Custom embroidery on clothing made in Bangladesh
Embroidery is the finish buyers associate with quality, which is why it dominates corporate polos, caps and outerwear. It is also the method most often specified badly: artwork that works as a print can be impossible to stitch, and nobody finds out until the first sample.
- Best for
- Logos on polos, caps, workwear and outerwear
- Cost driver
- Stitch count and number of positions
- Detail limit
- Text below about 5mm tends to close up
- Premium options
- 3D puff, appliqué, chenille, metallic threads
- Approval
- Sew-out on the bulk fabric before production
Digitising decides the result
Embroidery machines do not read your artwork; they read a stitch file created from it, a process called digitising. Stitch type, direction, density, underlay and pull compensation are all decided at that stage, and they determine whether the logo looks crisp or distorted. A good digitiser adapts the file to the fabric: the same logo needs different settings on a piqué polo, a fleece hoodie and a structured cap front.
We digitise and then sew out on the actual bulk fabric for your approval before production, because a sew-out on the wrong substrate proves very little.
What drives the price
Stitch count is the main variable, and it is driven by how densely filled your design is rather than its size: a solid filled square costs far more than an outlined one of the same dimensions. Positions matter too, since each one is a separate hooping and machine run.
- Stitch count, which we can estimate from artwork before you commit
- Number of positions: chest, sleeve, back, cap front
- Thread type, with metallic and speciality threads running slower
- 3D puff, appliqué and chenille, each adding materials and handling
- Fabric handling, since caps, knits and waterproof shells all need different set-ups
Where embroidery goes wrong
Puckering is the classic failure, usually from too dense a design on a light knit, insufficient backing or the fabric being hooped under tension. Small text closing up is the second: below roughly 5mm, letterforms fill in, and fine serifs disappear. On performance fabrics, needle penetration can damage a membrane if the backing and needle are wrong.
We solve these at the sew-out stage: adjust density, change backing, or advise redrawing the artwork, before you have 3,000 puckered polos.
When to choose something else
Large solid areas, photographic images and gradients belong in print, not stitches. Very stretchy fabrics such as heavy elastane knits are better with transfers or bonded labels. And where the garment must stay lightweight, a heavy embroidery can stiffen the panel enough to change how it hangs.
What we need from you.
Send what you have and we will fill the gaps with you. Everything below fits in the branding section of our free tech pack template.
- Vector artwork, or a high-resolution image we can digitise from
- Thread colours as Pantone references, which we match to thread shade cards
- Finished embroidery size in centimetres and placement from the high point of the shoulder
- An existing DST or EMB file if you already have one digitised
- The fabric it will sit on, since stretch and pile change the backing needed
Products we use embroidery on most.
Decoration is quoted with the garment, not separately, so the price you see per piece already includes it. Check what that costs delivered before you set retail prices.
Embroidery: common questions.
How much does embroidery add to the price of a garment?
It depends on stitch count rather than on the physical size of the logo, which surprises most buyers. A simple outlined wordmark might be a few thousand stitches; the same wordmark with a filled background can be several times that, and the price follows. Each additional position, such as a sleeve or back logo, is a separate hooping and machine run, so it adds cost again. Digitising is normally a one-off charge per design, and the file is reusable across styles and future orders. The practical way to control cost is to design for stitches: outline rather than fill, avoid tiny text, and keep to one or two positions on the first order. Send us the artwork and the garment and we will estimate the stitch count before you commit, so the price is known in advance.
Can you match our brand colours exactly in thread?
We match as closely as thread ranges allow, which is usually very close but rarely exact. Embroidery thread comes in fixed shade ranges from manufacturers such as Madeira and Robison-Anton, so we select the nearest shade to your Pantone reference and show it to you on a physical thread card against the actual garment fabric. That matters because the same thread reads differently on navy piqué and on grey fleece, and because sheen changes how the eye perceives the colour. For corporate programmes that reorder over years, we record the exact thread codes with the sealed sample, so the fifth order matches the first. If an exact match is critical, custom-dyed thread is possible at volume, though it carries minimums and adds lead time.
Other decoration and finishing methods
Planning an order with embroidery?
Send a tech pack, a sketch or a photo of a garment you like. We reply within one working day with questions or a first costing.
- One merchandiser responsible for your order
- Certificates and audit reports shared before production
- AQL final inspection report before you approve shipment
- NDA signed on request before you share designs