I want my logo embroidered…what do I need to know?

I want our logo embroidered, what do I need to know?

Having a professional image means so much. Having it on a shirt, hat, jacket, bag or pad-folio tells viewers that you are a representative, member or supporter. It prompts questions to those unfamiliar like, “Who, what, & where is _________?” And of course it is a great lead in to answering the question of what you do for said organization.

So how does one go about getting their logo embroidered? The easy answer is to give us a call. We will walk you through the process and you will be wearing your new apparel within a couple of weeks.

The questions we ask are just a few: Do you have your stitch files? We need these in order for the embroidery machines to stitch out your logo. Most callers do not have these. If you have had your logo embroidered in the past it is most likely that the decorator who did your last job has those files on hand. Some decorators are willing to share and others are not as they are not doing the work if you are going to someone else. Stitch files are made using vectored camera ready artwork created by a graphic designer. If you have had your logo professionally designed, the graphic designer has or can provide you with vectored artwork of your logo. (Vectored means it can be made smaller or bigger without losing the integrity of the artwork). If your logo was home made it likely needs to be vectored and digitized by a graphic designer so that we can use the artwork. The software to create these files is extremely expensive and takes an expert technician to create both good vectored artwork and digitized files the embroidery machines can read. The cost of getting a logo vectored & digitized for embroidery can range from $40.00 to several hundred dollars depending on the size and complexity of the job. Most left chest logos for Polos, button down shirts and jackets are around 4 inches and cost about $60 as a one-time fee. Stitch files for flats and curves often need to be created for different embroidery jobs, flats representing apparel like shirts and curves representing caps. Once the logo is digitized a stitch count will dictate the price for the embroidery. An average left chest logo at 4” is usually around 5,000 stitches and can cost between $6.00 to $24 per item depending on quantity and complexity. The more items that are embroidered the less it costs. When having items done, think in terms of dozens when possible.

How will it look on a shirt? We provide a mock-up for approval before a job goes into production. The proof will have a picture of your apparel with the logo placed in the requested location(s). A good rule of thumb to decide how big you would like your logo on the apparel is to use a ruler for width and height. If your logo has specific colors we need those as well to match thread colors. Thread colors are available in just about as many colors you can imagine and range from dull to shiny.
Quality: Some people are very detail oriented and feel their logos don’t look perfect when stitched out. Embroidery is one of the sloppiest/dirtiest sectors in the print industry. High definition detail is difficult to create with stitching. The best way to view an embroidered piece of apparel is at arm’s length as if you are the person viewing it on someone else. If it is readable and looks correct at arm’s length then you have a good stitch job. If you look at it at close proximity you will see tiny details like the jump stitches and other imperfections. If a thread color isn’t looking perfect it can always be adjusted on the next job. Most likely the only one who will notice the small imperfections will be you so the old axiom, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” works well when being critical about embroidery.

Extras: It is easy to add a name to apparel and several fonts are available to choose from. Adding a name can cost as little as $4.00.

Now that you have a bit of knowledge about the process, take the time to look at our apparel catalog and go shopping. Everything in our Apparel catalog is designed for embroidery or screen printing so you won’t have the problem of picking out something we can’t decorate or work with.

If you are supplying your own apparel, expect to pay more for your decoration and assume the liability of miss-prints if a piece is damaged. When you purchase your own apparel for decoration you are removing that profit from your printer and giving it to Costco or someone else. If you don’t see a brand in the catalog that you would prefer, ask. We have access to many more brands and styles than what you see in our printed catalog.