BMX Bike Screen Printing

Screen printing produces brighter, more vibrant colors with a slightly raised glossy finish that no other type of printing can emulate. They are also more durable over the long haul than other printing methods. On vinyl or Mylar, screen printed decals are a perfect application for BMX bikes. The sample decal sets below specify how many spot colors were used, the substrate material they were printed on, and the parts of the bikes they will go on.

COMPLEX SCREEN PRINTED BIKE DECALS ON CLEAR VINYL

This BMX Decal Frame Set for S&M Bikes Hucker was screen printed 7 spot colors on 2.5 mil clear vinyl. Precision is the most important factor when printing with a large number of colors in tight spaces. The decals were then custom die cut into the shapes below, kiss cut for easy removal from backing liner, and included application tape. This sticker set includes the following:

• Down Tube Decal
• Head Tube (Badge) Decal
• Seat Post Decal

The custom printed bike decals below were also screen printed; also for S&M Bikes. They were printed with 5 spot colors on 2 mil clear vinyl for their 38 Special model. They also included custom die cutting (a necessity for all bike decals, really), with kiss cutting, and application tape. This bike decal sticker set includes:

• Down Tube Decal
• Top Tube Decal
• 2 Fork Decals
• Seat Post Decal

BMX BIKE DECAL PRINTING ON CHROME VINYL

Unlike the bike decals for S&M Bikes, Elf wanted a chrome finish on their BMX stickers, so they were screen printed on 4 mil chrome vinyl. Why not Mylar? Glad you asked. This is where a knowledgeable printer can actually save you money. Because of the intricate shape of their decals, it would cost a small fortune to make a steel rule die to custom die cut their decals in so many various shapes. That isn't necessary with decals printed on clear vinyl; but metallic decals have to be precise. So instead of Mylar, we used chrome vinyl and thermal die cut their decals. Same effect, much more cost-effective.

Another great thing to point out was that Elf had the forethought to have us print a Promotional Decal as part of their BMX decal sets. Extra decals mean extra advertsing that the end-user does for you. Smart.

Their decal set was screen printed with 3 spot colors, custom thermal die cut, kiss cut, with liner and application tape, and include the following:

• Head Tube Decal
• Down Tube Decal
• 2 Fork Decals
• Seat Post Decal
• Promo Sticker

BMX BIKE DECALS PRINTED ON CHROME MYLAR POLYESTER

The Old School BMX Stickers below for Mongoose Bikes were also screen printed, but this time on Chrome Mylar. Since their shape can be easily die cut with a steel rule die—or even square cut—Mylar provided the best substrate for a shiny metallic look with the durability of polyester. They were screen printed with 4 spot colors to reproduce their original decals, giving new bikes a retro feel and look. This BMX sticker set includes:

• Head Tube Decal
• Down Tube Decal
• 2 Fork Decals
• 2 Sets of Seat Stay Decals

Full-Color Bike Decals

Full-color printed (also referred to as 4-color process) bike decals are the method we use when screen printing either won't product the desired effect or would be too cost-prohibitive to do so. It's also the printing process used when a client only needs a limited quantity since it doesn't require various screens and setup time. Digital 4-color process printing can also produce better fades, gradients, and photo-realistic images; and for a fraction of the cost of screen printing. The foregoing samples depict two of these situations.

FULL-COLOR BMX DECALS WITH GRADIENT ARTWORK

The Retro BMX Bike Decals for S&M Bikes have groovy "old school" artwork; artwork that includes extensive gradients. To screen print this decal set would have been labor-intensive—and expensive. For that reason, we digitally printed them as 4-color process + white on 2.5 mil clear vinyl. They were custom die cut and included:

• Down Tube Decals
• Handlebar Decals

FULL-COLOR BEACH CRUISER BIKE DECALS

Although the Cruiser Bike Decals for Skinny Girl Cocktails below could have technically been screen printed, they were 4-color process digitally printed. This was because these decal sets were for a promotional beach cruiser on Huffy Bikes. Since there was a limited quantity, it didn't make sense to charge setup fees for the number of screens required. It was also printed on clear vinyl which is difficult to show on a white web page, so we're using light gray to denote where the decals' clear area shows through. This beach cruiser printed decal set included:

• Beach Cruiser Chain Guard
• 2 Down Tubes
• 2 Fenders