How to Pick a Cap

Caps

Picking the right cap is the key to successful decorating.  The requirements
of each decorating method include a specification that facilitates decorating.

Embroidery requires a stiff front panel known as a fused buckram, or structured, or constructed
cap, so that the sewing will be in registration while the needle is punching
through the material at machine gun speeds.

 Screen printing, by contrast, requires a flexible front panel that will
conform to the platen.  This could be an unconstructed cap, half moon
stay cap, or foam front cap.  Half moon stay caps are printed by folding
the half moon stay out of the cap along with the sweat band so that the front
panel can be secured to the platen with an adhesive.  Six panel caps are
printed by placing neoprene pads on either side of the seam to compensate for
the thickness of the seam.

The requirements of embroidery and screen printing are exactly opposite.  However, there
are a few caps sold that have front panels that meet both the flexible requirements
of screen printing and stiffness for embroidery.

The most common transfers are sublimation, hot split and cold peel.  Sublimation
requires a synthetic material like polyester, and white or light colored material.  That
eliminates most caps sold.  Hot split and cold peel can be applied to
almost any cap other than corduroy or wool as long as the cap conforms to the
mandrel.

Many of the caps offered may meet these initial requirements, but still are not ideal.  A
cap should always be tested to see if it can be decorated easily before purchasing
any quantity.  The cap could be too small to hoop or fit over a platen
or mandrel.  The material may be cut and sewn so that the decorating area
does not conform to your method of decorating.  Beware.

Caps should be picked also by market segment.  Young people buy the highest priced
caps which are low profile 6 panel caps.  Their parents buy golf style
caps that do not conform to or fit tightly to the head like the low profile
caps.  The grand parents may prefer a foam front for the low cost.  Employers
purchasing caps as a disposable head cover for employees will probably select
foam fronts to minimize costs.

Caps are constructed of many different materials from corduroy and twill to tightly
woven polyester and cotton blends, fuzzy wools and brushed cotton.  T-shirt
printing is on more consistent materials.  Four color process printing
is best on a 100% cotton shirt and similarly brushed cotton when a cap.

Customers often have a size requirement to their image.  The cap should be compared
to the image size.  Large cap fronts with a small image will appear out
of place.  Today the trend is towards smaller images on smaller cap fronts.

Too often customers, and even decorators, will select a cap based on color or some other
criteria that has nothing to do with the method of decorating intended.  The
smart decorator will test caps against the method of decorating intended, and
then only offer caps that are easy to decorate.  The cost of the cap to
the decorator should only be considered a decision factor when the decorator
knows the cap will decorate easily.  If one cap decorates more easily
or faster than another, a higher cost cap might be justified by higher production
per hour.

There is a great variety of caps offered which require careful evaluation, including
testing, before selection as part of a product line to be decorated.