With the arrival of warmer temperatures, there is a growing demand for gadgets related to 'bathing', especially in facilities that are very popular at this time of year, such as water parks. Fortunately, the printing techniques available for the customisation of promotional products now make it possible to offer multiple solutions that are resistant to the stresses caused by exposure to sunlight, seawater or chlorine.

The various technologies, whether screen printing, sublimation printing or direct-to-film, to name the most common, have now reached a level that guarantees excellent results, provided that quality inks are used and the most suitable solutions are chosen for each medium. For example, in the clothing industry, screen printing is particularly appreciated for its colourfastness over time and, not surprisingly, as confirmed by Ulrich Lucarelli of Lv Decors "Business peaks in the summertime with the demand for cotton T-shirts, polyester bags and backpacks, and accessories of various kinds, including of course flip-flops, sunglasses and airbeds. For certain productions, such as work on the arms of glasses, it is preferable to use pad printing, as well as in the case of pre-assembled inflatables, where it is difficult to work with screen printing or other techniques”. This problem does not concern Essay Group, a company with years of experience in the field of high-frequency welding, capable of transforming thermoplastic materials into made-to-measure items: mattresses, inflatable advertising and sports gadgets, but also key rings, bracelets and cases, which can be branded with silk-screen and digital printing techniques right from the start. This allows space for creativity in order to communicate the promotional message in the best possible way.

The beach market, as reported by Fabrizio Selis of Market Screentypographic, is so interesting that 'more and more water parks are offering customisation services within the facility. The use of photographers who take pictures of customers and then reproduce a memory printed in multiple formats, including on the gadget, is very popular'. Hence the need for rapid systems to produce ad hoc, customised products on the fly. “For an activity of this type – continues Selis – I would recommend a solution such as the one offered by the Roland Dtf Bn 2OD which can also be used as a vinyl cutting plotter or classic iron-on material. You can quickly and easily make mugs, t-shirts, accessories of various kinds in a fast, practical and economical way'.

Even sublimation, explains Luca Mancini of Gi-An, can be a valid system for customising products distributed in these contexts, because it guarantees stability over time, transferring the image onto the product with a transition from liquid to solid state without dispersion: the technique can be applied to an infinite number of media, from swimming costumes to sports bags to beach towels, to name but a few examples. For most of the gadgets to be customised, a flat heat press is sufficient, but it is also beneficial to use a model suitable for cylindrical surfaces which can be used to apply sublimation paper on souvenir mugs or thermal water bottles, which are widely used in the summertime. At the printing press level, the Epson F500 is highly recommended, since it offers reliability and low total cost of ownership, designed according to an approach oriented towards ease of use and rapid execution of orders on site.