By Hilary Valentine
Hardly a day goes by when a person doesn’t come into contact with a person in uniform. Uniforms are a staple in many different professions and often define the role someone holds in an organization. This helps consumers with brand recognition and allows employees to look their professional best.
There are many recognizable components of uniforms, one of which is embellishment. Emblem embellishment further defines an employee’s role in an organization, shows rank and authority, and even contributes to the added protection of the individual wearing the uniform. While traditionally direct embroidery and embroidered emblems are a classic choice for garment decoration, there are many new and innovative products on the market to help create unique uniform visuals and enhance branding efforts.
Dye-Sublimated Emblems
Using 16.7 million colors and a dye transfer sublimation process, the logo image is permanently fused into the fabric of an emblem, creating vibrant, photo-quality embellishment. These emblems are an excellent choice for companies with more complex logos since there is no limit to how many colors can be printed onto the fabric. Sublimation is also perfect for companies who wish to take on a “Do-It-Yourself” approach. For a company who may need name badges printed on site, owning a sublimation system and blank emblems will ensure the employee’s uniforms are completed quickly.
Combination Woven and Embroidered Emblems
Duo Emblems combine the classic luster of embroidery and the intricate detail of woven emblems. These emblems take advantage of the best qualities of two traditional emblem types. Embroidery creates a prestigious feel to a garment while woven threads are able to replicate fine details in logos and designs, especially small lettering, making them perfect for safety and security logos.
Heat Transfers
Transfers are a quick and high-quality way to decorate garments. Heat transfers are flexible and will not crack, ensuring the comfort of the garment and are perfect for lighter weight uniforms. The logo or design is printed in bright, vivid color with full image reproduction, great for complex designs or logos. Heat transfers have flame resistant, high visibility and reflective options for enhanced safety which make them ideal for fire fighters, road/railroad crews, emergency responders, surveyors, school crossing guards, forestry personal and public works employees. The possibilities are endless with heat transfers, as they also can come with a stitched effect that gives them the three-dimensional look of embroidery.
PVC Patches
PVC emblems are tough, long lasting and bold. These fully customizable emblems are three-dimensional and will fully replicate any design and logo in great detail and clarity. They are made from Poly Vinyl Chloride, which is a durable and flexible material, perfect for performance apparel such as coats, jerseys and pants. Due to their endurance and detail, PVC emblems are the perfect choice for complex police and security uniform embellishment. They can endure harsh conditions without fading, fraying, cracking or peeling. “We can give companies an embroidered patch, but prefer to give them something that differentiates them,” says Randi Blumenthal-Joseph, president of Penn Emblem Company. “PVC emblems offer extreme detail clarity, and the image is 3D!”
Embroidered and Woven Appliqués
Appliqués are another way to simulate the effects of direct embroidery for a clean and professional look. As opposed to regular embroidered or woven emblems, appliqués can be cut to any shape with cutouts possible within the emblem for more intricate designs. These emblems are ideal for larger artwork used on industrial garments or jacket backs. Larger-scale direct embroidery is costly, but appliqués are a fraction of the cost while being easy to apply and very durable, perfect for uniforms in the hospitality industry.
High-Visibility, Glow, Reflective Vests
These vests are a new and innovative high-visibility glow-reflective product. Typical high-visibility vests are only seen in daylight but are not seen in the dark. However, these vests are charged by exposure to daylight or artificial light, which slowly releases the stored energy to provide a brilliant glow for up to eight hours. These vests will give employees three layers of protection: high visibility in the daytime, reflective for oncoming traffic, and glow in low-light conditions. These vests are certified to EN ISO 20471:2013 and ANSI ISO 107:2010 international standard for high-visibility clothing, perfect for all professions where safety is a concern.
Whatever the uniform identification needs, Penn Emblem offers plenty of innovative products that will fit any unique brand. Contact Penn Emblem today by emailing [email protected] or visiting their website, www.pennemblem.com.
