+REgent Gifts
💡 Quick Summary (TL;DR):
This guide analyzes four major gift printing techniques: Screen Printing for solid colors and durability; Pad Printing for curved surfaces like thermos mugs; Offset Printing for photo-quality CMYK full-color designs; and Pantone Matching to ensure global brand consistency. Choosing the right method significantly enhances the perceived value of corporate gifts.
Screen printing, also known as silk screen printing, is a widely used printing technique. As the name suggests, it involves using a squeegee to force ink through a mesh screen onto the product surface. Areas outside the logo design are blocked, allowing ink to pass only through the designated areas.
The advantage of screen printing is its solid color output, making it ideal for simple logo designs.
However, screen printing requires printing one color at a time, which can be time-consuming. A significant concern is potential misalignment issues. Since each color is printed separately, a multi-color logo requires precise alignment of each screen. While 2-3 colors are manageable, with 6-7 colors, if misalignment occurs on the final color, the entire process must be repeated from the first color.
Therefore, we generally recommend using 1-2 colors for optimal results.
Screen printing is suitable for products like USB drives and travel adapters.
Pad printing offers high precision and is ideal for objects with uneven surfaces. It uses a silicone-made hemispherical pad to transfer ink from a steel plate onto the object's surface.
Suitable for products like thermos cups, travel adapters, USB drives, and items with curved surfaces.
Offset printing combines a white base (the product itself) with Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), and Black (K) inks. By controlling the density of dots in each layer, these four colors combine to create a vibrant, full-color effect.
Ideal for traditional printed products, card-type USB drives, mouse pads, coasters, and other full-color printed items.
The commonly mentioned Pantone refers to the Pantone Matching System (PMS), an international color communication standard system that spans across different industries. For example, Pantone colors used in printing can also be applied to screen-printed products, making it a universal standard.
Pantone colors are suitable for various products, including screen-printed logos on USB drives and travel adapters.
