Custom Printed and Embroidered Safety Gear

We offer a wide range of custom high-vis safety gear with print and embroidery applications to match. From jackets and vests to headwear and reflective stripe tees. If you are looking for custom high-vis safety we are your one stop shop.

The first thing we should look at here is the safety requirements for your garments. Knowing this will determine what garments and print systems are available for your project. Does your staff need to meet a national standard for reflective visibility? Do your garments need D-ring pass through for safety harnesses? Do your garments need to be fire or chemical resistant? Because every quality project starts with the garment knowing these things will help guide our recommendations in both apparel and art application.

Custom High Visibility Workwear

Here will put high-visibility garments into three categories:

1. ANSI/ISEA 107 and ANSI/ISEA 207 and firefighter standards.
2. Enhanced visibility and reflective garment. (non ANSI/ISEA compliant)
3. Basic and aesthetic high visibility garments.

We’re not going to go too deep into the way class requirements work, as in how some are enforced and some can be voluntary. It is important to know though that as these standards evolve they will continue to go in the direction of increased safety for the worker. Obviously anyone working in low visibility conditions can benefit from high-visibility workwear. If it’s a federal roadway where it’s the law or it’s the parking lot at the pumpkin patch.

So the big factors here are class requirements and cost. Anything that is ANSI/ISEA will almost always be more expensive and maybe not always necessary. Consider though that a show of enhanced safety for your staff is good look if your branding high-vis apparel. Also as the bar is raised on standards you can benefit by investing more now to stay ahead of it. High-visibility apparel is often transferable between employees in the workplace so think durability as well.

Now what we’ve talked all about the garments let’s get some print and embroidery information going. The first thing I want to address is that there is no ANSI approved reflective screen printing ink. We get asked this question all the time and the answer is no. There are some fashion reflective inks on the market for casual wear but the lumens reflected are not high enough to be considered safety reflective.  This is because for reflective to work properly the glass beads that give it it’s reflective properties need to be arranged in an intentional way that screen printing isn’t capable of achieving.

This is why we recommend using vinyl for your reflective logo customization. We have both die cut and digitally printable reflective vinyls that look great and have ANSI approved reflectivity.  When it comes to safety you’re never going to regret doing it the right way.

Custom Chemical and Flame Resistant Apparel

Alright these are a pretty narrow category so we’re not going to spend a lot of time here but there are a few things to touch on. Chemical resistant apparel can be any garment that is designed to have an anert reaction and create a barrier against chemicals that would otherwise be harmful to organics. There are some decorating recommendations for chemical resistant apparel. So on any garment that is disposable like many chem-resistant pieces are we recommend a basic decal. Affordable and easy to apply. Vinyl (PVC) and plastisol inks are for the most part additive free so alone they are very stable against chemical deterioration. On more valuable items vinyl transfers, screen printing and embroidery are good options. With embroidery we recommend sealing the backing and applying a hydrophobic treatment to the top stitches.

There are also some great options for fire resistant apparel and we have a selection of fire resistant embroidery threads that will hold up against high temps. You may be thinking “dude, if I’m in a fire the last I care about is if my embroidered logo gets ruined”. Sorry for the sick humor there but it’s really about safety. Traditionally embroidery thread is made from rayon, a natural fiber that ignites relatively easily. Now rayon it’s certified safe for children’s apparel so you know it’s tested thoroughly but if you’re in any situations where you’re exposed to open flame it’s a good idea to have flame resistant thread. So firefighting, aeronautics and motorsports it’s a must. There are also many options for applique applications using fire resistant fabrics and threads as well as flame retardant heat transfer vinyls…  That can also be reflective.. Dang.

Casual High-Vis Apparel

Safety color hoodies, tees and headwear are good options for what I like to call high-vis aesthetic. Their bright colors add a layer of safety and lend to the promotional side of company apparel. Nothing says “We’re a construction company, check us out!” like a safety orange hoodie with your company logo on it. Fluoro color apparel pops on its own and there are also floro color inks that give a high-vis fashion look. Now we do have hoodie, tee and hat styles that have reflective taping on them for a certified reflective but I wouldn’t really recommend them for your basic promo wear.

Reflective taping on apparel can be a little uncomfortable because of its weight and lack of breathability. If you’re just going for the high-vis look keep it cozy. If safety is a must use certified reflective vinyls and tapes, maybe it’s not something you’d wear to bed but it’s more comfortable than getting hit by a forklift. That’s not really funny, let’s take safety serious people.

Reflective Screen Printing Ink and Vinyl

So here you are wanting reflective on your logo company wear, what are the options? Like I mentioned above reflective screen-printing ink while economical and capable of detailed art it’s only really a fashion look for reflectability. If you’re going for just the aesthetic thing cool. Will it help with visibility in a low light situation? Sure, but it’s not an alternative to the manufactured reflective tapes and vinyls for safety.

Maybe you want legible logos and true reflective, there are ways where you can have both. Probably my favorite solution is going to be mixed media. We’ll put die cut reflective vinyl bars or simple logos on apparel and print the detailed information with screen printing. Die cut vinyl can be economical as long as it’s cut shape is relatively basic. There is also the digitally printed vinyl option for reflective vinyl, this is a great solution of complex logos and logos with high color counts.

There is a solution to every problem when you have all the right knowledge and tools. Contact us with your custom safety apparel and accessories and we’ll make your creative and unique vision a reality. Thanks for reading!