What do merch printing and finishing terms mean?

Screen printing is a method that makes logo-shaped openings in a mesh screen and pushes ink through them onto the product surface with a squeegee. O-SEAN uses screen printing on multi adapters and tumblers, and the details are covered in print methods for tumblers and electronics.

Heat transfer printing is a method that prints the design on transfer paper or film first and moves it onto the product surface with heat and pressure. O-SEAN uses heat transfer printing on small electronics such as power banks and toothbrush sterilizers.

UV printing is a method in which a digital printer jets ink onto the product surface and cures it instantly with ultraviolet light. It needs no plates, so it suits small runs and designs with many colors, and O-SEAN uses UV printing on the link pen.

UV film is a method that prints the design on film with UV ink, presses it onto the product and peels off the top film so only the design remains. O-SEAN uses UV film for full-color logos on tumblers, and for items washed often in a dishwasher it also considers laser engraving.

Laser engraving is a method that marks a logo by burning or cutting the product surface with a laser. It uses no ink, so the logo cannot wear off, and O-SEAN uses laser engraving on tumblers, charging stands, fans and wooden pens.

Offset printing is a method that makes a plate for each color and prints paper items in large volumes. Its plate and setup costs are high, so the unit price falls sharply as quantity rises, and Pantone spot colors can be matched exactly with separate ink and plates.

How paper items are printed is covered in paper and print items.

Digital color printing is a method that outputs the design file directly without plates. Setup costs are low and the unit price stays similar regardless of quantity, so it suits small runs, and spot colors are approximated with CMYK.

Lenticular printing is a method that slices two or more images into thin strips, prints them alternately and covers them with a ridged lens sheet, so the image changes or looks 3D depending on the viewing angle. O-SEAN uses lenticular printing for lenticular cards and lenticular keyrings.

Garment screen printing is a method that prints mixed ink onto fabric with the screen printing method and fixes it with heat. It is mainly used to print the same design in large quantities, such as team tees, and O-SEAN apparel offers three print sizes: small 2 to 10 cm, medium 10 to 20 cm and large 20 to 28 cm.

Rubber-ink printing is a method that screen prints with rubber-based ink to form a smooth, slightly thick layer on the fabric. The ink is opaque, so colors show well even on dark fabric, and O-SEAN uses two-color rubber-ink printing on eco bags.

Heat transfer for apparel is a method that outputs the design on film and attaches it to the garment with heat and pressure. Most O-SEAN apparel offers heat transfer, and it suits orders with many colors and small quantities.

DTF is a digital transfer method that prints ink and a white base on special film, melts adhesive powder onto it and attaches it to fabric with a heat press. It works on many fabrics such as cotton, polyester and nylon, and on dark garments, but the printed area can feel like a film layer.

Sublimation is a digital transfer method in which heated dye turns into gas and soaks into polyester fibers to create color. No print layer remains on the surface, so it cannot peel off, but the base color shows through, so it only suits light polyester fabric.

Digital transfer is a method that outputs the design digitally on film or transfer paper and moves it onto fabric with heat, and DTF and sublimation both belong to it. It needs no plates, so it suits small runs, and O-SEAN makes its 100% polyester uniform jersey with full-color digital transfer.

Embroidery is a method that converts a logo into stitch data and has an embroidery machine sew thread into the fabric to form the logo. It holds up well to washing, so it is widely used on caps and uniforms, and O-SEAN makes its ball caps and bucket hats with logo embroidery and offers embroidery (2 to 8 cm) on all apparel.

Digitizing is the work of converting a logo into stitch data that an embroidery machine can read. Embroidery has an upfront digitizing cost, and after that the unit price follows the stitch count set by logo size and density.

A woven label is a label with a logo and text made by weaving fine thread tightly on a loom. It shows small text in a flat, soft form, and all O-SEAN apparel offers a woven label (5 cm).

A patch is a logo made separately by embroidery or weaving and attached to the product by sewing or heat bonding. An embroidered patch is thick and raised, a woven patch is flat and detailed, and all O-SEAN apparel offers a patch (5 cm).

Logo methods for each garment are covered in apparel and fabric.

Full-color printing is printing that mixes the four CMYK inks to show any number of colors, including photos and gradients. The actual process is set by the item and is one of UV printing, heat transfer or digital printing.

In print terms, one-color and two-color refer to the number of colors used, so one-color printing uses a single color and two-color printing uses two. The terms are used for methods that make a screen for each color, such as screen printing, and fewer colors mean fewer screens and lower setup costs.

A spot color is a color printed with a single mixed ink rather than built from CMYK inks. When a brand color must match exactly, screen printing or offset printing uses spot colors, while digital methods can only approximate spot colors with CMYK.

Ink mixing is the work of blending ink to match a desired brand color. Methods that print in spot colors, such as screen printing, garment screen printing and rubber-ink printing, can match brand colors through ink mixing.

CMYK is the color system for printing that creates colors by mixing four printing inks. Print files are best prepared in CMYK, and full-color printing and digital methods produce color with CMYK.

