How are stubby holders made? If you have ever ordered personalised stubby holders for a wedding, hens party, birthday, sporting club or business event, you have probably spent more time thinking about the design than how the product is actually made.
But behind every finished stubby holder is a production process involving artwork preparation, printing, material handling, heat pressing, stitching and quality checks.
To get a closer look at how the process works, we reviewed a public workshop video from Aussie Printhouse showing how custom stubby holders and bar runners are produced in Australia. Different suppliers may use slightly different equipment and production methods, but the overall process is broadly similar.
Here is a closer look at how a digital design can become a finished custom stubby holder.
1. The Artwork Is Prepared First
Before anything is printed, the artwork needs to be prepared for production.
Personalised stubby holders can feature almost anything, including:
- business logos;
- wedding dates;
- names;
- photographs;
- pet photos;
- illustrations;
- sporting club artwork;
- slogans; and
- full-colour patterns.
But an image that looks good on a phone or computer screen does not automatically fit perfectly on a physical stubby holder.
The artwork usually needs to be checked for print size, image resolution, text placement, colour coverage and the safe area around the edges. This matters because some areas may later sit close to stitching, seams, trimming or overlocked edges.
Important details, such as faces, names or logos, should generally sit comfortably inside the main printable area rather than right against the edge. Good artwork preparation helps the finished product look more balanced and prevents key parts of the design from being cut off or crowded.
2. The Design Is Printed
Once the artwork is ready, the design can be printed. For full-colour custom products, print quality is important because even a simple-looking design can contain small text, detailed logos, photographs or several colours.
The goal is not just to reproduce the image. The artwork also needs to remain clear and recognisable once it is transferred onto the final material.
For corporate stubby holders, this can be especially important because brand colours and logos are often the main focus of the design. The same applies to photo stubby holders. A low-resolution image may look perfectly fine on a small screen but can appear blurry or pixelated once enlarged for printing.
Where possible, using the original high-resolution image will usually give a better result.
3. The Printed Material Is Prepared for Production
After printing, the material needs to be prepared and positioned for the next stage. The exact process depends on the type of stubby holder being made, but consistency is important.
Imagine ordering 50 personalised stubby holders for a wedding. You would expect the names, photos or artwork to appear in roughly the same position across the entire batch.
If one design sits higher, another lower and another noticeably off-centre, the difference becomes much more obvious when all of the products are displayed together. That is why good production is not only about having the right printer. How the material is handled, positioned and prepared between stages also affects the final result.
4. Heat and Pressure Transfer the Design
One of the most recognisable pieces of equipment used in custom-product production is a heat press. Heat presses are commonly used for sublimation printing and other heat-transfer processes.
Sublimation is especially well suited to full-colour personalised stubby holders. In simple terms, specially prepared sublimation inks are transferred into a suitable polyester-based printable surface using controlled heat and pressure.
Rather than creating a thick layer of ink that simply sits on top of the material, the design becomes part of the printable surface. This makes sublimation a great option for detailed and colourful artwork.
It can be used for:
- photographs;
- gradients;
- floral artwork;
- illustrations;
- detailed logos;
- repeating patterns;
- colourful sporting club designs; and
- edge-to-edge artwork.
This is one reason personalised stubby holders can now look far more creative than the traditional one-colour logo designs many people remember.
Why Positioning Matters During Heat Pressing
Heat pressing may sound like a mostly automated process, but positioning still matters. Before the material goes into the press, it needs to sit flat and in the correct position.
If it moves, wrinkles or is placed incorrectly, the final print may not sit where intended. This becomes particularly noticeable when the design contains faces, names or text near the edges.
For example, a photo may look perfectly centred in the digital artwork but could feel crowded once stitching or overlocking is added. That is why it is usually a good idea to keep the most important parts of a design away from the extreme edges of the printable area.
5. The Stubby Holder Is Cut, Stitched and Finished
One thing that can surprise people is that a stubby holder is not always printed as a completely finished product. Depending on the style, the material may be printed while flat and then move through cutting, stitching, edge finishing or final assembly.
This is also why different types of stubby holders can look and feel quite different even when they use similar printed artwork.
Foldable Stubby Holders
Foldable stubby holders are lightweight and can be flattened for storage or postage. They are popular for events because they are easy to transport, easy to hand out and simple to pack in larger quantities.
Overlocked Stubby Holders
Overlocked styles have a visible stitched edge around the product. This gives them a more traditional finished look and helps create the classic stubby holder appearance many Australians recognise.
Fully Stitched Stubby Holders
Fully stitched styles use more complete edge construction and generally have a more structured finished appearance. They can be a good option where the overall finish and construction are an important part of the product.
The exact manufacturing method varies by supplier and product style, but the main point is that printing is only one part of the complete production process.
6. The Finished Products Are Checked
Once the stubby holders have been printed and finished, the completed order may be checked for obvious production issues.
Typical checks can include:
- correct artwork;
- correct text;
- print alignment;
- damaged material;
- colour consistency;
- stitching quality; and
- noticeable print defects.
A small variation may be difficult to notice on one individual stubby holder. But when 50 or 100 identical pieces are sitting together at a wedding, event or promotional display, consistency becomes much more noticeable.
What About Bar Runners?
Bar runners follow a similar overall printing concept. The artwork is prepared digitally, printed and transferred onto suitable material before the final product is finished.
The biggest difference is the shape and intended use. A stubby holder wraps around a can or bottle, while a bar runner sits across a bar, counter or drinks area. This means bar runners usually require a more horizontal design layout and often focus strongly on logo visibility.
They are commonly used by pubs, breweries, restaurants, home bars, event venues and beverage brands.
Stubby holders, on the other hand, have the advantage of being something people actually pick up, use and often take home. That is one reason they continue to be popular as event favours and promotional merchandise.
Why Sublimation Works So Well for Custom Stubby Holders
One of the biggest advantages of sublimation printing is creative freedom. You are no longer limited to printing a simple logo and a line of text.
A personalised stubby holder can feature a full photo, a colourful background, a wedding illustration, a sporting club design or an entire branded pattern. That makes the whole printable surface part of the design.
For example, a wedding stubby holder might feature the couple’s names and wedding date. A hens party design might use a funny photo of the bride. A birthday design could feature an old photo or inside joke. A sporting club might use team colours and sponsor logos. A business might create branded stubby holders for a conference, staff event or product launch.
The product itself stays simple, but the design can completely change what it represents.
From Digital Artwork to a Finished Stubby Holder
In simple terms, the production process usually looks something like this:
- artwork is prepared;
- the design is printed;
- the material is positioned and prepared;
- heat and pressure transfer the artwork;
- the product is cut, stitched or finished; and
- the completed order is checked.
The machinery plays an important role, but so does everything that happens around it. Artwork preparation, material positioning, handling and finishing all contribute to how the final product looks.
So the next time you pick up a personalised stubby holder at a wedding, birthday, sporting event or backyard BBQ, there is a little more going on behind that colourful piece of material than you might expect.
What looks like a simple drink holder can become a wedding keepsake, a funny photo, a club souvenir, a branded giveaway or something guests actually want to take home. And that is probably part of the reason stubby holders have remained such a familiar part of Australian events for so long.
Watch the Original Workshop Video
This article was inspired by Aussie Printhouse’s public workshop video, How Our Australian Stubby Holders and Bar Runners Are Made. The video provides a behind-the-scenes look at some of the printing and production equipment used for custom promotional products.
Original video:
How Our Australian Stubby Holders and Bar Runners Are Made – YouTube
