Embroidery - 10 Steps to Success

Our business is embroidery and we have been doing it for over 15 years from out state of the art facility located in historic Concord Massachusetts.  This page is designed to guide you through your next embroidery project.  Think of Corporate Casuals as your personal embroidery consultant.  We have years of experience, some of the best online embroidery tools in the business, and a great catalog chock full of apparel and gift ideas.

Step 1: Select Garments or Items to Embroider   [TOP]

All sorts of items can have embroidery applied; hats, shirts, jackets, bags, blankets, baby bibs, towels....the list is almost endless.  An embroidery charge will cost between $3.50 to $6.00 per unit depending on stitch count and quantity.  Choose items that will be durable and look good after months of use.

TIP	A good place to get to find items to embroider is the Corporate Casuals  Online Catalog.

Step 2: Select Basic Design or Logo   [TOP]

If your organization has a logo then this step may be as simple as obtaining a graphic file of your logo and uploading it to a web site.  If not, you will need to choose a graphic that meets your needs.  There are many places on the web you can visit to gather some ideas. 

The last thing to think about is how your embroidery design will fit on the items you have selected. Hats have a height restriction of 2.25 inches.  If you want your design to fit on pretty much everything do not make it larger than 2.25 inches high by 4 inches wide.  Some customers prefer to create two versions of their design, one for hats and one for shirts (2.25" x 4.00" and 3.00" x 4.00").

TIP	A great place to find design ideas is the Corporate Casuals online Embroidery Gallery.  All of the designs you see there can be used with no setup charges.

Step 3: Choose Text to Compliment the Logo   [TOP]

Choose text to compliment the logo.  Mark Twain said it best "If I would have had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter."  The point, it takes a lot of skill and much more time to write concise text and copy. 

Mark Twain had it easy; he could write smaller and use more paper.  In the embroidery world, text can only be stitched so small and there is very limited space to work with.  Think carefully about the text you want displayed with your logo.  Be precise and try to use the fewest words possible. 

From an embroidery standpoint, text may be no smaller than 3/16" tall.  From a practical standpoint, if you want people to actually read your message you should plan on text that is 1/4" to 1/2" tall.  The number of letters you can use is a function of the text size and maximum width of the item you will be working with.  Generally speaking, most embroidered items have a four inch wide area that can be used for design and text.

TIP	Create a "Text Only" design in the Corporate Casuals Embroidery Studio to see how much text you can fit on your design.

Step 4: Check Spelling, Colors, and Sizes   [TOP]

Even with computers and automatic spell checkers, designs with incorrect spelling are submitted all the time.  This is especially true of proper names and uncommon words (radio station call letters for example).

Another common place for mistakes is selecting colors for the embroidery.  Always be sure the colors in your design contrast sufficently with the item you are embroidering.

 

Step 5: Send in Your Design for Digitizing   [TOP]

If you do not have artwork in a common embroidery format, you will need to have someone convert your artwork into an embroidery format.  This process is called digitizing and you can expect to pay about $65.00 - $200.00 for a experienced digitizer to do this conversion.  Rather than arranging for digitizing yourself, it is much easier to have it done by the embroidery shop that will be stitching your items. Since some types of fabric can be difficult to embroider.  Using the same shop for everything allows the shop to adjust the design so that it will stitch well on their equipment.

 

Step 6: Order Samples   [TOP]

If you are organizing a large order, you may want a sample of the items.  Any reputable embroidery shop will have a program where you can get a sample of the items you plan to buy.  Expect to provide a refundable deposit on a major credit card to secure the samples.

 

Step 7: Review and Approve Digitizing   [TOP]

For large orders you may want to see a sample of your design.  Most embroidery shops can send you a sample stitched on a piece of scrap material.  Some shops can create an electronic sample in a graphic format such as a PDF file for review on a computer screen. 

TIP	Using a online embroidery studio like the one offered by Corporate Casuals can be a huge time saver since you can approve your design when you create it.

Step 8: Place Your Order    [TOP]

By this time you have your samples and a design, you just need to place the order.  Most people don't realize that clothing can be quite heavy especially when you are dealing with larger orders.  Good planning will insure that you can ship via ground to get the best shipping rates.

 

Step 9: Send Back Samples   [TOP]

Be sure to return any samples that the embroidery shop sent to you.  If you fail to return them you will very likely be charged.

 

Step 10: Reorder   [TOP]

After the first order, reorders should be simple. Color changes can be made without any trouble at all.  Changes to the stitching will still need approval, but will be easier because you have point or reference in the original design.  The easiest way to re-order is to have you logo saved online in your account so you may select the garments and automatically check out. Reorders should take no more than a few minutes to place once you have decided on the garments.

We hope you find this guide a useful resource for you next embroidery project. If you have any questions feel free to contact us via e-mail sales@corporatecasuals.com or 866-369-5935.

Related Articles:

• Embroidery Buyers Guide
• Embroidery Frequently Asked Questions