An inside look at our latest Puff print innovation: How to create a 3D photorealistic screen print!
After you loved seeing it at Merchandise World 2025, we’ve decided to make this spectacular Fisherman’s friends print the product of the month! This incredibly detailed photorealistic puff print is achieved through a unique combination of puff ink and regular screen-printing ink, creating a showstopping 3D result, allowing you to feel every wrinkle come to life!
In this blog, we’ll have a look at what puff printing is and how you can incorporate this technique into your designs to create unforgettable merchandise!
What’s puff printing and how does it work?
Puff printing is a form of screen printing that mixes specialty ink with a heat activated foaming agent. The ink is printed using a conventional screen printing technique. Then, when the garment passes through the dryer, the ink puffs up and expands.
This technique was popularised when it came out in the 1980s through sportswear brands like Nike, Adidas and Champion who used it to create bold, raised lettering and logos on their hoodies and T-shirts. As all trends come and go, the resurgence of Y2K fashion and bold textures brought puff printing back into demand, and today the technique is commonly used by brands like Off-White, Superdry and White Fox. Puff print isn’t going anywhere, and it’s the perfect technique to enhance the hand-feel of a beautiful design.
Puff printing is more versatile than you think!
We bet you thought puff printing was only used to accentuate lettering. Whilst yes, Puff print is typically only used as a single colour block print to emboss text, there are so many other designs that could be brought to life using this special effect!
Why not add 3D special effects to parts of your design by layering both puff ink and regular ink, like we did for this wrinkly old man.
This unique 3D technique was achieved by printing a thin layer of ink over the puff. This adds an extra dimension to the design by shading the puff layer, which makes the wrinkles pop out! This extra layer of ink is the key to achieving a level of detail not usually seen on block colour puff prints.
Greyscale designs are ideal to create highly detailed photorealistic puff prints, however this effect can also be achieved on less detailed full-colour designs. As you can see, Puff print doesn’t have be reserved just for text. Instead, try using this technique in creative ways as pictured below, and you might be surprised just what Puff print can do.
Why not try:
- Tone on tone text puff print for a clean, classic look.
- All over puff effect on a digital design – to make it pop!
- B&W Greyscale photorealistic puff print – to emphasise parts of a photo!
Within a few years, puff printing has gone from being used as a simple textured effect to a bolder artistic statement commonly used in fashion retail. It’s proving to be one of the most exciting innovations in screen printing to this day, and could make your branded clothing that much more memorable to the end user!
To learn more about this technique or place an enquiry, please reach out to us at [email protected]
Sources used to write this blog:
img1: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/815573814720215153/
img2: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/323907398219795461/
img3: Puff ink monkey done in-house.
