Customised umbrellas are now a must-have for most businesses. Used to send out to clients as gifts or for use in the office, customised umbrellas are also part of an essential uniform for staff. Umbrella customisation options are now so vast, that umbrellas are considered part of one’s personal style.

Top 5 popular umbrella customisation options

Printed umbrellas offer a great opportunity for your brand to be displayed repeatedly without you doing anything more than the initial outlay. If you’re giving someone a beautiful umbrella that is reliable and won’t let them down then they are going to ensure it’s always at hand, therefore offering free advertising each time it’s opened.

Creating a stunning umbrella is what we’re best at, so here is insight to the most popular umbrella customisation options that you can use as inspiration for your next project.

1. Tone on tone printing for umbrellas

Combining materials and effects to create truly unique design-led umbrellas is a simple way to create dramatic effect. We combine canopies to allow special effects, such as an under print for show through. This works well for a shadow effect.

We can also combine materials such as printed PVC canopies and textile for a great display of design. Tone on Tone effects can be achieved by harnessing the different properties of print and materials.

We are only restricted by your design brief, and we love to push the boundaries of what can be done and create new innovative ways of doing things, so don’t be confined to what you see here.

2. Engraved handle ring on umbrella

Choosing a model of umbrella for your brand will be usually down to personal taste. A large luxury golf umbrella will be selected for two reasons. Either the size of the panels due to the large branding estate and ability to promote designs so much bigger than other models of umbrella or for its intended use. Its large capacity can mean that more than one person can use the umbrella and has been chosen for sporting events to keep the sun or rain from a rider or driver in advance of race.

Custom luxury branded umbrellas can also include folding umbrellas and walking models which are usually selected for their size. A walking umbrella is slightly smaller than a golf umbrella and usually with a crook handle. A folding umbrella is compact and can be carried in a bag or large coat pocket.

3. Customising luxury branded umbrellas

As well as the model of umbrella for you to choose and the design to be printed on the panels, you can develop your umbrella customisation on your luxury umbrella to include:

1. Engraving on the handle ring of a walking umbrella.

2. Adding a logo decal to the base of the handle of a golf umbrella.

3. Printing on the carry sleeve of a folding umbrella.

4. Perimeter tape, also called rib tape.

5. Enhancing the umbrella tie wrap with print or contrast colour.

6. Add a woven or printed brand label to your umbrella.

4. Inside print on umbrellas

Printing on the inside of an umbrella is a great opportunity to make your umbrella unique. Printing on the inside of an umbrella requires the umbrella to have a double canopy. This means the umbrella has two ‘sets’ or ‘layers’ of panels – one on the inside and one on the outside.

We print your artwork across the panels prior to construction of the umbrella in order for the print to matched carefully by hand at the seams of the umbrella, to create a continuous, photo, pattern or design across all 8 internal panels of the umbrella.  

Internal print on an umbrella

An umbrella printed on the inside and outside will achieve a great finish with a screen print or digital print to suit the complexity of your artwork. If you’re not sure how your internal print on an umbrella will look, why not send us your artwork and we can visualise it for you and email you with it to help make your decision.

It’s possible to include an internal print on an umbrella in any model you prefer, a golf umbrella will be the largest option to display your internal print because the panels are largest. A walking umbrella with internal print a great choice for urban umbrella use such as in the City and an internal print on a folding umbrella is a neat surprise when giving away an umbrella as a gift.

Great examples of internal print on an umbrella have been by building developers wanting to print maps on an umbrella or brands printing a photo on the inside of an umbrella so the user looks up and sees a face or clouds.

Double canopy umbrellas are a great solution for unusual designs on umbrellas. The minimum order quantity for an internal print umbrella is 100.

We sample the umbrella on receipt of your artwork and a small deposit. When you approve your sample umbrella with your print carefully interpreted and sewn together, we launch production of your whole order. We will then advise your dispatch date which can be from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the quantity you have ordered and complexity of your design.

5. Metallic printing and special effect umbrellas

Umbrella customisation can use a variety of inks and print effects for the reproduction of metallic logos and detailed metallic print on umbrellas.

We don’t use gold coloured ink we use real gold! Our gold and silver inks contain tiny quantities of the base material, giving the print an iridescence.

We can also match this in with gold material for perimeter tape or inner panels as can be seen on the Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel umbrellas (shown below).

Foiling is another superb method of decoration, where metallic foils are used instead of print. This is a more expensive process – but the effects are stunning. Foils come a large range of colours and textures.

Parts Of An Umbrella Diagram

A clear diagram and description of each of these parts of an umbrella to help you understand which parts can be customised and how an umbrella is made. There’s a huge range of design options available to customise an umbrella, from the outer canopy of the umbrella, to the handle ring and umbrella handle. No need to be limited by the handle on your umbrella, you can choose a curved silicon handle or a more traditional wooden curved handle. If it’s a golf umbrella you’ve chosen, a decal can be included on the base of it. 

