Custom Order Bandanas
One of the most requested marketing promotional items is the custom printed bandana. When researching custom order bandanas, there are a few factors that you may want to consider when choosing a bandana vendor. The top 5 items when looking at a new bandana vendor are:
Top 5 Factors For Choosing A Bandana Vendor
#1. Where are the custom order bandanas made ?
There are many vendors on the web that will claim that they make their own bandanas or at the very least position themselves as through they do. When in reality, these vendors are “brokers”. A broker is a middle-man / middle-woman who is essentially a sales person for the bandanas, but once the sale is made, ultimately hand off the manufacturing to a company like us. There is nothing wrong with this type of business arrangement, in fact, many of our customers are brokers. But it’s important to understand the full picture when making your bandana purchasing decision. There are many advantages and disadvantages when buying from a broker. Just be careful and ask the question in advance so that you know the type of organization that you are working with and can set your expectations properly.
#2. What type and quality of fabric is used for your custom bandanas ?
Custom order bandanas are generally made from one of three types of fabrics. 100% Cotton, 100% Polyester and Blends are the common fabric types used. Most of the bandanas that we manufacture are 100% cotton. Cotton is the softest option and offers design decoration of up to 4 colors. If you need photos on your bandanas, then 100% polyester bandanas need to be used. Blends are not necessary unless you are looking for a specific type of feel to your finished bandana.
#3. What print method is used for your custom bandanas ?
Inexperienced bandana printers will often use standard screen printing inks, plastisol or modified “watered down” plastisol. While this will look nice, you will definitely feel the design on the bandana. Using plastic based inks can be problematic when the bandana is being worn and touching the body. In addition, doing full bleed (off the edge) printing is not recommended for plastisol inks. We use discharge printing, acrylic (water-based) inks or dye sublimation for our bandanas. Each method offers very little, if any feel to the print. Using the proper ink sets is critical when the bandana will be worn.
#4. Can the bandana manufacturer print completely full bleed i.e. off the edge of the bandana ?
Standard bandanas are 22″ x 22″. Most traditional bandana print designs are 21″ x 21″ and leave a 1 inch border. If you want your bandana to look retail ready, then you may want to consider a full bleed, i.e. “off the edge” print. Not all screen printing and/or bandana manufacturing companies can print a full bleed design. If you need a custom fabric look, then asking about full bleed printing is important.
#5. How reliable is the bandana vendor ?
Of course, reliability is critical when making any vendor choice. Most of the bandana orders that we fulfull are for time based events. If there is a company event, a marketing promotion or a dated event, then making sure that your bandana vendor is experienced and reliable is critical. Late delivery or no delivery is unacceptable when it comes to a dated event.
BandanasOnline.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMBRO Manufacturing of New Jersey. We have over 30 years of manufacturing experience, and we make bandanas in the United States. We have full bleed print capability, dye sublimation printing abilities and a wide range of other specialties related to bandana manufacturing. If you are interested in talking to us about custom order bandanas, please consider giving us a call.
If you would like to place an order with us for custom bandanas, or if you would like to learn more about our company and all of the customization services we have to offer, you can contact us by email or by giving us a call at (908) 806-8337.