Beach umbrellas are an essential item if you want to have a good day at the beach. A beach umbrella would ensure you get the appropriate amount of sun and breeze without them being dangerous to your body.
Nowadays, people and businesses have evolved beyond using pens, mugs, or tote bags as promotional items. If you decide to use beach umbrellas as your promotional items, you are making a good choice. Your customers and employees are sure to thank you.
Besides using custom beach umbrellas for promotions, advertisements, or events, small businesses also customize their beach umbrellas if they are involved with private labeling. Private labeling is when a company approaches an established umbrella manufacturer to produce their umbrellas for them.
No matter what you decide to use your custom beach umbrella for, you need to be aware of the various printing techniques. This article will discuss five primary printing techniques you can use to make your custom beach umbrella.
Table of Contents
Types of Custom Beach Umbrellas
Before choosing which printing technique you want to use for your beach umbrella, you must select which type of beach umbrella you want. Below are five of the most common types of custom beach umbrellas in the market today.
1. Classic Beach Umbrella
This is the regular custom beach umbrella everybody knows. This beach umbrella stands tall with a pole made from aluminum, wood, etc. They also have a large canopy that comes with UV protection to shield you from the sun.
2. Custom Beach Umbrella with Tilt Mechanism
This type of custom beach umbrella can tilt and adjust to whichever angle you want the canopy. For instance, if you are at the beach and the sun’s rays change direction, this umbrella allows you to shade yourself from the sun without moving the whole umbrella. This gives you ample protection from harmful rays.
3. Custom Beach Tent
The custom beach tent is a beach umbrella in the form of a tent. This type of beach umbrella is perfect for families and groups of friends who go to the beach. It provides more shade for its users, and some come with pockets to keep your belongings.
4. Custom Beach Umbrella with Inbuilt Anchor
One of the worst things that can happen to you at the beach would be for your beach umbrella to fly away because of a strong gust of wind; this custom beach umbrella type reduces the chance of such happening. The inbuilt anchor gives the umbrella that extra stability in the sand. The anchors are of two kinds: the screw and the weighted anchors.
5. Clamp-on-Chair Custom Beach Umbrella
The clamp-on-chair custom beach umbrella is a relatively new type of beach umbrella. You can clip this beach umbrella onto the chair you carry to the beach. It is usually not as big as the conventional beach umbrella, but it is incredibly convenient.
Best Printing Techniques for Your Custom Beach Umbrella
After choosing the preferred beach umbrella type, the next thing is to know about the best printing techniques for your custom beach umbrella. We would be discussing four of these techniques alongside their processes and advantages.
1. Silk Screen Printing
Screen or silkscreen printing is a process that involves pressing ink through a stenciled mesh screen. Silkscreen printing is a prevalent technique, and different industries make use of this technique for their products.
Screen printing effectively creates bold images on fabrics and textiles, making it an excellent choice for customizing umbrella canopies. Silkscreen printing is simply creating a stencil on a mesh screen. After this, the printers push ink through this mesh screen to imprint your design onto your desired surface, in this case, the umbrella’s canopy.
The Process
The first step is when the printer takes the desired design and prints it onto an acetate film. This is what the printer will use to create the stencil. In the next step, the printing press worker chooses a well-suited mesh screen. The screen has to suit the design’s complexity and the texture of the canopy’s fabric.
Then, with a layer of light-reactive emulsion, the producer coats the screen. This emulsion will harden when it is developed under a bright light. They then lay the acetate film containing the design on the screen covered with emulsion and expose them to bright light.
After the manufacturer exposes the screen to the light for a specified time, they carefully rinse away the excess emulsion, leaving behind a clear imprint of the design on the screen. Once the screen dries, the printer gets rid of any imperfections, and the stencil is ready for use.
In the next stage, the screen is taken and placed on the printing press. The umbrella’s canopy is also laid on the printing board under the screen. When the screen and canopy are well aligned, the screen gets lowered on the printing board.
The worker uses a squeegee to pull the ink along the screen’s entire length. A squeegee is a rubber blade with a long handle used to push the end to the screen. This presses the ink through open areas of the stencil to imprint the design on the fabric.
Advantages of Silk Screen Printing
- It is long-lasting and durable.
- It produces vibrant colors even on dark fabric.
- This form of printing is versatile
- It is an excellent value for your money
2. Digital Printing
After screen printing, digital printing is the next technique that is on the rise. The digital printing process involves printing on different surfaces, such as fabric, paper, acrylic, etc., from a digital image directly.
There are two types of printers in digital printing; inkjet printers and laserjet printers. They transfer the digital image through tiny droplets of ink to the desired surface of the fabric.
The Process
To begin the process of digital printing on textile, you must first get the design ready. This means deciding what you want to print on your umbrella. You could choose to design your graphics yourself or outsource the design to professionals. We have professionals at HF Umbrellas that can help you with this step.
