Your Embroidered Hats: Provide Your Hats?

Purchased some cheap hats for embroidery?  Got a great price but getting them embroidered hasn't been easy? Why are embroiderers reluctant to accept customer-provided hats?

Unlike flat items such as shirts and jackets, hats must be hooped on a circular frame.  If a hat fits the embroiderer's frame then the job should run smoothly but since hats come in thousands of different shapes and sizes many styles don't fit the embroiderer's equipment very well. While some hats are only slightly off  others are nearly impossible to embroider well and can be very frustrating to handle. How do embroiderers deal with this problem?  Many decide to only sell styles that they know will fit their machine so they can avoid potenial problems.

So, how about the hats you've already purchased? Can you find an embroiderer who will embroider them and do a good job?  Yes, with a little more searching and time spent running a sample you should find an embroidered who will do a good job running your hats. 

Your Embroidered Logo: Tailored Ladies Polos?

Looking for tailored, feminine fit in a women's polo? The traditional, relaxed or "classic" fit ladies polo often provides the best fit for most large groups but if you need a more tailored, fitted shirt then Nike Golf offers some good choices.


Is bigger better? When it comes to left chest logos bigger isn't necessarily better.  Most left chest logos are four inches wide or less.  Larger logos can look overwhelming and out of place especially on smaller sized shirts where there isn't much width between the sleeve and placket seams. If four inches wide seems too limiting then you may need to simplify your logo and add additional text in another location such as on a sleeve or back design,

Embroidered Logos: Tints, Gradations, Shadows...

Tints, color gradations, shadows and fine outlines can make your printed logo look cool but do these effects work for embroidered logos?  Possibly not.  Often these elements must be simplified or eliminated.  Tints must be translated into a color, gradations simplified to one color, shadows translated into a color or eliminated and fine outlines widened or eliminated. Concerned that your embroidered logo may look boring?  Although many embroidered logos can't contain all the fine details seen in printed logos, embroidery thread has its own ability to "catch the light" and will give your logo its own unique appearance.

Your Embroidered Logo: Artwork Issues

Need to create artwork in a word processing software program such as Microsoft Word? Careful - you might get unexpected results. Word processing programs are designed to handle text and aren't as capable of managing fonts, colors and images as artwork programs like Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. What problems can occur?  Files can be misinterpreted when opened on another computer system and your design won't look right. How can you prevent this? If you can't switch to an artwork program then have your decorator email you a screen shot of your design so you know what your file looks like on his system.

Your Branded Apparel: Logo Colors

What is one of  primary pitfalls facing business owners when choosing shirts for custom embroidery? Wanting shirts that are the same color as one of the colors in their logo. Can that work? Yes, depending on how the logo is handled.

One option is to eliminate one of colors in the logo and use that color for the shirt color. For example, if your colors are royal, red and silver and your logo can be simplified to a two color design in royal and silver then it can be embroidered on red shirts. 

Another solution is to use an inner logo color (color that's surrounded by contrasting color(s) as the shirt color.  This adds emphasis to the logo but not all logos can be dealt with this way.

Sometimes a contrasting border is added behind a logo element so it will stand out against a similar background. This works well if there is space but often the logo is too detailed for this.

Another option is to add a neutral color such as white, black, silver or grey and use the remaining color as the shirt color. Not happy with those options? You may need to reconsider the shirt color if you want your logo to be seen.

Your Branded Apparel: Logo Mockups?

Planning to order custom embroidered polos with names or possibly a second logo on the back? Thinking about creating your own shirt mockup to send to potential embroiderers so they know what you want? Careful... Make sure your mockup reflects what you want. 

Mockups are good for showing placement especially when more than one logo is involved or the placement is unusual but they can be deceiving. If your logo is unusually large or improperly placed your intentions may be misread and you may be unhappy with the final product. How do you avoid misinterpretations?  Include a note describing each placement such as "typical left chest size and placement" or "6 inches wide located 2 inches below the collar on the back".  Then, when you receive your embroidery proof, check the sizing to make sure it works for you.

Your Branded Apparel: Plaids, Stripes, Textures

Time to refresh your logo apparel? Try embroidered shirts with a patterned or textured fabric.  Great choices include subtle stripes, waffle weave and vertical pique fabrics. Create a unique style by pairing a subtle check or plaid with your logo embroidered in a shade darker than the shirt color and you've updated your business look!