The basics of Pre-Cut Lettering and Numbering.
By Peggy Elliott
Stahls’ ID Direct™, known for years as Stahls’ Lettering, invented die cut lettering back in 1932, the same year the company was established. The original kick press (shown on the left) was the first die cutting press used in the company. You can imagine the manual labor involved in operating this press. Today, many cutting methods are used to create vinyl letters and numbers and therefore, are now called Pre-Cut Letters and Numbers. Using pre-cut letters and numbers is one of the oldest methods of heat printing in the industry. Today, it’s still the quickest, most inexpensive way to letter and number apparel using your heat press. With an average name consisting 7 letters at a price of 5.5 cents per letter, that’s about 40 cents to put a name on a shirt! Save even more by purchasing letters and numbers by the kit. At that price, just think of the profit potential.
Advantages, Tips & Tricks:
- Choose any size…from 5/8” to 12”.
- Keep kits of letters and numbers in stock in popular school colors so you can offer customized garments on demand. Instant sales!
- Be unique and combine materials, try 3M Scotchlite™ Reflective on Thermo-FILM® OR Thermo-FLOCK® on Thermo-FILM®.
- Need to number 1-20 consecutively, order a team pack.
- Use letters and numbers to personalize pre-printed apparel, add birth dates, favorite numbers, year, nicknames, or initials.
- Always display a sample garment or two of what you can offer your customers.
- Double up, create a two-color names and numbers and double your sale!
- Go beyond the t-shirt craze…decorate other items such as beach towels and visors. Photo shown with Thermo-FLOCK® lettering.
Fun facts:
- The first die cut item produced on the kick press was the famous winged horse for Mobil Oil Corporation.
- The most popular styles have been and continue to be Pro Block and Varsity.
- Since its’ invention in 1977, Thermo-FILM® is still the #1 heat transfer vinyl in the World for Team Uniforms. It applies in a mere 6 seconds and is superior at blocking dye migration on polyester jerseys.
- 2” & 3” are the most popular sizes for putting names on the backs of jerseys.
- Letters and numbers from Stahls’ ID Direct™ have been seen on team uniforms on thousands of fields and courts and in arenas across the World, including many major league and Olympic teams.
- Over the years, customers have asked for all kinds of sizes and additional styles, so we expanded our offering with custom letters and numbers.