It’s also important to save your chosen design in the appropriate format, the CMYK format, and also in 300dpi (dots per inch). Keeping your graphic in a suitable form ensures the image is not distorted or disintegrated when the manufacturer prints it onto the umbrella canopy.
After the printer has run the necessary checks on the printing machine, they are ready, to begin with the process. Your beach umbrella’s canopy size would determine the size of the pallet that the manufacturer would attach to the machine. When they select the pallet, they lay the canopy on it, and it is ready for printing.
Once the worker ensures there are no creases on the fabric, work begins. The digital printer starts printing on the material by moving the print heads from side to side, spraying the design.
After the printing, they remove the fabric carefully and take it to a dryer set to the right temperature. There the dryer bakes the print into the canopy to secure it.
Advantages of Digital Printing
- It is easier to print a range of different colors with digital printing
- In Digital printing, you can transfer images more accurately
- The process is faster and simpler
- Digital printing allows you to customize your prints in various ways
3. 4-Color Process Printing (CMYK printing)
The 4-color process is another widely used printing method that produces full-color images. The 4-color process uses Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks in its printing. These colors are collectively known as CMYK. So, some people refer to the 4-color process as CMYK printing.
There are thousands of full-image possibilities that can be produced due to overlapping these four colors in different concentrations. These colors are usually added in separate layers. When they are combined, they make and create results that are appealing to the eye.
Tiny dots of these colors are printed at different angles on the fabric to create the finished image. If you decide to choose color process printing for your custom beach umbrella, you will stand out from your competition.
The Process
When you bring the design, the workers at the printing press must first split your image into the CMYK model. That is, they split the image into cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Thanks to technology, this separation process is done with higher quality and speed of a “computer to plate” system.
The next step is for the worker to attach ink repellant and absorbent substances to the plate. These work together to help transfer the ink from the printing press to the fabric. The printing ink is then transferred from the ink absorbent substances through a rubber blanket to the material.
The four colors of inks are layered one after the other till the printer recreates the image on your canopy. After this, it is dried, and quality checks are carried out. Then, your custom beach umbrella is ready.
Advantages of 4-Color Process Printing
- This printing technique makes your work stand out
- The results are usually appealing to people
- The recreation of your image on the fabric would be accurate
- It does not fade
Dye Sublimation Printing
Dye-sublimation printing is a technique that makes use of heat transfer to apply an image to a chosen substrate or surface. It is one of the most common ways to print images on fabrics. This printing technique is mainly used to decorate clothing, banners, etc. It is no wonder that the umbrella industry has adopted this technique.
The Process
Before the process of dye sublimation printing begins, the workers need to prepare or draft the design that they want to print on the umbrella. Once the graphic or design has been decided, the next step would be to print the design onto the transfer paper using sublimation inks. This step is done with the use of a unique digital printer.
The inks are liquid within this particular digital printer cartridge, but once printed on the transfer paper, the inks become solid. The next stage is the sublimation process.
In the sublimation process, the transfer paper should align with the umbrella’s fabric. The printing press worker ensures the printed side of the transfer paper is facing the material. After this, the worker puts the transfer paper and fabric through a heated roller.
The success of the sublimation process rests on the right combination of heat (between 350 to 420°F) and pressure. When this combination occurs, the formerly solid sublimation inks on the transfer paper becomes very hot that it evaporates and diffuses (before it has a chance to melt).
Because of heat, the fabric’s pores open up, and the diffused ink finds its way to the material. Once the worker removes the heat, the fabric’s pores snap shut and trap the ink vapors. The ink then returns to its solid-state; thus, the sublimation process is complete.
Advantages of Dye Sublimation Printing
- The digital print comes out looking crisp and clear
- The colors would stand out vividly
- You do not have to worry about your image fading away
- It is cost-effective and suitable for small batch printing
- You can use dye sublimation on different types of fabrics
How to Care for Your Custom Beach Umbrellas
If you hope to elongate the lifespan of your custom beach umbrella, you need to look after it properly. There are a few necessary steps you need to adhere to when caring for your custom-made beach umbrella.
a. Clean your Custom Beach Umbrella Frequently
When cleaning your custom-made beach umbrella, you need to focus your cleaning on each part of your beach umbrella. In other words, clean your umbrella’s canopy and frame.
The frame consists of the vertical pole, upper hub, lower hub, ribs, and the finial (fastened at the top of the beach umbrella). You should clean each of these parts thoroughly and carefully with a damp cloth. You could also wash them with soap to effectively get rid of the dirt.
It would help if you cleaned the canopy with lukewarm water and a soft brush. Then, allow both the top and frame to air dry. This would eliminate those stubborn beach sands that stick to the umbrella.
b. Prevent Mildew
Mildew is a fungus that grows due to the retention of moisture. Mildew is terrible for your custom beach umbrella. The best way to prevent mildew is always to let your beach umbrella dry appropriately before packing it up.
