What size logo works best for an embroidered sleeve design? A design that's approximately 3” wide that can be easily read from a 3' distance.
What type of design doesn’t work well for a sleeve design? A left chest-sized logo that becomes too small to be readable when downsized.
How can you fix a design that's too small? Eliminate unnecessary parts of the design so the primary elements, your business name and possibly an image or secondary text, can be enlarged so they are readable.
When does a logo work well for embroidered hats? When it fills the front area (4" wide x 2.25” high) and the business name is clearly readable and has the primary focus.
When doesn’t a logo work well for hats?
Trouble finding your favorite embroidered polo shirts? Tired of shuffling through various styles in search of the perfect shirt only to learn that your preferred style is temporarily out of stock in some sizes? Putting together a large order can be particularly frustrating now.
How do you navigate through current supply challenges? Plan ahead, prioritize your needs and be flexible. Your embroiderer can help by making style suggestions. They have access to additional search tools which can make it easier to locate high-inventory styles with certain features so it’s easier to locate a shirt that meets your needs and is currently available in all sizes.
No 100% cotton black polos in size 2X? Your favorite, two-toned, mesh-back hats are back-ordered for two months?
Recent supply chain delays have made it difficult to obtain some types of decorated apparel. Items like black polos and sweatshirts are especially hard to find. How do you navigate supply chain issues?
Order early. Then you’ll have your embroidered and screen printed items when you need them.
Start small. Your order will be easier to finalize if you limit the number of styles. Then, place another order for the additional styles you want while your initial order is being processed.
Be flexible. Can you use a substitute style or color?
Make a change. Have you always wanted to try another style or type of item? Now is a good time to try something different. If you’ve always ordered a shirt that is currently unavailable now may be the time to order embroidered jackets.
Reserve what you want. While waiting two to three months may seem like a long time, preordering backordered garments will allow you to get what you want and you’ll know when to expect your order.
Want an easy way to update your embroidered logo? Change or simplify the colors. Brightening a design’s colors can make a big difference. If you previously used “traditional” shades, consider using different hues to create a more modern appearance.
Another way to produce a new look is to design a one-color logo. While this won’t work for designs that need different areas of color to be readable, you might be able to use negative space (area where the garment shows through) to define some details so your logo can work with fewer colors.
Haven’t ordered embroidered apparel in a few years? Consider T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts in heathered colors! Having your logo embroidered on a heathered material will give your design a fresh new look.
What is “heathered” fabric? It's material with specks of another color, usually white, woven into the fabric to give it a muted appearance. “Heather grey” shirts and sweatshirts have been around for a long time but now heathered shades in black, navy, royal, red and other colors are available. Just make sure your logo is readable. Items like small text can be more difficult to see when placed against a multi-colored background so you may need to increase the size of your logo, adjust your thread colors or eliminate details to make your logo clearly visible.
Can the back of a sweatshirt be embroidered? Yes. Small designs can be embroidered just below the collar. This is a great location for a slightly larger version of your left chest logo (4” - 6” wide) or a web address if the sweatshirts have a crew or cadet collar.
Want a large design? Say 10” to 12” wide or high? Most likely it will be more economical to have it screen printed. Unlike lightweight T-shirt fabric, sweatshirt material can support a large embroidered logo but the set-up can cost $100.00 or more and you’ll pay for additional machine running time.
Screen printing most designs will be cheaper as long as you can meet minimum printing quantities. What if you only need a few sweatshirts? Locate a decorator who provides direct-to-garment printing. The cost per sweatshirt will be more but the look is almost identical to screen printing and you won’t be charged for screens which makes this an especially good option for multi-colored logos. What if your design has lots of colors and you need a large quantity printed? Four-color process printing may be your best option. Still unsure what type of printing is best for your job? Get quotes and compare your options!