The Umbrella Workshop are expert manufacturers of umbrellas and offer a design service along with experience in customising umbrellas for global brands. Based in the UK, we’ve got a friendly team waiting to assist you. 

Parts Of An Umbrella 

Umbrella canopy

The canopy of the umbrella is made up of 8 panel sections, which can be printed and decorated with any design. This is the part that keeps you dry or sheltered from the sun. The canopy is usually made from pongee which is high grade polyester that is treated with an acrylic coating on the underside and a scotch-guard finish on the top. The pongee can withstand heavy rain, dries quickly, folds easily and is available in many colours. Each panel is individually cut, printed and sewn to the rib. 

Digital or screen printing artwork onto the panels is possible and in most cases, happens prior to the umbrella being constructed. The fabric can also be Pantone matched and dyed prior to cutting to shape. 

The external canopy is the top of the umbrella that faces the rain or sun. The internal canopy, which can also be printed or dyed, is the inside of the umbrella that the user sees when they look up when the umbrella is open. Find out how umbrellas are made by reading this blog post.

Umbrella Pole (shaft)

Once made from cane or whale bone, the shaft of a modern umbrella is now made from either fibreglass, wood, steel or aluminium. Each material has its own advantages. Fibreglass won’t rot or corrode and is extremely robust. It also holds it shape and won’t expand or contract with the cold or heat with ease. 

An umbrella made from fibreglass offers longevity and won’t bend or break easily. It won’t absorb water and won’t corrode over time like steel or aluminium. Our golf umbrellas use fibreglass poles and ribs. 

Wood poles are traditionally chosen for walker umbrellas and are a strong choice for an umbrella pole. Wood walkers are usually made from ash trees including Rowan wood which is common in Asia. Wood shaping machines such as lathes and turning machines create the proper shape for a pole. 

Telescopic umbrellas utilise aluminium poles for a light and effective folding action. The pole of a telescopic umbrella is constructed differently to a non-folding umbrella and has three parts to it, with the two narrower parts fitting snugly inside the largest section when folded down. 

Ribs

Umbrella ribs are what gives the canopy its structure and shape. The ribs closest to the pole hold up the canopy and the ribs that extend to the edge of the canopy hold the panels of the umbrella in a curved downwards shape. 

Fibreglass umbrella ribs can withstand heavy usage (see how we wind test our umbrellas here). 

Ribs are attached to the shaft of the umbrella by fitting a top notch (a thin, round nylon or plastic piece with teeth around the edges and held with wire). The stretchers are connected to the shaft of the umbrella with a plastic or metal runner which is what moves up and down the shaft of the umbrella when it’s opened or closed. 

The ribs and stretchers are connected with a joiner – a jointed metal hinge that opens and closes at an angle.

Two catch springs in the shaft of the umbrella are included. When the umbrella is opened these need to be pressed and pressed again when the umbrella closes. Metal shafts are usually hollow and the catch spring is inserted. A wooden shaft requires a space for the catch spring to be hollowed out. A pin is usually placed into the shaft a few inches above the upper catch spring to prevent the canopy from sliding past the top of the umbrella when the runner goes beyond the upper catch spring. 

Contact us for a quote +44 (0)1225 667979

Tips on an umbrella

The ends of the ribs that extend past the edge of the canopy are called tips. They can be left bare or covered with small plastic or wooden caps that are pushed on then screwed on, glued or sewn into the end of the ribs through small holes at the end caps. 

Umbrella ferrule 

The tip of the umbrella, also called a ferrule can be left flat, which is usually the case with telescopic umbrellas. Or a tip can be added in accordance with the model of the umbrella. A wood walker will include a wooden ferrule with metal cover on the end. A golf umbrella will have a fibreglass tip the same as the shaft. 

Runner on pole

The umbrella runner is the piece that moves along the shaft of the umbrella allowing the user to push up to open the umbrella and down to close it. 

Customised umbrella handles

Aside from the canopy, the handle is the single most customisable element of an umbrella. It can be a crook handle, straight handle or a telescopic handle with a push button for opening. 

A crook handle can be wooden or silicone for a softer feel, depending on whether it’s a wood walker or city walker. 

Manual golf umbrellas have an EVA foam handle and automatic golf umbrellas have the same handle but with a push button situated above it for automatic opening. 

Folding umbrellas can include a push button for auto opening. Branded logo discs can be applied to golf umbrellas and folding umbrellas.

Handle ring on umbrella

Also referred to as an umbrella neck ring, this sits above the handle of a walking umbrella. It can be customised with engraving. 

Umbrella handle strap 

A customised handle strap can be added to any model of umbrella but is usually chosen for telescopic folding umbrellas. PU leather is a favoured material, as is polyester webbing. Handle straps are designed to fit around the user’s wrist to carry the umbrella when not in use. 

