Supacolor
Supacolor manufactures proprietary heat transfer products for the garment decorating industry using a hybrid HP digital offset and water-based screen printing process. It sells specialized transfers for apparel, headwear, sportswear, and industrial use cases directly to SMB print shops, clothing brands, and entrepreneurs via e-commerce and wholesale across three regional factories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersGardena, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Supacolor does
Supacolor manufactures proprietary heat transfer products for the garment decorating industry, operating three factories in the United States (Los Angeles and Atlanta), the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The company was founded in 2016 by garment decorators and is headquartered in Hawthorne, California (registered as Supacolor USA, Inc.). Supacolor employs between 101 and 250 people and sells a portfolio of specialized heat transfers produced through a hybrid manufacturing process combining HP digital offset printing with water-based screen printing. Its product lineup spans SupaDTF (direct-to-film, minimum one piece), Wearable DTF (minimum 50 pieces with 80+ wash durability), Headwear transfers (engineered for caps and structured hats), Lo Melt and Lo Melt Blocker (low-cure 260-270°F presses for heat-sensitive and sublimated fabrics), SupaReflective, SupaNeon, Industrial Wash, Soft Shell Blocker, Blocker, and Promotional transfers, with a free SupaMetallics add-on offering 28 matte metallic colors.
The business model combines self-serve direct-to-consumer e-commerce (supacolor.com) with a dedicated wholesale channel for print shops and brand customers, plus factory Will Call pickup at US facilities. Pricing is transactional pay-as-you-go unit pricing with no setup fees, no rush fees, and free artwork optimization; Supacolor also monetizes shipping (FedEx 2 Day Air at $16.00, free USPS ground over $75). Customers range from individual hobbyists and micro-businesses to SMB print shops, clothing brands and entrepreneurs, sportswear/athletic decorators, headwear specialists, and workwear/industrial decorators. Supacolor holds OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I, CPSIA, and California Proposition 65 certifications, with Intertek-verified wash durability, and supports its customer base through a content marketing platform (SupaBlog), an email community (Supafam), an in-house Gang Sheet Builder design tool with auto-nest/upscaler/background-removal/halftone/text features, and a documented API used in third-party ERP integrations (Codewolf ERP case study).
Supacolor firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Supacolor
- Legal name
- Supacolor USA, Inc.
- Website
- https://supacolor.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Supacolor manufactures proprietary heat transfer products for the garment decorating industry using a hybrid HP digital offset and water-based screen printing process. It sells specialized transfers for apparel, headwear, sportswear, and industrial use cases directly to SMB print shops, clothing brands, and entrepreneurs via e-commerce and wholesale across three regional factories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Supacolor industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Heat Transfer Products (Custom Garment Decoration)
- NAICS
- Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet (including Laminated) Manufacturing (326112)
- SIC
- Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tapes, Labels & Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives (IMAEAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services (IMALAKAM)
Keywords
Where Supacolor is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gardena
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Supacolor business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Heat Transfer Sales: Sale of custom heat transfer products (SupaDTF, Wearable, Lo Melt, Headwear, and specialty transfers) to apparel decorators, screen printers, clothing brands, and promotional product businesses. Revenue generated per transfer/sheet with pricing based on size and product type. Factory-direct manufacturing enables competitive pricing without middlemen.
- Shipping & Fulfillment: Shipping charges billed separately at checkout. Standard FedEx 2 Day Air at $16.00, free USPS ground on orders over $75, with expedited and freight options available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SupaDTF Transfer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wearable DTF Transfer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lo Melt Transfer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lo Melt Blocker Transfer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Headwear Transfer |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Domestic Shipping |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Supacolor product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Supacolor manufactures and sells custom heat transfer products used by apparel decorators and screen printers to apply designs to garments and accessories. Products are produced using a proprietary hybrid process that combines screen printing with HP digital offset printing and water-based inks, and are offered across multiple specialized lines including direct-to-film (SupaDTF, Wearable DTF), headwear, low-cure substrates (Lo Melt, Lo Melt Blocker), dye blockers (Blocker, Soft Shell Blocker), reflective (SupaReflective), industrial wash, neon (SupaNeon), and promotional transfers.
Product overview
Supacolor is a heat transfer manufacturing company offering a portfolio of specialized heat transfer products produced via a hybrid process combining HP digital offset printing with water-based screen printing. The core product lineup includes SupaDTF (for small-quantity and oversized designs, as few as 1 piece), Wearable DTF (for medium-volume runs of 50+ pieces with PANTONE accuracy and 80+ wash durability), Headwear (engineered for caps and structured headwear with seam-bridging capability), Lo Melt (low-cure transfers pressing at 260°F for heat-sensitive fabrics), and Lo Melt Blocker (adds dye-bleed blocking for sublimated polyester). Additional specialized transfers cover Soft Shell Blocker, SupaReflective, Industrial Wash, SupaNeon, and Promotional use cases. A free add-on called SupaMetallics provides 28 matte metallic color options at no extra charge. The online Gang Sheet Builder tool enables customers to arrange multiple designs on large-format sheets, with features including auto-nest, background removal, design upscaler, text, and halftone tools. Supacolor operates factories in the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand, and ships globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SupaDTF: Direct-to-film heat transfers best for as few as 1 piece, oversized designs, half-tones and fade-outs, and extra long gang sheets
- Wearable
- SupaMetallics
- Lo Melt
- Lo Melt Blocker
- Headwear
- SupaReflective
Products and services
- SupaDTF Direct-to-film (DTF) heat transfer for custom apparel decoration with 1+ piece minimum order, no setup fee, no rush fee, and 9-color printing capability. Designed for screen printers, print shops, and brand owners needing fast-turn custom transfers with Pantone color matching and 80+ wash durability.
