Galen Rugby Top Embroidery

A recent project of ours included embroidering the Galen Myotherapy logo to the back of rugby shirts for the Galen staff. We were given a scan of the existing logo they had embroidered in the past and we were asked to convert it into a new file so that we could produce this logo on our machinery. Converting a logo again can be particularly useful when your current embroidery is not very good.

This logo turned out to have a 30,000 stitch count, which in embroidery terms is a lot. On average an industrial embroidery machine can stitch around 700 stitches per minute, so if you extrapolate that into real terms this logo would take over 30 minutes to embroider.

The results speak for themselves though, converting their existing logo was no problem as we regularly convert customers logo's into embroidery files from scans of their existing logo's. Sometimes we actually surprise our customers with the new embroidery design turning out better than the original, this is down to the quality of the digitisation.

Galen therapy centre celebrate their 10th year of working to 'Improve the Quality of Life for all Dogs' through successful practice and training. You can read more about Galen Therapy Centre here and find out more about the great work they do for dogs.

Ultraman UK Shirt Printing

Back in 2011 we printed a number of garments for a customer who was competing in the Ultra Man UK Championships. It was a challenge for both us, we had a deadline to meet but even worse than that our customer was putting himself through the gruelling competition of Ultra Man UK 2011! Rather him than me...

We printed their garments with Hot Flex Vinyl which is the same material used to print football shirt sponsors and numbers. It has its limitations but for these sponsors it was by far the best choice. The limitations of Hot Flex Vinyl include not being able to cut lettering below 6mm, you are limited to press single block colours and it can be time consuming layering all the colours when there are multi coloured logo's involved.

The Hot Flex Vinyl was an excellent choice for these garments especially on the running shirts, as the Hot Flex Vinyl can be washed at very high temperatures which is what is needed to get the sweat out of the running shirts. The overall finish was nothing but perfect, hours of weeding and pressing turned out some of the most impressive printing to date. Screen print was just not an option for this task as the washing limitations of screen print would have seen the print crack and fade after a number of washes, even less washes when washed at high temperatures. If you are looking for durability, then Hot Flex Vinyl printing is your answer! If you are looking for detailed prints then screen print is the winner.

You can read more about Ultra Man UK here, if you feel you can swim 10km, bike 420.6km and run 84.3km, good luck!

The key to all good printing is down to the quality of the artwork. If the artwork is low quality or a napkin sketch then your print can only be as good as it, right? Not always, here at Gee Embroidery and Print we always advise the best way to get the most out of your images or logo's. We put quality first and by doing this we offer a number of artwork redrawing services.

Software Myths

There is no such thing as secret imaging software that will happily convert any image you throw at it to the highest quality, there are some software packages that do some basic converting and there are tools and techniques that will help you improve your images but the bottom line is if you want to get the full potential out of low resolution images or logo's then they will need to be redrawn.

Redrawn I hear you say, huh! That looks fine to me... Well it might look fine on your computer screen, on your letterhead or business card, so why will it not look good when printed. There are a number of varying factors that we need to establish basically. It all depends on how big you want the final print, if you supplied an image that has been taken from a website and required that image to be printed the full width of a T shirt, then there would most likely be a lot of pixelation involved in the process. To get the most out of any design, we first request the original 'logo / image designers' files that have been created to vector standard. If this is not available then we would offer you our artwork redrawing services. For photo's we recommend at least 300dpi, if you are unsure we can check this for you.

What is a Vector?

A vector is another name for an image simply put, think of it as a platinum image. A vector image can be scaled down to the size of a stamp or as big as a football pitch without losing any quality at all. Vector files normally end in .eps .ai .cdr or even .pdf. Vector files are required by Sign Makers too as this aids their sign cutting software and cad cutting hardware. Vector files are normally created in software programs like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw.

Can you Vector Photos?

It would all depend on what you wanted as a final result. Generally speaking vectors are used for logos, crests, badges, signs and simplistic looking images. A photo may contain 16 million colours and varying shades which although can be recreated as a vector, most of the time it wouldn't be a viable proposition. The time it would take to redraw a photo would cost more than if the photo was to be re-taken at a higher resolution. All vector redraws are costed based on time, the more complex the image, the dearer the conversion.

My Photo is only Low Quality

If you only have low quality photo's to work with then there is not a lot we can do. There are tools to slightly enhance and sharpen images but once you break past the image size you will start to get pixelation. You will need to find a higher quality photo or have it re-taken to the highest possible size you can. You can always downscale a photo without losing quality but you can't successfully upscale, so its better to have it too big than too small.

How long does a vector redraw take?

This solely depends on the size and complexity of the image. For instance if we were to redraw the Japanese flag, it would take no time at all. But then if we redrew the Barcelona FC badge we could be talking an hour or 2. As things get more complex and with gradients introduced, it can take upto and exceeding 8 hours. Not every vector artist will redraw the same either. When printing with 2 or 3 colour heat applied vinyl, you need to draw the vector in a certain order so that it can be layered properly in the printing stage. Vector drawing for printing takes a little bit more thought than regular vectoring, it's what we're good at.

How much does it cost?

We offer vector redraw services from £20. This is the basic rate we charge, for this you will receive the vectored file by email that can be used by any printer, graphic designer or sign maker as you wish. For more complex vectors we would have to quote, all prices are quoted upon sight of artwork and the price maybe subsidised slightly by the total size of the order placed. For larger orders, the charge may be waived completely.