Tie wrap for a brolly

Made from the same polyester pongee fabric and coming in the same colour as the panels of the umbrella, unless otherwise specified, the tie wrap is a small strip of fabric that wraps around the closed umbrella. Tie wraps usually utilise a popper to close the wrap and keep the umbrella canopy closed and tidy when not in use. A woven or printed label can also be added to the tie wrap to customise the umbrella and the popper can also be a different colour or embossed. 

Carry and storage sleeve for umbrella

A protective sleeve is made from pongee, the same material used for the canopy of the umbrella. It can be printed, dyed and embroidered in accordance with brand guidelines. Telescopic umbrellas <link> are usually supplied with an umbrella sleeve to protect the umbrella when not in use and often in a bag for transporting. Walking umbrellas and golf umbrellas can also be supplied with an umbrella sleeve on request. 

How an umbrella is made

1. An umbrella is made by hand in an assembly manufacturing process. The beginning of the process involves the purchaser (client) deciding what their umbrella will look like and submitting artwork to that effect.
2. The chosen model of umbrella plus artwork is sent to the production team to review. A flat layout is created for approval. 
3. The elements for the order are purchased including the pole, ribs, handle and fabric. Many of these items are kept in stock for regular jobs. More unusual customisation elements have to be outsourced and can take a little longer than those kept in stock. 
4. A pre-production sample is then created and the panels are printed in accordance with the artwork and attached to the chosen model of umbrella. 
5. Upon approval of the sample, the production of the whole order is created and packaged before being sent to the client’s desired delivery address. 

Choosing The Umbrella Workshop for made to order umbrellas

Contact us for a quote +44 (0)1225 667979

Our range of umbrellas include three core models: golf umbrellas, walking umbrellas and folding umbrellas. Each model includes variants to suit your budget or lead time. It maybe you need an umbrella quickly and therefore we’ll offer you a UK manufactured umbrella which we can turn around within 2-3 weeks. Customisation options are limited to a logo print on a UK manufactured umbrella, but if you have a slightly longer lead time then we can print inside and outside of the umbrella. You can add a branded woven label to your customised umbrella or you can engrave a neck ring to a walking umbrella or a branded logo disk to a golf umbrella handle. 

Made to order umbrellas are customised in multiple ways. From printing inside and outside of the umbrella panels and matching the seams during construction for continuous prints, to the branded tie wrap which can be embroidered or printed. The umbrella carry sleeve can be personalised with print or with a strap. 

Find out how we make our umbrellas and what each of the parts of an umbrella are called with this useful article. Find out how branded umbrellas can enhance your brand.  

We are specialists in branded promotional merchandise. Printed umbrellas, custom-made bags and other branded merchandise that is sensibly sourced and never single-use plastic. If you would like to find out more about how we can help your business with sustainable branded merchandise, then find out more from us by visiting  Wurlin or call us +44 (0)1225 667979. We work with global clients and ship internationally. 

The great thing about our printed umbrellas is that we can reproduce most things. From fine art and photographs to metallics, you just need to tell us what it is you’re interested in printing and send us the artwork.

Submitting artwork for umbrella printing can be tricky to get to grips with if you’re not accustomed to printing on anything other than on your office printer. Printing on other surfaces isn’t like printing on paper and so it’s important to understand the requirements and the jargon before you begin the design phase. It might not be your job to understand how we print umbrellas, so we can help you if you’re interested in learning the detail behind the jargon.

If it’s your job to create the artwork, then here are a few things here that might help you.  You may be accustomed to preparing artwork for print, so bear with us while we explain it quite simply for those who don’t know.  

What is umbrella artwork?

Umbrella artwork refers to your logo or the design you want on your umbrella. You might have previously referred to artwork as something you look at on the wall in a gallery. It will usually be created in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop and saved as a specific file type (either a PSD or AI file). Exact colours to suit your brand identity or design will have been incorporated into the artwork before being correctly matched against the universal Pantone colour matching system. Download our free Pantone references tool.

1.   Creating artwork for your umbrella

What program should I create the umbrella artwork in?

You will normally create artwork in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop or Corel Draw. If you don’t have this software then it’s likely the designer of your artwork has saved it as a PDF which you can open to view. If you’re creating it in-house, then you will need to invest in this software or find someone who can create it for you. We can do that! Get in touch if you need help.

What should the artwork look like?

Once you have created your artwork then expand all of the objects and save it as a copy and save as a vector EPS. Then reopen on another computer it to ensure it looks the way you expect it to (i.e. the way you created it), with clear lines and the right font. Illustrator will replace missing fonts which will mess up your artwork if it’s not saved correctly, or if the computer you are opening the artwork on does not have the fonts required for the artwork. When you send us your artwork, send us the fonts with the artwork or ensure they are outlined so we can receive the artwork as you wish it to be printed on your umbrella.

