heat activates the adhesive, while the pressure ensures that the design bonds securely to the surface.
The transfer paper is then removed, leaving the logo permanently applied to the product.
Advantages of Screen transfer
- Suitable for a wide range of materials
- PMS colour matching
- Large print areas
- Soft feel to the touch
- Suitable for small and intricate details
Materials
- Polyester
- Cotton
- Softshell
- Polyurethane (PU)
- Nylon
- Leather
- Cardboard
- Felt
Products
Screen transfer can be used on a wide range of flat products and surfaces.
- Bags
- T-shirts
- Caps
- Umbrellas
- Bum bags
- And many more
Laser Engraving
Laser engraving can be used on products made from organic materials such as wood, glass and rubber, as well as on metal products, both coated and uncoated.
It produces precise, clean, permanent and high-quality text and logos.
The digital logo is sent to the laser engraving machine, which uses a focused laser beam to remove or alter the top layer of the material, revealing the design.
Fibre lasers are mainly used for engraving metals and other hard materials, while CO₂ lasers are commonly used for organic materials.
We also offer 360° laser engraving for cylindrical products such as glass, plastic and metal bottles. This technique is only suitable for products without handles.
Advantages of laser engraving
- Highly durable personalisation
- Extremely precise and detailed
- High-quality finish
- Suitable for a wide range of materials
- 360° laser engraving for cylindrical products
Materials
- Metal
- Aluminium
- Wood
- Glass
- Fleece
- Felt
- Leather
- Some hard plastics
- Paper
- Polyurethane (PU)
Products suitable for laser engraving
Any product made from a material suitable for laser engraving can be personalised using this technique.
- Business card holders
- Keyrings
- Pens
- Wine boxes
- Desk clocks
- And many more
Sublimation
Sublimation is a digital printing technique that allows full-colour images to be printed onto white, hard surfaces or products with a polyester coating.
First, the image or logo is printed in full colour (CMYK) onto specialised sublimation paper. The printed sheets are then automatically cut to the required shape.
The transfer is placed onto the product and secured using pressure and heat for a specific period of time.
During this process, the ink changes from a solid into a gas and penetrates the surface or polyester coating of the product.
Once the product cools, the ink becomes fixed within the surface or coating, creating a durable and vibrant print.
Advantages of sublimation
- Photo-quality printing
- Full-colour printing
- Large print areas
- No limitation on the number of colours
Materials
- Products with a polyester coating
Products suitable for sublimation
- T-shirts
- Mugs
- Bags
- Umbrellas
- And many more
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art of creating designs by carefully stitching threads onto fabrics and other materials.
It is widely used to personalise garments and accessories such as caps, clothing and bags. The process requires a specialised digital embroidery file containing the design and the settings needed to programme the embroidery machine.
The fabric is secured beneath a large embroidery machine equipped with multiple needles, allowing designs to be created using up to 15 different colours in a single run.
Advantages of embroidery
- High-quality finish
- Long-lasting personalisation
- Up to 15 colours
Materials
- Polyester
- Nylon
- Fleece
- Cotton
Products suitable for embroidery
- Hats and caps
- Backpacks
- Laptop bags
- T-shirts
- Waistcoats
- Other textile garments
