T-shirts and hoodies get most of the attention, but some of the easiest money in custom decorating comes from the small stuff: can koozies, mouse pads, coasters, pouches, and the other promotional products businesses hand out by the hundreds. These items are inexpensive, quick to press, and perfect for bundling with apparel orders.
The good news is that you don't need a new machine to offer them. With standard DTF transfers for fabric-faced items and UV DTF transfers for hard surfaces, you can decorate a full promo product line with the heat press and supplies you already have. Here's how to do it.
Why Add Promotional Products to Your DTF Business?
- Bigger orders: A business ordering 50 staff shirts will often add 100 koozies or 50 mouse pads if you offer them.
- Repeat customers: Promo items get used up and given away, so businesses reorder them for every trade show, grand opening, and holiday party.
- Low cost per piece: Most promo designs are small, so you can gang dozens of logos on a single sheet.
- Great for events: Weddings, reunions, bachelor parties, and tailgates all love matching koozies.
Regular DTF vs. UV DTF: Which One Do You Need?
The first question for any promo product is what it's made of.
- Regular DTF transfers are heat-pressed and bond best with fabric and fabric-faced surfaces: neoprene koozies, polyester-top mouse pads, canvas pouches, towels, and drawstring bags.
- UV DTF transfers are peel-and-stick decals that need no heat press. They're made for hard, smooth surfaces like plastic, glass, metal, and sealed wood: pens, notebooks, water bottles, phone cases, and hard coasters.
Not sure how UV DTF works? Start with UV DTF Transfers Explained: What They Are and How to Use Them.
How to Apply DTF Transfers to Koozies
Can koozies are one of the most popular promo products in the country, and DTF makes them easy to customize in full color with no color limits or setup fees.
Choose the Right Koozie
Neoprene koozies (the soft, fabric-covered kind) are the best choice for heat-applied DTF. The fabric face gives the adhesive something to grip. Foam koozies are much trickier because foam can melt, shrink, or permanently flatten under a heat press. If you want to try foam, test on one piece first with lower heat and very light pressure.
Pressing Tips
- Flatten it: Lay the koozie flat with the seam off to one side so the print area is completely even.
- Lower the pressure: Neoprene compresses easily. Use light to medium pressure so you don't leave a permanent press mark.
- Watch the heat: Neoprene can scorch if overheated. Start with the temperature and time on your transfer instructions and adjust down if you see shine or discoloration.
- Cover it: Use a Teflon sheet or parchment paper on top to protect the surface.
- Size it right: Most koozie print areas are about 3" to 3.5" wide, so plan your designs accordingly.
For weddings and bachelor or bachelorette parties, matching koozies are a natural add-on. See our post on custom apparel for weddings and bachelorette parties for design ideas that work on both shirts and koozies.
How to Apply DTF Transfers to Mouse Pads
Mouse pads make excellent corporate gifts, and fabric-top mouse pads with a rubber base take DTF transfers well.
- Pick fabric-top blanks: Polyester-top mouse pads give the cleanest results. Avoid hard plastic mouse pads for heat-applied DTF. Use UV DTF on those instead.
- Protect the rubber base: Place the pad fabric-side up and use medium pressure. The rubber backing can warp if the press is too hot or held too long.
- Full-coverage designs: DTF works well for large logos and edge-to-edge graphics. For full coverage, size the design slightly smaller than the pad so it doesn't hang over the edge.
- Let it cool: Allow the pad to cool flat before stacking so it doesn't curl.
If you're pressing on polyester, dark dyed fabrics can occasionally bleed color into the print. Our guide on applying DTF transfers to polyester and athletic wear has tips for pressing poly safely.
More Promotional Products You Can Decorate
Fabric Items (Regular DTF)
- Pencil pouches and zipper bags: Canvas and polyester pouches are great for schools, dental offices, and cosmetics brands.
- Drawstring backpacks: A trade show staple. Use a pressing pillow inside the bag to lift the print area above the seams.
- Golf and sports towels: Choose tightly woven or waffle-weave towels. Deep, fluffy terry makes it harder for the transfer to bond evenly.
- Bandanas and sweatbands: Popular for 5K races, charity walks, and team events.
- Stadium seat cushions and fabric coasters: Great for school spirit stores and fundraisers.
- Tote bags: The classic promo item. See How to Apply DTF Transfers to Tote Bags and Non-Apparel Items.
Hard-Surface Items (UV DTF)
- Pens and markers: Small UV DTF logos wrap well around barrels when kept narrow.
- Notebooks and journals: Apply to smooth hardcover or laminated covers.
- Water bottles and tumblers: Learn the process in How to Use UV DTF Sticker Transfers on Tumblers and Hard Surfaces.
- Coffee mugs and glassware: See How to Apply UV DTF Transfers to Glass, Mugs, and Ceramics.
- Phone cases, keychains, and lighters: Small, smooth, and perfect for UV DTF decals.
- Wood coasters and signs: Sealed wood works well. See How to Apply DTF Transfers to Wood Signs and Home Decor.
Design Tips for Small Promo Items
- Keep it simple: Small print areas need bold logos and short text. A full address or tiny tagline won't be readable on a pen or koozie.
- Use clean fonts: Thin script fonts can get lost at small sizes. Check out how to choose fonts that print cleanly on DTF transfers.
- Make a version for each size: Create a horizontal logo for koozies and pens, and a stacked or square logo for coasters and mouse pads.
- Match the brand colors: Businesses care about their colors. Our Pantone color chart helps you choose colors that print the way you expect.
How to Order Promo Transfers the Smart Way
Promotional products are where gang sheets really pay off. A single logo might only be 3" wide, which means you can fit dozens of them on one sheet.
- For fabric items, build your layout in the Build a Gang Sheet tool or upload your own gang sheet.
- For hard-surface items, use the UV DTF gang sheet builder or upload your own UV DTF sheet.
- Mix sizes on one sheet: koozie logos, pouch logos, and left chest shirt logos can all share the same regular DTF sheet.
- Want another set of eyes on your file? Add Inspect My Gang Sheet and our team will review it before it prints.
For more ways to package promo items with apparel, read Corporate Swag and Uniforms: Using DTF for Workwear Branding.
Pricing Promo Products
Promo buyers usually order in bulk and compare prices by the piece. Figure your cost per item (blank + transfer + labor), then build quantity breaks, such as 25, 50, 100, and 250 pieces. Bundles like "shirts + koozies" or "hoodies + mouse pads" can raise your average order without much extra work. Our guide on how to price your custom apparel for maximum profit walks through the math.
Koozies, mouse pads, and other promotional products are an easy way to grow your average order and keep business customers coming back. Use regular DTF for fabric-faced items, UV DTF for hard surfaces, and test your heat and pressure on a sample piece before running a big batch. Once you have the process down, you can offer a full promo catalog without buying a single new machine.