Minimum Initial Order: 10 ItemsTurnaround Time: 15+ Working Days*
Max Stitch Area: 27cm or 24cm2Recommended Garment Weight: 180 GSM+
*Turnaround for Embroidery can vary based on quantity - please get in touch for estimation.
Benefits of Embroidery
Low Minimums
Start With Ten: Quick set ups and thread colour changes make embroidery a good choice for smaller orders. Our multi head embroidery machines are also capable of producing bigger quantities as you scale up.
Lower minimums than screen printing.
Durability
Hardwearing customisation: Stitching thread directly into your item means a long lasting garment customisation that is tolerant of regular heavy duty use. Highly recommended for items such as rucksacks and workwear.
Long lasting and reliable.
✓ First Stitch Sign Off ✓
For the cost of postage (£3.95), we can send you the first stitch out from your order. This gives you an opportunity to check you’re happy with the product. This is particularly recommended for new customers. Once signed off, we will then commence with the remainder of your units, using your First Stitch as basis for quality control. This first stitch out will come from your total order quantity, and is part of your main order.
Please be aware, we still requirement payment for the full order before this first stitch.
Embroidery Prices
Our competitive embroidery prices suit a wide range of quantities and requirements.
Embroidery Cost Breakdown
The cost of an embroidery order is typically divided into four components:
- Cost of the garments
- Cost of digitising for embroidery (£18 excl VAT)
- Cost of stitching (refer to the table)
- Cost of shipping (typically £10 excl VAT)
You can find the per unit cost of each product in our product catalogue. Each page has a customisable table.
| Quantity | Stitch Count | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3K+ | 6K+ | 10K+ | 15K+ | 20K+ | 25K+ | 30K+ | |
| 4-9 | £2.50 | £3.00 | £3.50 | £4.00 | £4.50 | £5.00 | £5.50 |
| 10-49 | £2.00 | £2.50 | £3.00 | £3.50 | £4.00 | £4.50 | £5.00 |
| 50-99 | £1.75 | £2.25 | £2.75 | £3.25 | £3.75 | £4.25 | £4.75 |
| 100-199 | £1.50 | £2.00 | £2.50 | £3.00 | £3.50 | £4.00 | £4.50 |
| 200+ | £1.25 | £1.75 | £2.25 | £2.75 | £3.25 | £3.75 | £4.25 |
| Prices are per unit and exclude garments & VAT | |||||||
Digitising Your Design for Embroidery
We will transform your design into an impressive embroidery with utmost precision and professional finish.
What is Digitising?
Before embroidery can begin, your design must first be digitised. This involves converting your artwork into a file format that can be read by an embroidery machine. Through this process, we ensure that the digitised design accurately reflects the original artwork.
Digitisation is a one-off fee per design of £15 (excl VAT). Digitising is signed-off ahead of the production of your main order and generally takes 24 hours to provide.
What is Stitch Count?
The stitch count for your design refers to the number of stitches needed to recreate it on a garment. This count is determined by the complexity and size of the design, and affects the final price per garment.
You can find more examples of embroidery stitching and what influences stitch count on our preparing artwork for embroidery page.
We will give you an estimated stitch count and quote before proceeding with your order.
How to Place Your Embroidery Order
To be able to provide a quote, we will need you to have done the following:
1. Pick a Garment
Pick a product that suits your brand and your budget. Remember, heavier weight items such as sweatshirts or hoodies are more suited to embroidery.
2. Prepare Your Art
We accept most file standard formats, including .ai and .psd. You should always try to supply art at the dimensions you require and 300dpi as a minimum.
3. Get in Touch
Send your requirements and artwork over to us. We’ll quote up an accurate price for you and provide visual proofs before you commit to your order.
Sustainable Threads
Sustainable threads are environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional embroidery threads. They can be made from recycled materials, organic cotton, or plant-based fibers such as bamboo or linen. These threads are not only better for the environment, but they also have a lower impact on human health. Some sustainable threads are even biodegradable, reducing their environmental footprint even further.
Madeira Rayon Thread
We use Madeira branded Rayon thread for embroidery, which is a sustainable thread made from natural materials. Madeira is a well-known brand for high-quality threads, and their rayon thread is a popular choice. However, it may be worth noting that not all of the dyes used on these threads are vegan.
Wide Thread Colour Range
Madeira has over 400 colours available. While many of the colours can be closely matched to Pantone colours, please note that an exact match to an accompanying print order may not always be possible (but it can be pretty close).
Picking The Right Thread Colours
When it comes to thread colours, we offer a few options to help you find a perfect match for your embroidered product range:
- We can approximately match artwork as you provide it.
- You can supply Pantone references, and we pick closest match.
- You request a Madeira Shade Card, to ensure you get the colour you want.
A Madeira Shade Card contains all their colours and allows you to see the exact colours before making a final decision. This way you can have a better idea of what you can expect and make a more informed decision.
Request a Madeira shade card, featuring over 400 colours. Shade cards cost £10 (incl vat & postage) and will generally arrive a few days after dispatch.
How Does Embroidery Work?
Embroidery is a decorative technique that uses a needle and thread to create designs and patterns on fabric. The process starts with digitizing the artwork or design, creating an image file that the embroidery machine can read.
The next step is to use a hooping or framing system to hold the garment taut under the sewing needles during the process. This system allows the machine to automatically maneuver the area and bring the design to life. Each garment has to be loaded by hand onto the embroidery machines.
You can create all kinds of different effects and textures, by using different types of stitches and threads. Whether you’re looking to add a personal touch to your clothing, or create custom designs for your business, embroidery is a versatile and durable way to decorate fabrics.
Watch the Process in Action
Video of the embroidery process used for customising t shirts.
With proper care, embroidered garments can last for years to come, making it a great investment for both personal and professional use.
The Best Garments for Embroidery
It’s important to make sure the garments in your order are suitable for embroidery services. This might mean making sure the products are a heavy enough weight to be stitched without damage (or sagging when worn). Luckily, we’ve picked out some good options for you below.
Sweatshirts
Sweatshirts are a perfect choice for embroidery. The extra thickness acts as a strong canvas for stitching. We have a good range of sweatshirts including organic options. See our popular sweatshirts choices.
Some sweatshirts we love:
Hoodies / Hooded Sweatshirts
Like sweatshirts, hoodies are a great choice for embroidery due to their thick fabric providing a sturdy canvas for stitching. We offer a diverse selection of hoodies, including eco-friendly options.
Some hoodies we love:
Heavy Weight T Shirts
Embroidery lends itself to thicker garments, so heavier weight t shirts are the way to go. Thin t shirts are at risk of holes during the stitching process, so lightweight items should be avoided. We recommend at least a minimum weight of 180gsm.
T Shirts we recommend for embroidery:
- Continental EP18 Heavy T Shirt
- Gildan GD21 Heavyweight T Shirt
- Continental EP19
- Russell 215M
Hats and Accessories
Embroidery is very adaptable, and almost all materials can be embroidered. This means awkward locations such as pre-made hats and bags are no issue for embroidery.
See more headwear & bag products for embroidery.
Beanies for Embroidery
Some of our recommendations for headwear:
Bags for Embroidery
Customise bags with embroidery. Larger panel areas are usually most appropriate locations – some pockets may be too small to hoop up for embroidery.
Some of our recommendations for bags:
Still Unsure? Go to the Sample Store.
Purchase one of our pre-embroidered samples to get an idea of the quality to expect.