REF · LZ-260729-EMB
EMBELLISHMENT
Choosing the technique is the easy part.
Eleven decoration methods, and the part most clients never see: carrying the artwork through approvals, choosing the material it sits on, clearing compliance, and holding the standard through production to QA. That managed middle is what a decorated program actually costs you when it goes wrong.
WHAT LIZAL OWNS
01
Artwork & approvals
Files prepped per method, routed through brand review.
02
Material selection
The substrate decided before the technique is locked.
03
Compliance
Restricted substances, labeling, and safety cleared early.
04
Production
Managed on the floor, not handed to a subcontractor.
05
Quality assurance
Physical inspection against the approved sample.
THE ELEVEN
Every method we run, and where each one earns its place.
Three of these were specialty work two years ago and are standard production now. Pricing is quoted per program: garment, quantity, placement count, and date all move it.
01 · LZ-SCR
Screen printing
Opaque plastisol ink pressed through a stencil screen. Still the cheapest way to put bold, consistent color on a large run, and the most forgiving of long wash cycles.
Best on
Cotton tees, hoodies, totes
Typical production
10–14 days
The catch: every color is a separate screen and a separate setup, so a four-color design on 60 pieces rarely pencils out.
02 · LZ-HTX
Heat transfer
A digitally printed film heat-applied to the garment. Photo-quality color and gradients with no per-color setup, which makes it the fast answer when the in-hands date is already fixed.
Best on
Performance knits, mixed-color runs
Typical production
5–10 days
The catch: it wears faster than print or stitch, and on very lightweight fabric you can feel the film.
03 · LZ-EMB
Embroidery
Stitched thread, and still the mark that reads as premium without any explanation. Structured caps and uniform programs are where it is worth the lead time.
Best on
Caps, polos, jackets, uniforms
Typical production
12–18 days
The catch: stitch density sets a floor on detail, small type and thin rules will not hold.
04 / 05 · LZ-TWL
Tackle twill & appliqué
Cut fabric letterforms layered onto the garment and locked down with a satin stitch. Two real layers, which is why it carries varsity weight that print can only imitate.
Best on
Jerseys, varsity hoodies, outerwear
Typical production
14–21 days
The catch: bold letterforms only, and it adds noticeable weight to anything lightweight.
06 · LZ-SUB
Sublimation
Dye becomes part of the fibre, so color crosses seams and panel edges without a border and with no hand feel at all. The only method that gives you a genuinely full-coverage garment.
Best on
Light polyester, full-coverage kits
Typical production
14–18 days
The catch: polyester only, light bases only, and the whole garment is committed, there is no spot decoration.
07 · LZ-PCH
Patches & badging
Woven, embroidered, rubber, or leather. A patch reads as a made object rather than a printed surface, and it can be sewn down or built to come off.
Best on
Caps, hoodies, bags, jackets
Typical production
18–25 days
The catch: the patch is produced before it is applied, so it is two production stages stacked, not one.
08 · LZ-SPX
Specialty print effects
Puff, reflective, foil, and glow. Each one turns a standard print into something that gets picked up and looked at twice, at a fraction of what embroidery costs.
Best on
Event tees, activewear, limited runs
Typical production
14–18 days
The catch: foil and reflective are not built for frequent washing, specify them where the piece is kept, not worn out.
09 · LZ-DTF
NEW FOR 2026
DTF transfers
Full-color film transfers with no screens and no minimum. Any color, any fabric, dark or light, which makes a mixed-size, mixed-garment community run a single process instead of three.
Best on
Small and mixed-SKU runs, any fabric
Typical production
5–9 days
The catch: screen printing wins on cost again somewhere above roughly 500 pieces.
10 · LZ-LSR
NEW FOR 2026
Laser etching & engraving
A tonal mark burned into the fabric itself. Nothing is added, no ink, no thread, no backing, so weight and hand feel are unchanged. It is the quietest premium mark available.
Best on
Performance fleece, technical shells, leather trim
Typical production
7–12 days
The catch: synthetics and napped fabrics only; natural wovens scorch, and every fabric lot needs a test first.
11 · LZ-PUF
NEW FOR 2026
3D puff embroidery
Foam-backed stitch that lifts a wordmark millimeters off the panel. Reads across a room, and layers over flat embroidery for a logo with two depths.
Best on
Caps, varsity hoodies, letterman jackets
Typical production
14–19 days
The catch: bold simple shapes only, puff cannot hold fine text or thin lines at any size.
IF YOU ARE ALREADY A CLIENT
Most of this is already inside your existing program.
If Lizal already sources your hardgoods or runs your kitting, decoration does not need a second vendor, a second artwork round, or a second compliance review. Send the technique you are curious about and the program it would sit inside.
Things clients ask for after seeing this page
§
Can we run two techniques on one piece, flat embroidery under puff, or screen print with a foil hit?
§
Which of these clears our restricted substances list without a new material submission?
§
What is the fastest method that still looks considered, for a date three weeks out?
§
Can decoration go on the blanks Lizal is already warehousing for us?
Send us your project and the date. We will tell you which technique survives both.
Quote a decorated program
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