Frequently asked questions about Embroidery

How many colors may I use?

What kind of artwork do I need to provide?

How is embroidery priced?

What are the steps in ordering embroidery?

How fast can I get my order?

How many colors may I use? to top

Most designs use up to 6 colors, but you may use as many colors as are needed for your design. Our machines can hold 12 different thread colors. For more than 12 colors, the design is sewn out with 12 colors, the cones of thread are removed and the new colors added, the needles are re-threaded, and the rest of the design is sewn out. Obviously, this makes a 16-color design much more expensive than if it has 12 colors or less.

What kind of artwork do I need to provide? to top

High-resolution art is not required for embroidery, but may be for screenprinting. A business card will do for some logos, photographs are needed for vehicles, and artwork from a website will often suffice for an embroidered logo. Generally, however, the better the artwork or photo, the easier it is to work from, especially in the case of screenprinting.

Files may be compressed as .zip files for Windows.

Artwork files smaller than 500 k may be sent as an attachment to an email. Large, high-resolution artwork may be sent on floppy disk, zip disk or CD, in either Windows or Macintosh format.

Image files may be sent as jpeg, gif, tiff, or eps.

We can accept files from the following programs:
CorelDraw 9 for Windows
Corel PhotoPaint 9 for Windows
Illustrator 8 (Windows) or 10 (Macintosh)
Quark Xpress 4.1 or lower for Windows or Macintosh)
PageMaker 5.5 (Windows) or 7 (Macintosh)
Photoshop 5.5 (Windows) or 7 (Macintosh)
Microsoft Word 2000 or lower for Windows
Corel WordPerfect for Windows

How is embroidery priced? to top

Generally, our prices are based on the number of stitches in the finished design.

Digitizing: Since creating a new design is time consuming, the fees may be based on time rather than number of stitches. A small but detailed logo may take more time than a jacket back design that uses simple filled shapes and lettering. We like to quote individually on digitizing charges.
Sewing: The sewn-out design is priced by the number of stitches in the design. A larger design takes more time to sew. You may use our Request for Quote form to get a detailed quote on your project.

Basic Steps in ordering embroidery: to top

1. Send your artwork. This can be in the form of a jpg or gif, sent as an email attachment. You could also mail or bring in your artwork, and we will quote on it or prepare it for embroidery. We also have thousands of stock designs for which there is no design fee. You may be able to find what you want among those, and add lettering for an inexpensive alternative to a custom design.

2. Choose your garments. Choosing at this stage is important, because our designer must know what kind of material your logo will be sewn on. Different materials require different treatments, and one treatment may be substantially different from another. You can check our Sportswear section for a wide selection of top-quality, economical choices.

3. Approve the quote. This will get us started on creating your logo in embroidery.

4. Approve the sewout. We'll send you a sample of the design sewn on fabric similar in character to the item or items you've chosen. Refine your colors here, and make minor adjustments. (We can match Pantone colors) When you approve the sewout, we can get down to work producing your order!

5. Receive your new stuff! Everyone loves that moment when you unpack the first item.


How fast can I get my embroidery order? to top

Generally it takes two to three weeks to create a design, go through the approval process, and produce the final products. We can shorten the time in some cases, depending on the design, the quantities, and the kind of garments. To guarantee work in a shorter time may involve a rush charge.