The Ultimate Guide to Supacolour Transfer Printing in New Zealand

The Ultimate Guide to Supacolour Transfer Printing in New Zealand

The technique combines the best of old and new technology to create a high-quality transfer that can be printed onto almost anything!

Supacolour can be used on cotton, polyester and blended fabrics! There’s also fewer restrictions on placement – so hats, sleeves and even hoods are fair game!

We spoke to the biggest Supacolour fan on staff, Nancy, to answer all your questions and help you decide if Supacolour is right for your branded apparel.

What exactly is Supacolour Transfer Printing?

Supacolour is known as “the world’s best heat transfers”.

The ink is printed onto special transfer paper, depending on the garment’s intended use.

It is then printed onto the apparel using heat and high pressure. It leaves no lines or borders.

And don’t worry – professional technology has come a long way since the “iron on transfers” of your youth. Supacolour printing produces a highly professional result.

How long do the prints last?

As mentioned above, the type of transfer paper we use differs depending on its intended use.

For garments that are expected to be worn and washed, our Supacolour prints have been tested for 50+ domestic washes – but that doesn’t mean they won’t last far longer if taken care of.

You should almost always wash garments in a cold wash and never put them in a hot dryer. This extends the life of your garments, as well as the print work.

What designs work best for Supacolour Printing?

Supacolour printing technology allows us to print almost any design.

There are no colour restrictions, and details only become a problem if they’re super small.

Otherwise, almost all images can be printed with Supacolour printing.

We can print millions of colours to reproduce any logo, no matter how complex, and the colours remain bright and vibrant after being printed. We can even do metallics!

Depending on the size of your design and quantity needed, Supacolour might be more cost effective than both Embroidery and Screenprinting, especially if you have a lot of colours in your design.

What garments are good for Supacolour Printing?

The best thing about Supacolour is there are almost no garment restrictions.

Cottons, Polyester, hats, sleeves, bags… The options are almost unlimited.

Our only restriction is garments with waterproof coatings.

As mentioned above, the technique we use will depend heavily on which garment you wish to print on.

Get in touch and send through all your apparel branding requirements and we’ll be able to recommend the best printing option for you!

Supacolour printing for branded caps and hats in New Zealand

What is the minimum number for one design?

Supacolour becomes cost-effective for print runs of 20 or more.

As the price is the same whether you’ve got one colour or 100 colours in your design, it can be more cost effective than screen printing for multicoloured prints.

The price per print depends on the size of your print and the quantity needed, so it’s the best option for larger runs of more complex designs or runs of small prints, such as a logo on a chest.

While we do have a minimum print creation of 10 units, we can hold any units you don't wish to print right now, for when you return for future print work. It's also one of the ways we manage our Print on Demand services. Prices for Supacolour drop considerably for 20 units or more.

If you have a large run of a single-colour design, Screen Printing might be more cost effective. If you're just after a few units, vinyl might be a better choice.

If you’re unsure, please just get in touch and one of our printing specialists will be more than happy to help you decide on the best printing option for your branded apparel.

What design file do I need for Supacolour printing?

Like any kind of design and print work, the better quality your design file, the better the print will be.

We require the image file to be exactly how you wish your design to be printed – all colours and backgrounds (transparent or otherwise) need to be sent through in their final form.

For best results, we advise sending through a vector file of your design, or - at the very least - a hi-res PNG with a transparent background.

The best way to check is to print off your design off your home or office printer. If the image prints well on paper in the size you want, we should be able to print it well with Supacolour – we will always let you know if we need a better image before moving ahead.

We have a graphic designer who can redraw your files if needed (get in touch to ask about our graphic design fees). 

graphic designer for logo printing for apparel New Zealand

How long does it take?

For a realistic timeframe for Supacolour printing, you can expect a standard print run to take up to three weeks, depending on where in the print queue your order is.

For busy seasons – around the summer holidays, for example – it pays to plan ahead and get your apparel in the queue as soon as you can.

If you need your branded apparel urgently, please reach out to our team. We might be able to squeeze you in, or recommend another printing technique that will get your apparel to you quicker.

How do I order my Supacolour printing?

All Supacolour printing work needs to be organised with us via email. Please send us an enquiry, or reply to any of our emails, with your design and requirements, and our team will be in touch!