Promotional tote bags for an event

[Norgon]

We’re planning a trade show and want to give away promotional tote bags. The main challenge is finding a printing method that looks good on fabric like canvas or cotton, but is also cost-effective since we’ll need hundreds of units. I’m worried about designs fading after a few uses, especially since people tend to wash these bags. What’s the most practical choice here?

[Bokran]

We’ve done tote bags for events several times, and we found that the quality of printing on textiles makes a huge difference. Screen printing is cheap for one or two colors, but it often fades quickly on canvas bags after a few washes. We switched to modern textile printing methods like heat transfer or sublimation, depending on the fabric type, and the results were much better. On cotton canvas, DTF printing worked best — it bonded well with the surface and stayed vibrant even after repeated use. On polyester blends, sublimation was unbeatable for bright, long-lasting designs. It’s also worth considering thicker fabric bags, because the sturdier the textile, the better the print holds up. For giveaways, people actually kept and reused the bags, which gave our brand more visibility long after the event.