Layering your artwork

Ensure each colour is on a different layer to make them easily identifiable. This prevents confusion and ensures the artwork is printed as you wish.

Grouping objects in your artwork

Group objects of the same colour together, so when they are clicked on     nothing is missed, including the smallest of details.

Pantone references

Assign Pantone references to each layer so the artwork is interpreted correctly. We print according to the universal Pantone Coated (C) matching system. For a free colour chart, visit our sister site, The Bag Workshop.

Detailed artwork

We screen print and digitally print umbrellas. Bear in mind that      very small fonts, hairlines and gradients/shading are not easily screen printed. If the level of detail is very fine on your artwork, we will digitally printing it.

2.   Artwork file types

We prefer to receive your artwork as a vector PDF or EPS file. Here’s why…

What is a vector file?

We will talk about vector and non-vector files. A vector graphic is artwork that is created using a formula rather than coloured blocks or pixels. Vector file types include EPS, AI and PDF (PDFs are usually vector files, but this depends on how they are saved and if the layers have been flattened and retained ). 

Vector files can be resized to suit your requirements. Vector files allow an image to be blown up to any size without losing any resolution or sharpness.

Because vector files are fairly large when they are created, artwork is usually created as a vector and then resized to something much smaller so it can be easily sent  by email.  What is a non-vector file?

Non-vector images (also called raster images) are made from a fixed number of coloured pixels and include JPEGs, GIFs and PNGs. These files are not great for print because they are low resolution and cannot be made bigger without diminishing  the sharpness of the artwork, causing them to look pixelated. These are images that are usually found online.

If you’re unsure if your umbrella artwork is vectorised, then  just super-zoom in to it to see if  any non-straight lines or curve shapes in the artwork remain the same resolution (vector image) or appear pixelated (non-vector image) .

3.   Resolution of artwork for printed umbrellas

Umbrella artwork should be saved at the size it should be printed. In order to print precisely on an umbrella, your artwork needs to be saved at 300dpi. It’s possible to scale artwork up but not down, so this is important. The size of your umbrella panel should be listed on the model of umbrella you’re interested in, or on its specification sheet. If you can’t find it, then please get in touch and we’ll be pleased to help .

4.   Bleed for umbrella artwork

If you’re printing a logo which appears in the middle of an umbrella panel, then bleed is not required. If you are printing artwork that goes across the whole panel, or panels, of an umbrella then the artwork should have bleed. This means we print the whole panel, plus a bit more, so when then the panels are sewn together and matched at the seams they create a continuous artwork, rather than eight individual images     .

5.   Sending your artwork

If you are emailing high resolution artwork, it may be better to send by WeTransfer.  Our email server can accept large files, but yours might not be able to send it (it’s likely to be above 3MB if it’s high resolution). That might also help you determine whether it’s good enough for print or not. If you’re looking at a file that is 5KB then it’s unlikely it will be good for print.

Hopefully this helps you understand more about artwork for printing umbrellas. If in doubt, feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll be more than happy to assist you. We’ll be pleased to offer you a quote over the phone or on email if you prefer. We ’re based in Bath in the UK and have over ten years of umbrella manufacturing under our belts.      

We can prepare visuals of what your umbrella might look like and then we can progress to sampling and the quick administration of your order. We’re fortunate enough to have our own graphic designer on our team and she can help redraw logos, create artwork for you or create mock-up visuals for you to consider or for you to show your team or boss for approval. So if you don’t have a graphic designer or agency who work with you, then one of our team can help you. Get in touch.

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Digital Printed Umbrellas and Dye sublimation Umbrellas.

This is a method of printing umbrellas digitally and allows full panel print. Also called edge-to-edge print for artwork using vibrant colour, pattern or photos.

As technology has progressed, this method of printing has been made more accessible. This means it is available on shorter production runs and we are pleased to offer digital print on umbrellas on quantities of over 100.

Sublimation or heat transfer printing is the application of sublimation inks onto a surface using a heat press to provide the required combination of heat, time and pressure. This combination causes the inks to be converted from a solid to a gaseous state enabling them to penetrate the material so that a permanent, full colour image is formed. The colour penetrates the surface of the item so that the result is colourful, long lasting and resistant to scratching unlike some other printing methods that merely print onto the surface of the item.Benefits of digital print on umbrellas and dye sublimation of umbrellas.

Benefits of digital printing on umbrellas or dye sublimation on umbrellas

Pantone matched fabric colours from production runs of just 100 umbrellas.

Dramatic full panel designs can be achieved, using shading and graduation.

No limits to the number of colours that can be printed.

No deterioration of printing after prolonged use, colours stay vibrant.

Digital process for photographic and tonal images. Full photographic prints can be achieved. Both in colour and black and white.