There are many T-shirt printing options on the market, many of which offer special effects. Today we're going to talk about reflective printing as a special effect, how we do it, who should use it and under what circumstances.
Reflective printing is used especially for situations of relative "danger", with some specific activities using this effect due to the characteristics of their profession.
We're talking about firefighters, policemen and all those who work in poorly lit places or need to be seen easily and attract attention, both day and night.
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The photo below shows high-visibility waistcoats with high-visibility (reflective) printing. This client requested waistcoats in various colours and with various images, with the characteristic that the printing also had to be done in a reflective way so that its employees could be seen more easily.
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We also have some firefighter clients with whom we've been working for a number of years. In this case, they requested polar blankets with the text FIRE BRIGADE printed in reflective ink.
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But how do you do a job like this?
The easiest way to do this is with flex (cut vinyl). With more and more effects on the market, this option is ideal because you take a high-visibility film and cut out just the shape you want. You can find more information about flex here and here.
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The clear disadvantage is that you can't print with any other colour. It's reflective grey and that's it.
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Similar work can be done in screen printing using silver inks, but the result will never be the same because it "lacks" the reflection effect in darker environments.
(UN)fortunately, at the moment, flex cutting with reflective film is the only option for this style of work. In the overwhelming majority of situations, he fulfils what is required of him perfectly.
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If you want a different kind of special effect, you have other options such as gold and silver
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