RGB is the color system screens use to show color with light. An RGB file printed as is can turn darker or duller, so print files are best converted to CMYK, as explained in the design, mockup and file FAQ.

Pantone is a color system that gives each color its own number and is used to specify brand colors exactly. If you share your brand colors as Pantone numbers, O-SEAN checks the color with a physical mockup or sample, and you can learn how to specify colors in Pantone's color system guide.

A white base is a layer of white ink printed under the design so colors do not sink into dark fabric or clear materials. Marking the white print area separately in the design file makes the work more accurate, and the white layer should be slightly smaller than the artwork so it does not show at the edges.

A halftone is a print technique that shows the light and dark of photos or gradients through the size of small dots. Screen printing cannot print gradients as they are, so gradients are converted to halftones or simplified to solid colors.

A vector file stores lines and shapes as paths, so its edges stay sharp at any size, and AI, EPS, PDF and SVG are typical formats. Methods that make screens or paths, such as screen printing, laser engraving and foil stamping, need vector files, and file preparation standards are covered in print-ready files.

A raster image is an image file made of pixels, such as JPG or PNG. If its resolution is too low at the actual print size it prints blurry, so phone photos are best sent at their original resolution.

Resolution (dpi) is the number of dots in one inch and is the standard for how sharp an image looks when printed. Print images need 300 dpi or more at the actual print size, so printing 10 cm wide needs an original about 1,200 pixels wide or more.

Converting text to outlines is the work of turning the text in a design file into shapes instead of font data. The text then stays the same even where the font is not installed, and it is a good idea to keep the file from before conversion so the wording can still be edited.

A trim line is a working guide line that marks where a printed piece is cut to its finished size. The background should extend past the trim line so no white margin appears at the edge, and trim lines must be removed before saving the file so they are not printed.

The safe area is the space inside the trim line where text and artwork must stay so they are not cut off during trimming. Cut lines and trimming can shift slightly by the nature of the process, so designs with text near the edge are best avoided.

A cut line is a line that traces the cutting path for products cut to the shape of the artwork, such as die-cut stickers and acrylic keyrings. Send a file with the cut line drawn or a PNG with a transparent background, and leave a little room between the artwork and the cut line.

Finishing is work that adds gloss, texture or shape after printing. O-SEAN products use foil stamping, epoxy, coating, rounded corners, hole punching, overlock edging and nickel plating, and the products for each type are listed in finishing.

Foil stamping is a finish that presses a metallic film onto the surface with a heated metal die so logos or text shine. The die shape becomes the foil shape, so it needs a vector file, and O-SEAN applies foil stamping to its folding carton packaging.

Epoxy coating is a finish that places clear resin over the printed surface to form a raised, glossy surface. It suits flat or slightly curved surfaces, and small text too close to the edge may be hard to read.

Gloss and matte coating is a finish that adds shine or a calm matte texture to the printed surface and protects the print. Gloss suits vivid color and matte suits a calm look without glare, and O-SEAN applies coating to stickers and lenticular cards.

Corner rounding is a finish that cuts the four corners of a printed piece into curves. Rounded corners wear less and feel softer in the hand, and O-SEAN applies corner rounding to lenticular cards.

Hole punching is a finish that makes a hole in the product so a ring or strap can be attached. O-SEAN applies hole punching to dessert picks and straw picks.

Overlock edging is a finish that wraps the fabric edge with stitched thread so it does not fray. O-SEAN finishes the edges of its natural rubber mouse pads with overlock edging.

Nickel plating is a finish that coats the surface of metal products with a nickel layer to add shine and reduce corrosion. O-SEAN applies nickel plating to metal items such as pin badges.

A holographic sticker is a sticker printed on material with a holographic effect. Light colors on the hologram let the background show through, and areas with a white base lose the holographic effect, so the areas that keep the effect and the areas that need clear color are decided on the mockup.

A mockup is a design draft, made from your logo and text, that shows the print position and size for review before production. O-SEAN checks a mockup before printing for every item, and production starts after the customer approves the final mockup.

A sample is a physical piece made with the actual material and print method before the main order. For brand and IP merch where color matters, matching color with a sample is recommended, and sample cost and lead time are given per item at the quote stage.

The minimum order quantity is the smallest quantity for which an item can be produced. Based on O-SEAN's published products, apparel starts from 1 piece except the uniform jersey, and most other items start from 50 to 300 units.

Tolerance is the range of differences in color, print position and size that can occur in manufacturing and are not treated as defects. The tolerance follows the quote, product information or pre-production notice.

Individual OPP bagging is packing each product separately in an OPP bag. O-SEAN apparel can be packed in individual OPP bags with size stickers or labels, and acrylic keyrings, lenticular keyrings, umbrellas and beach towels ship in OPP bags.

Inspection is the step that checks quantity and print condition before shipping. O-SEAN does not ship items that differ from the sample or approved mockup, and if a delivered item has a defect, report it with photos within 5 business days of receipt.