If your beach umbrella already has mildew, use a soft brush to dust off the dirt. Then, after mixing vinegar and warm water, put your umbrella in the mixture. Wait for a few minutes before you begin to brush off the mildew on your beach umbrella gently.
c. Keep Your Beach Umbrella Away from Bad Weather
This includes keeping your beach umbrella in a location that is safe from adverse weather. It also includes avoiding highly windy conditions, which can destroy the frame of your beach umbrella. You should also ensure your umbrella does not have unnecessary exposure to the sun’s harsh rays because it could cause the canopy to fade.
Top Manufacturers of Custom Beach Umbrella
If you want to build a custom beach umbrella that you would enjoy and love, you need to choose an umbrella manufacturer that would do an excellent job. There are numerous bespoke beach umbrella manufacturers in the market today, and many more are popping up.
Because of the above, you might feel confused as to which manufacturer might be the best choice. We have provided four of the best manufacturers of custom beach umbrellas (outside HFUmbrella) worldwide to help with this dilemma.
1. The Umbrella Company Contact Now!
The Umbrella Company is one of the largest manufacturers of promotional umbrellas in the UK. They offer some of the best prices to their customers, and when it comes to delivery dates, they can be flexible enough to fit in with your wishes.
Do you have a seemingly impossible idea for your custom beach umbrella? Don’t worry because the Umbrella Company has a team that makes the impossible a reality. They offer a variety of designs, styles, colors, and printing techniques.
All you have to do is tell them what you want, and they would deliver accordingly.
Manufacturer’s Website: www.theumbrellacompany.co.uk
2. iBrolly Umbrellas Contact Now!
iBrolly Umbrellas understand how important it is for your promotional umbrellas to reflect your brand in the best way possible. From the frame to the handle of your custom beach umbrella, iBrolly umbrellas make use of the highest quality of materials in their production.
With iBrolly Umbrellas, you get bespoke umbrellas with your logo or image branded to your precise requirements. They specialize in fully digital all-over printing at reasonable prices. They also offer a wide range of printing options to their customers.
You can rest assured knowing that whatever custom beach umbrella you get from iBrolly would be durable and of top quality.
Manufacturer’s Website: www.ibrolly.co.uk
3. TUUCI Contact Now!
If you love the outdoors, then you should get your outdoor products from TUUCI. For over 20 years, they have designed outdoor solutions for their customers. They create beautiful and durable products such as beach umbrellas, parasols, beach chairs, etc.
They are in Miami, USA, but they have stores around the country, and they also ship their products around the world. If you want to see innovation, class, style, and uniqueness in your custom beach umbrella, then you should try TUUCI.
Manufacturer’s Website: www.tuuci.com
4. StrombergBrand Umbrellas Contact Now!
StrombergBrand Umbrellas manufacture umbrellas that you are sure to use for a very long time. Since 1942, they have been creating masterpieces in the umbrella world, and they are unrelenting in giving customers the best. Their focus is on moving the promotional products industry forward with their innovative and quality promotional umbrellas.
Their umbrellas have extraordinary designs, various color options, unrivalled prices, and superior printing abilities. They can take on any custom umbrella you can imagine.
Manufacturer’s Website: www.strombergbrand.com
Why Should You Choose HFUmbrella for Your Custom Beach Umbrella?
While the above manufacturers are great, we would tell you why HFUmbrella should be your choice. Huifeng Umbrellas is a leading umbrella manufacturer in China. With over 30 years of experience in the customization business, you can be sure that we would execute your custom beach umbrella projects exceptionally well.
Below are some of the reasons you should choose us at HFUmbrella to handle your customization.
- Quality Products: We make our umbrellas with the finest materials you can find in the market. At HFUmbrella, we believe in putting quality first. We make all our products from the frame up; you can be sure no go-between would ruin your umbrellas. We never sacrifice our quality.
- Small Business-Friendly: At HFUmbrella, we do not have a minimum order quantity. This makes us the perfect choice for small businesses. Just let us know how many pieces you need, and we start work immediately. Additionally, our prices are reasonable, so you do not have to break the bank before you get your umbrellas.
- Wide Variety of Options: Do you have a problem with choosing colors suitable for your brand? Worry no more; with HFUmbrella, you can get a wide range of designs, colors, and styles that would suit your business. Even if you do not know what designs you want, we have you covered.
These reasons and many more make us an excellent option for you, irrespective of where you are in the world. To start the process, contact us through our email or check our website.
Conclusion
This article addresses the ins and outs of printing on custom beach umbrellas. We mainly focused on the best printing techniques you can adopt in customizing your beach umbrellas.
These printing techniques have their unique processes and advantages. So, for your next customization project, study this guide carefully before making your choice. If you have more questions about custom beach umbrellas, you can contact us at info@hfumbrella.com. We are available 24/7 to attend to your inquiries.
We guarantee that you would get custom beach umbrellas that you love and enjoy at the end of our manufacturing process. What are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today!
