Print, Press, Pack: How a Custom Playmat Gets Made
Every playmat we sell goes through the same three steps: print, press, and pack. We do all three in-house at our New Jersey shop, and we don't send any of it to another company. The video below follows one mat from the printer to the shipping box in about a minute.
The design doesn't go straight onto the mat. We print it onto transfer paper in mirror image with dye sublimation ink. Then we trim the sheet by hand and line it up so the edges come out clean.
Press
Next, we place a blank mat face-down on the printed sheet, then put the whole stack into the heat press. Heat and pressure bond the ink into the polyester top of the mat. That's why the print won't crack or peel the way a sticker or screen print can. Pulling the paper back is the moment you see how the print came out.
Pack
After it cools, we roll the mat with the art facing in and box it for shipping. On average, most mats ship within 1-2 business days.
If you'd like to see your own art come off the press, Playmat Studio lets you upload a design, pick a size, and order. You can also browse ourcustom playmats. For a closer look at the pressing step, readBehind the Heat Press.