Custom embroidery on clothing made in Bangladesh

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.

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, ask for the exact thread codes to be recorded 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. We show you the matched thread on the sample before bulk.

A clean vector file is the best starting point: AI, EPS, SVG or PDF with fonts outlined and colours as flat fills. From that a digitiser creates the stitch file, which is what the machine reads; ask for a copy so reorders use exactly the same programme. If you already have a stitch file from a previous supplier, in DST, EMB or PES format, send it with the stitch count and a photograph of a sew-out; we test it on your fabric rather than trusting it, because a file digitised for a stable woven shirt often puckers on a knit. A raster file such as a JPEG will be redrawn first, which adds a round of approval. Whatever the file, tell us the finished size in millimetres, because the same logo digitised at 40 mm and at 90 mm are two different files with different densities.

Yes, within limits that we test rather than promise. On a light single jersey, a fine interlock or a stretchy elastane knit, the risks are puckering, where the stitches pull the fabric inwards, and distortion after wear, where the knit stretches and the embroidery does not. Both are managed the same way: a design digitised for the fabric with lower density and a proper underlay, a cut-away backing that stays inside the garment and holds the stitches stable, and hooping without tension. Where the design is large and solid, we will usually say so and suggest an outlined version, a smaller size or a different method, because a heavy embroidery on a light knit stiffens the panel and changes how the garment hangs. The sew-out on your bulk fabric settles it: you see the front and the back, ask for it to be washed, and approve it or ask for adjustments before a single garment is hooped for bulk.

Embroidery on clothing is a design stitched into the fabric with thread, and in production it is sewn by computer-controlled multi-head machines, not by hand. Your artwork is first digitised into a stitch file, which tells the machine every stitch, its direction and each colour change. The fabric is held in a hoop or frame over a backing, and every head sews the same design at once. Tajima, a machine manufacturer, lists its TMCR-VF model with 12 to 30 synchronised heads, up to 12 needles on each for different thread colours and a maximum speed of 1,100 rpm (its website, read on 1 October 2026). It adds that the machine suits factories that embroider parts before sewing, which is how garment logos are often made in bulk: on the cut panel, before assembly. Afterwards loose threads are trimmed. Send vector artwork, the finished size in millimetres and the fabric, and approve a sew-out before bulk.

Embroider directly when the logo is small and simple and sits on a stable fabric; choose a patch when the design is detailed, the fabric is difficult or the same logo goes onto many different products. Direct embroidery is stitched into the garment panel, normally before sewing: Tajima, a machine maker, describes its TMCR-VF multi-head machine as suited to factories that embroider parts before sewing (website read on 1 October 2026). It lies flat with no edge, but light or stretchy knits pucker and very small text closes up. A patch, or badge, is embroidered or woven separately on a stable base cloth with a finished border, then sewn or heat-applied to the finished garment. That keeps fine detail identical across polos, caps, bags and jackets, and one batch can serve several styles. Its costs are a visible edge and extra thickness. Send the artwork, the size and the list of garments.

Only with the trade mark owner’s permission: without it, putting a registered logo on clothing and importing it in the course of trade can infringe the mark in the UK and the EU, even before any piece is sold. Section 10 of the UK Trade Marks Act 1994 counts affixing a sign to goods, stocking them for sale and importing or exporting them under the sign as using it. Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 on the EU trade mark lists the same acts, and also lets the owner stop goods from outside the Union that bear the mark without authorisation. This matters for uniforms carrying a client’s logo, sponsor logos on team kit and licensed merchandise. Such an order should be backed by written authorisation from the owner of the mark, naming you and the goods. This is not legal advice. Send the artwork with proof that you own the mark or are authorised to use it.

Specify polyester thread for anything that is bleached or industrially laundered, and rayon only where sheen matters more than wash resistance. The two look alike on the cone and behave differently. Madeira, a thread manufacturer, describes its Classic range as 100% rayon viscose with an exceptionally high sheen and states plainly that it is not bleach-resistant. It describes its Polyneon range as 100% polyester that withstands frequent, heavy-duty industrial laundering and resists chlorine and bleach, and recommends it for items such as chef’s whites and hotel towels (Madeira UK website, read on 1 October 2026). So workwear, uniforms, chefs’ wear and towels should be polyester, while a fashion piece that is washed gently can take rayon for its lustre. Put the thread type on the tech pack beside the colour reference, because a shade matched in one range has to be matched again in the other. Tell us how the garment will be washed.