Embroidered Logos: Making Artwork Work For Embroidery

Often a customer will request a quote for a logo created in Word or another word processing program. That's fine but many of these simple logos require similar adjustments before they can be used as artwork. A common problem is the use of text that is too small. Because word processing programs allow the user to create very small text it is temping to use a small font size for secondary text in an embroidered design. But, when the logo is translated into embroidery the small text is too tiny to be embroidered so the size of the text must be enlarged. If its only a small amount then that won't affect the look of the logo too much. But, often the size must be increased so much that the general look of the logo is altered.

Another common request is to ask that the text be outlined. Outlining is especially effective with printed text but is much more difficult to embroider cleanly so it is often eliminated. Usually that can be accomplished without other changes but sometimes the font or background colors must be adjusted so the text is readable. The process of making these changes may seem frustrating especially if you've already spend a considerable amount of time developing your logo or you already have printed items but without these edits, your logo won't work as an effective embroidered logo.

Embroidery Questions Answered: Design Placement

Occasionally during the process of obtaining an order a customer will email a mock-up showing the correct placement for an embroidered design. That's useful for illustrating unusual placements such as the lower front of a polo but isn't necessary for standard locations such as left chest. Although some design programs include a shirt template that can be used to show design location, it serves as a general guide that doesn't account for the variances in different styles, sizes and whether the shirt is for a man or woman. To accommodate for these variables embroiderers use a hooping station that provides consistent placement for different sizes and styles.

Embroidery Questions: Choosing Stock Designs

Need to find a stock embroidered design? Its easy to locate many types of designs but how do you know if the design's size is suited for a left chest shirt location?

The optimum left chest embroidered design is 2.5" to 3.5" wide. It can be up to 4 inches if its narrow or has small detail. Stock designs range from less than one inch to full jacket back size. If the design is for the front of a polo or button down shirt its best choose something that is 2" to 4" wide/high. If text is to be added you'll need to leave room for it. Also keep in mind who will wear the shirts. If the design is for children or young adults a large design may be overwhelming.

Embroidery Questions Answered

Question: Can a full front embroidered design be embroidered on a T?

Answer: No, due to the light weight of T-shirt material only small, less stitch intensive designs can be embroidered on a T-shirt.


Question: Can artwork taken from a website be used for an embroidery set-up?

Answer: It depends on the logo. A web image will have a low, 72 dpi resolution. If the logo is fairly basic and doesn't contain a lot of detail then the web image may work but if it contains small detail or text in an unusual font then a higher resolution image is needed to accurately transfer the artwork into stitch format.

Design Placement

Have you ever requested that an embroidered design be located in an unusual location on a shirt and been disappointed by the location of the embroidery? Avoid having this problem by working with your embroiderer to find a design placement that works for you. Have your embroiderer print out your design or use an embroidered sample. Place this sample against a shirt to see how the placement looks. If you have more than one logo and the logos will be seen at the same time, check your placement with both designs attached (pinned or taped) to the shirt while the shirt is being worn. Take note of the placement and your embroidery should be placed correctly on our next order of Custom Embroidered Polo Shirts.