Example

Below is an example of a recent artwork redraw we completed. Look at the left image, looks to me like it was originally drawn by hand and coloured in with pencil. You can see how low quality the imagery is and how patchy it looks. Now look to the right image, this is now in vector form and see how much sharper it actually is. Ask yourself which one you would feel more confident wearing printed on a tee. It not only enhances logo's by redrawing them but it sells your image to your customers too.

From three styles at launch to eight in year two, one mid-year addition last summer and a further six in January 2013, there are now 15 great styles in up to 30 colours on the brand's second birthday.

Sales have continued to exceed AWDis wildest expectations because the performance available from such a basic range of products offers so much more than an outmoded cotton T shirt for any kind of activity - maybe the sport boost in 2012 has helped too.

Polyester first layer clothing continues to be the fastest growth area in the printwear trade. The 30 great colours all match their equivalent in the Just Hoods by AWDis range - the top selling hoodies brand. With a colour to suit every need, from darks to lights, muteds to neon, and everything in between, any club or organisation can be assured of a completely co-ordinated look in first and second layer.

Obvious Developments

Last summer's Long Sleeve T shirt in black or white, new to the catalogue, makes a great base layer while the successful Contrast Cool T, Polo shirt and Cool cap get their Junior equivalents running from age 3 upwards, making club and uniform events a dream.

Junior Contrast and Polo shirts are in the top 10 kid options while the cap is in 15. Three new colours are also added to JC01 Kids Cool and JC03 Contrast T; two to the JC05 Girlie T and four to the JC40 Polo, where customers have requested them.

Why Just Cool?

Any sports event organiser worth their salt need look no further than Just Cool for a garment of high perceived value at real value prices, whilst the easy care, quick drying nature of the products make them also ideal for work and everyday use.

Splashes dry quickly and the fact that ironing is not required makes them invaluable in service industries where rapid turn around is essential. The cornerstone of the Just Cool Comfort collection is their 140gsm Neoteric polyester fabric. Incredibly comfortable, inherently wicking and fast drying from its deeply textured knit surface, it forms the ideal substrate for all kinds of embellishment including screen printing, transfer printing and embroidery.

The garments themselves have been carefully designed to give the best fit in each of their categories and above all, they are available, in stock and in great depth and at fantastic value.

Custom Cushion Embroidery Project

Custom Cushion Embroidery by Gee. We are not only known to embroider garments, sportswear and leisurewear but we are also known for our truly custom approach to embroidery. This pillow was made for a new born baby and was presented as a gift. Truly stunning results and a lifelong keepsake...

We teamed up with L and I Interiors to have this made, we concentrated on the embroidery side of things whilst Laura Ashley trained L and I Interiors concentrated in the manufacture and the finishing element of this cushion. Between us we managed to produce a truly stunning one-off piece lifelong keepsake. We have made many of these each personalised to our customer’s requirements and the feedback has been immense. Not only are they uniquely personalised with a description of your choice but we can offer up to 30 different colours of fabric to suit the decor in your room.

Changing the colour of the bears attire is not a problem either, want it in a more boyish colour, no problem, we can customise the colour of the bears trousers and jacket easily. This has to be one of our lengthiest embroideries to date, with around 120,000 stitches this bear takes over 2 hours to sew out. The results however are worth every penny. We retail these starting from £39.99 for a 12" cushion and finish off at £49.99 for an 18" cushion, that includes your own personalisation. This price is not fixed and will be reviewed depending on how complex the design is.

With the help of L and I Interiors we are able to offer these cushions at this cracking price. 100% British made, hand finished and personalised cushions that make a perfect gift!

Bespoke Dog Portrait Embroidery Project

Bespoke dog portrait embroidery has been added to our collection of personalised cushion embroidery. This was requested by a customer who was looking for someone to replicate his dog's face onto a cushion using embroidery. With our truly flexible approach to embroidery we were only too happy to assist on this project...

This dog portrait took us over 3 hours to sew out with a massive 105,000 stitches and measuring 220mm in height. The hardest thing about this particular project was choosing the right colour threads, one wrong choice and the whole embroidery job would need to be restarted. Most of the time on jobs like these, things don't look good until the final thread colour goes onto the design, so for the 2 hours previous of embroidery you just hope that you've selected the right threads!

Luckily for us, we were quite happy with the way things turned out. After all any more time on the machine would have resulted in a loss. The picture shows the dog portrait on raw material at the moment, I have jumped the gun a little here with this article as this is now in the process of being cut and sewn into a cushion. Once we have more photo's of the finished article we will post them in this blog post.

If you have a requirement for some personalised work to be done, please contact us, we will only be too happy to help. Or if you are unsure if something can be done or not, we are only a phone call or email away. These projects we undertake give you one truly individual keepsake or gift that can't be bought from anywhere else! Sometimes the price for custom work will put people off, however we always try and keep our prices to a minimum and our price only reflects the quality and hard work that goes into each individual piece.

Below is the finished cushion, fully lined and piped with a full length access zip along the bottom edge. The cushion insert is top quality made from goose down. The quality of this handmade piece is truly stunning and is a brilliant example of what 'Made in Britain' is all about.