A decoration method is the technique used to apply artwork to a garment — how the design actually gets onto the shirt, hat, or bag. Drip Merch uses decoration methods to drive pricing, the Design Studio's behavior, quote and invoice details, and your production workflow. Setting them up correctly is the foundation of accurate quotes and clean production.
Built-in methods
The Add Method list offers six built-in techniques, each with a pricing dimension already chosen:
- Screen Printing — priced by color count.
- DTG (direct-to-garment) — priced by print area.
- DTF (direct-to-film) — priced by print area.
- Embroidery — priced by stitch count.
- Heat Transfer — priced by print area.
- Sublimation — priced by print area.
There is no separate HTV or Vinyl built-in. Heat Transfer is the closest equivalent. Anything else you offer is added as a custom method.
screen printing ships set to the color count dimension, but the Design Studio never measures how many colors are in a design. A method priced by color count matches no tier and adds nothing to the price. See Using Decoration Methods in the Design Studio before you rely on it.
What a method controls
The decoration method a product or design uses affects several parts of the platform:
- Pricing — the tier structure a design is priced against (per color, per stitch, per square inch, or a flat fee).
- Design Studio behavior — specifically the color-reduction step, which appears for any method with Enforces color limit switched on. The print-area boundary comes from the product, not the method.
- Quotes and invoices — the decoration specs shown on line items.
- Production workflow — the stages an order moves through for that method.
Custom methods
Beyond the built-ins, you can create your own custom methods for techniques your shop offers that aren't on the standard list (for example, laser engraving or rhinestone). Custom methods are configured the same way — you choose how they price and what constraints they carry.
Where to manage methods
Decoration methods live under Settings → Decoration Methods. From there you can see your active methods, open one to configure its pricing and constraints, and add new methods.
Tips
- Choose the right pricing dimension per method so quotes come out right, and avoid the color-count dimension for now.
- Set print size limits on each product's impression area. The method's own maximum print size is stored but never applied.
- Keep only the methods you truly offer active, to keep the picker clean for staff and customers.