Method 02. Premium

Embroidery.In-house in Las Vegas, NV

Stitched, not printed. Real thread, premium feel, dimensional results that customers can run their fingers across. Hats, polos, jackets, fleece, whenever the brand needs to read as substantial, embroidery is the answer. Digitizing is priced live in the wizard, free at volume, and reorders never pay it twice.

6
piece minimum
15
thread colors
7–10
day standard
durability
How it works

Pixels to stitches.

Embroidery doesn't print art. It converts it into a stitch path that the machine follows thread by thread. The conversion (digitizing) is where cheap embroidery goes wrong; we do it in-house and we do it right.

01

Digitize

Your art gets converted into a stitch path, angle, density, underlay, sequence. One-time fee that shrinks with quantity, free at volume, and reorders never pay it again.

02

Hoop & align

Each piece gets hooped, locked into the embroidery frame at the exact placement so every shirt comes out the same.

03

Stitch

Multi-needle machines lay down thousands of stitches per minute. Each color is a needle, the machine swaps automatically.

04

Trim & finish

Backing trimmed, jump-stitches snipped, piece inspected. Goes out looking like it was made in a heritage atelier.

Is embroidery right for your project?

Where it shines.

Embroidery wins on premium feel, longevity, and detail at small sizes. It's the wrong choice for huge artwork, photo-realism, or budget tees.

Great for

Premium-feel decoration that lasts

  • One-time digitizing: the fee shrinks with quantity, hits $0 at volume, and reorders never pay it again
  • Hats & caps: structured fronts, foam fronts, beanies, visors
  • Polos & button-downs: left chest logos, sleeve hits, back yokes
  • Jackets & outerwear: heavy fleece, softshell, twill, denim
  • 3D puff embroidery: raised foam under the stitch for a dimensional, retro look
  • Appliqué & patches: fabric inserts stitched in for a tailored, multi-texture finish
  • Lasts the life of the garment: thread doesn't crack or wash off
Consider alternatives if…

Your design is large or photographic

  • Full-front or full-back artworkScreen Printing or DTF: embroidery on huge areas gets stiff and expensive
  • Photo-real or fine gradient detailDTF Transfers: thread can't reproduce continuous tone
  • Flat-front trucker / 5-panel capsPatches for a heritage look or DTF for full color
  • High-volume budget teesScreen Printing: cheaper per piece above 72
  • All-over print on polySublimation bonds dye into the fabric
Specifications

The details.

Quick-scan specs so you can size up a project before requesting a quote.

Setup fees
None. Digitizing is on us Most shops bill $25–75 to digitize each new design. We don't: your quoted price is what you pay, on the first run and every reorder.
Minimum quantity
6 pieces per design Lower than screen printing because there's no per-color screen to set up, the machine is ready to run as soon as the design is digitized.
Maximum colors
Up to 15 thread colors per design Each color is a separate needle on the machine. Most logos look best in 2–6 colors; beyond 8, complexity adds stitch count and cost.
Stitch styles
Flat stitch, 3D puff, appliqué, tackle twill, monogram, sewn-on patches Flat is the default. Puff adds a foam underlay for a raised dimensional look, popular on hat fronts.
Locations
Left/right chest, sleeves, back yoke, hat front/side/back, hood, neck label Sleeve and hat-side embroidery may add a small handling fee for the second hooping.
Maximum design size
14″ × 14″ standard hoop (jumbo available) Most logos are 3–5 inches wide. Larger designs are possible but stitch count climbs fast. We'll often suggest a hybrid approach.
Fabrics
Cotton, blends, polyester, fleece, twill, denim, performance knits, leather Heavyweight fabrics handle dense embroidery best. Thin tees can pucker: we recommend a smaller design or DTF for those.
Standard turnaround
5–10 business days from art approval Rush available, typically 2–3 business days for an upcharge.
Art file requirements
Vector preferred (AI, EPS, PDF) at 100% size JPG/PNG fine if it's clean and at least 300 DPI at the actual embroidery size. We re-draw small text or tiny details for stitch clarity.
Common questions

FAQ.

The questions we hear most from new embroidery customers.

Is digitizing really free? Every shop charges for that.

At volume, yes, large runs pay no digitizing at all. Below that it's a one-time fee that shrinks as your quantity grows, priced live in the wizard so you see the exact number before you submit. And here's the part most shops won't do: you never pay it twice. Reorder the same design next month or next year and it runs on the stitch file we keep on record, at no charge.

Why is the minimum 6 pieces and not lower?

Each piece has to be hooped, registered, and trimmed individually: that's slow human work even at the small end. Our floor is 6 pieces; below 12 the per-piece price climbs. For one-offs and personal items, DTF transfers are usually a better fit (3-piece minimum, $5–15 per piece).

What's the largest design I can embroider?

Standard hoop is 14″ × 14″. We can run jumbo hoops up to 16″ × 18″ for jacket backs and oversized chest pieces. Beyond that, stitch count gets so high that the print becomes stiff, expensive, and slow: at full-back size, screen printing or DTF is almost always the better choice.

Will embroidery hold up in the wash?

Indefinitely. Thread doesn't crack, peel, or fade the way printed ink eventually can. We use polyester thread for color stability and tested backing materials so the design stays flat through hundreds of cycles. Embroidered hats and jackets often outlast the garment itself.

Can you embroider on items I provide?

Yes, with a damage waiver. Embroidery has a small but real risk of needle breakage or fabric distortion on delicate garments, for items we source ourselves we eat that risk; for customer-supplied items you sign off on it. Vintage knitwear, very thin synthetics, and silk we'll politely decline.

How small can text get?

Letters need to be at least 5mm (1/4 inch) tall to stitch cleanly. Below that, the thread can't form readable letterforms, what looks fine in your art file becomes a fuzzy blob on the garment. If you have small text in your design, we'll suggest a redraw or a hybrid (embroidered logo + printed tagline).

What's 3D puff embroidery and when should I use it?

3D puff is a layer of foam stitched under the thread to create a raised, dimensional logo, the classic look on Yupoong-style structured caps. Best for bold, simple shapes (block letters, solid logos). Doesn't work for fine lines or text below ~8mm because the foam needs the thread coverage to stay hidden underneath.

Ready to put thread on it?

Pick your garment in the catalog, then build the job, live pricing as you go. Nothing is charged until you approve the mockup, and your digitized file is never re-charged on reorders.

Start an embroidery quote
← See all decoration methods