Flex/Flock

Flex and Flock are techniques which transfer captions or any vector graphics on the different kinds of fabrics. Flex foils can be transferred on variety of garments, including cotton, polyester, elastane, differend mixes of cotton and acryl. Flock foils, on the other hand, can be used with cotton, cotton with polyester or polyester fabrics.

Transfer of aforementioned captions/graphics is possible with the aid of special transfer foils. The graphic is cut out from the foil with the use of a cutting plotter. An adhesive layer is activated through the temperature process. The temperature, time and pressure settings are used in accordance with the foil manufacturer's recommendations. The right quality of the foil and high pressure, together with high temperature and suitable long time of heating, guarantee colour fastness and resistance to damage.

What is the difference between flex foil and flock foil?

Flex is the matte or glossy foil with smooth surface, made of PVC or polyurethane.
The polyurethane foil is flat and flexible and, compared to the PVC foil, is relatively more flexible and extensible. Polyurethane foil may be used for printing on e. g. sport outfits and others. PVC foil, in turn, is good for e. g. working clothes. Flex print is non-transparent, smooth, and thin and flexible, it "moves" together with the fabric.

Flock is made of a cellulose fibre responsible for the characteristic, 'fuzzy' texture and great depth of color. The flock foil is thicker in comparison to the flex foil, and its silky surface is slightly protuberant and nice to the touch. As in the case of flex foil, the print covers the garment in 100%. This type of print might be multicolored, but bear in mind that the colors cannot overlap. In case of the project with overlapping colors, it is possible to use the mixed printing technique. In this type of printing technique the top coat color is made with flock foil. Additionally, it should be remembered that the flock foil appears in a colour pallette smaller than the palette of flex foils.

The foils differ from one another in thickness. The flex foil varies from 50 to 170 microns, flock foil is several times thicker and reaches even 420 microns.

Both types of foil are available in different shades, from the basic colors to more sophisticated ones. It is important to note that that printing technique does not allow for gradients or blurred colors.

Advantages of flex/flock foil printing:

low circulation (starting from 1 piece)
no costs of preparations
high durability
extensive range of colors