What to consider when choosing print or embroidery!

PRINT

EMBROIDERY

PRINT

Some of our most frequently asked questions are:  Do you think print or embroidery will look best for my logo? OR I’d like to get some T-Shirts embroidered with my logo, can I do that?

1) Consider the products you wish to decorate
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​There are a few simple things to consider when deciding the best decoration techniques for the garments. It’s important to think about:

Type of Material (Cotton, Polyester, Elastane etc)
For instance a softshell jacket, most softshell materials are treated with a coating, if this material is then printed on then the colour tends to bleed through onto the logo itself. Although there are now Printable Softshell jackets on the market, we would always recommend embroidery to ensure longevity of your logo. 

Elastane for example, is a delicate material and needs to be handled with care. The heat press used for the printing of your Logo can damage the fabric by leaving a slight impression of where the press has been used. For Elastane, we will always look to encourage embroidery for a more professional and clean decoration.

Weight/Thickness of Garment
The thickness of the material is a huge factor to take into consideration. For example lightweight T-shirts are not best suited to larger embroidery’s as the stitch count can be found to be too heavy for the material causing it to lean forward, print would work best for this scenario. 

 2) Complexity of your Logo 
What are you using the decorated clothing for? Some quick and easy tips we always give our customers is to always think like the consumer as well as being financially sensible with your decision. Some questions to think about are:

• Using garments for advertising with larger decoration so that they’re visible from a distance? Printing is the solution, as this will give a clearer and more impressive end result, as well as being more cost effective!
• Branded clothing for staff, for professionalism, to look smart and be consistent throughout the business? A smaller front left chest embroidery or print would be ideal in this scenario, depending on the above points discussed.

3) The position and size of your Logo makes a difference!

The cost of embroidery and printing for simple chest sized logos up to 120mm are competitive. However, the larger the logo the more costly they become, with embroidery dependant on density and complexity.

Another influential factor for decoration, is the position in which you’d like your logo. We often get requests for large back embroidery on clothing used as their only layer, which we advise highly against due to the irritation that the underside of the embroidery can cause. 

Are you looking to decorate sleeves? If you’re looking to have text running down the full length of a sleeve, then printing is your only option for this. However, if you have a small logo you wish to have at the top of a short-sleeved garment, then embroidery or print would be possible depending on factors outlined in Step 1.

4) Complexity of logo

A breakdown of things to consider:

• Is the logo a simple, single colour logo with bold lines? If so, printing is probably your best bet to get that clear and stunning look. If, however, the logo has several colours and is relatively detailed in areas, embroidery can produce the most spectacular results.
• Is there small text incorporated into the logo? Embroidery can be an option here, we recommend increasing the size of the text so it can be seen once stitched out. 
• Still unsure what’s best? Click here and attach your logo!

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5) What industry are the garments for? 

Depending on the industry you work in, you might need to wash your uniforms on a high temperature, which can be damaging to decorated workwear. If the garment will need washing at a high temperature then we suggest embroidery for this particular scenario so we can remain confident in the longevity of the product.