- Wearable DTF
Quantifiable outcome
- Lasts 80+ washes without cracking or fading (Independently verified by Intertek Testing Services)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Supacolor
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Supacolor technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Supacolor partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Allmade ApparelcoreAllmade x Supacolor partnership creates the perfect eco-friendly garment decoration combo. Allmade produces blanks from recycled polyester (plastic bottles), modal (renewable beech trees), and organic cotton. Supacolor provides water-based OEKO-TEX certified transfers. Combined, they offer fully sustainable custom apparel from blank to finished decoration. Allmade also invests in community education, safe housing, and environmental protection in manufacturing regions.
- AS ColourminorASColour x Supacolor partnership for cap decoration. AS Colour provides blank headwear products that are decorated using Supacolor Headwear transfers, positioned as the best transfer solution for caps.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Supacolor competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chemica: French manufacturer of heat-sealable films and transfers for apparel and textile decoration. Comparable product category (printed heat-applied transfers) with similar application to sportswear, workwear and fashion decorators worldwide.
- Coastal Business Supplies: US distributor and producer of custom heat transfers, DTF supplies, blanks and apparel decoration equipment serving screen printers and embroiders. Directly comparable catalog, customer base and channel model.
- Siser: Major heat transfer vinyl (HTV) manufacturer serving garment decorators globally. Competes with Supacolor for the apparel customization heat-applied decoration dollar, though focused on cut vinyl rather than digitally printed transfers.
- Transfer Express: Direct-to-shop supplier of custom heat transfers (including UltraColor and DTF) for screen printers and apparel decorators. Closely comparable e-commerce-first, low-minimum heat transfer model targeting the same SMB decorators as Supacolor.
- Stahls' (GroupeSTAHL): Largest US-based heat transfer manufacturer and decorator equipment supplier. Directly competes with Supacolor across heat-applied transfers, custom DTF, and screen-print consumables serving apparel decorators and brands.
Emerging players
- Roland DGA: Manufacturer of digital print-and-cut equipment (including DTF-capable systems) widely used by Supacolor's decorator customers. Sits adjacent in the value chain as the equipment supplier whose installed base drives demand for transfer media.
- Polyprint (TexJet): DTG and DTF equipment and consumables maker serving custom apparel printers. Adjacent competitor whose DTF inks, films and transfer media directly compete with Supacolor's offerings at the decorator level.
- DTF Superstore: Pure-play DTF transfers, films and equipment supplier targeting SMB apparel decorators. Competes head-on with SupaDTF and Wearable DTF on price, speed and minimums in the small-quantity custom transfer segment.
Regional players
- Hexis (Heimdall Print Media): European manufacturer of printable heat-transfer films for textile and apparel decoration. Comparable technology stack (printable PU/PVC films with hot-melt adhesive) and customer base, though with primary strength in European markets.
Broad incumbents
- Avery Dennison (Graphics Solutions): Global pressure-sensitive label and graphics materials giant. Overlaps with Supacolor in specialty adhesive-coated printable substrates and heat-applied graphics, though anchored in industrial labeling rather than garment decoration.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Supacolor social profiles
Digital presenceSupacolor compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Supacolor financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Supacolor leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Supacolor funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Supacolor M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Supacolor
What does Supacolor do?
Supacolor manufactures and sells custom heat transfer products used by apparel decorators and screen printers to apply designs to garments and accessories. Products are produced using a proprietary hybrid process that combines screen printing with HP digital offset printing and water-based inks, and are offered across multiple specialized lines including direct-to-film (SupaDTF, Wearable DTF), headwear, low-cure substrates (Lo Melt, Lo Melt Blocker), dye blockers (Blocker, Soft Shell Blocker), reflective (SupaReflective), industrial wash, neon (SupaNeon), and promotional transfers.
Is Supacolor a public or private company?
Supacolor is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Supacolor founded?
Supacolor was founded in 2016. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Supacolor based?
Supacolor is headquartered in Gardena, United States, in the North America region.
How does Supacolor make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Heat Transfer Sales are the primary driver. The others are shipping & Fulfillment.
Who are Supacolor's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chemica, Coastal Business Supplies, Siser, Transfer Express and Stahls' (GroupeSTAHL). Emerging players are Roland DGA, Polyprint (TexJet) and DTF Superstore. Hexis (Heimdall Print Media) is listed as a regional player. Avery Dennison (Graphics Solutions) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Supacolor have an API?
Yes. Supacolor offers an API enabling programmatic order placement, design uploads, and production workflow integration. Referenced in a Codewolf ERP case study documenting integration of Supacolor API into Codewolf ERP for streamlined custom hoodie production. Additional reference to D=GO Custom branding company using Supacolour API integration for automating custom hoodie workflows. Developer documentation is at supacolor.com/pages/supametallics.
What industry is Supacolor in?
Supacolor's product category is Heat Transfer Products (Custom Garment Decoration). Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAGAJ, Tapes, Labels & Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives, with a secondary code of IMALAKAM, Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services. Its NAICS code is 326112 and its SIC code is 3470.