Embroidery is a great way to get your name, logo, or other information on various items that people will see every day. It is a great way to get your company name out there and to promote your brand. But what should you consider before placing an order for embroidered apparel?
This article may or may not be for you if you represent a Small Business, school, club, or organization that needs new branding to revitalize. Energetic, modern branding, Computerized Embroidery can all propel your business toward growth and a new horizon along with the new year.
I’ll bet you are like me and want to know how much does embroidery cost? There are three main drivers when you are talking about embroidery costs. They include, firstly, the cost to set up the logo, converting the logo from an image into a machine code that can, in turn, speak to the computerized machine. The machine code translates the image into stitches—secondly, the cost to embroider each garment, shirt, jacket, or hat. And Lastly the cost of the garment. Some folks like to provide garments of their own. Others choose to order from one of our online catalogs. There are over 3600 options of different garment styles to choose from just in one clothing catalog.
We have put together a blog with some things to consider so that you can get your company name out there and be proud of the new garment.
Let’s begin with the history of Embroidery.
Did prehistoric people use embroidered shirts?
Prehistoric cultures made clothes by sewing together animal hides and bones, and ivory. They used sharpened bone and stone knives to cut the animal hides into pieces and sew them together. They used fibers from plants to make the thread, and they used a sharp piece of bone to help them sew the pieces together. At one time, people started to sew animal skins together with a unique way of sewing. They began to add other things to the coverings. Such as stones, bones, and beads. They did this to make the bodies more beautiful for rituals.
The origins of embroidery date back to Cro-Magnon man, around 30,000 BC. Scientists found fossilized remains of decorated clothing, boots, and a hat during a recent archaeological dig. By the 1500s, embroideries had become more lavish in Europe, and throughout the world, artisans dedicated themselves to the trade. Some garments for royalty were hand embroidered and took years to complete.
How do Old-fashioned people use Embroidery?
Some of the earliest known embroidered works came from China. And, they were the first to have embroidery things. The earliest pieces of Embroidery come from the time of 1045BC to 246BC. People in China embroider with fine silk thread. China’s embroiderers have used silk thread and the same stitches for thousands of years. They have preserved the art of Embroidery. People from different countries have used Embroidery for thousands of years. The Babylonians, Egyptians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians were among the first to use Embroidery. They all made different styles of Embroidery. Some of them are available to even today.
The history of the modern era embroidery
In 1848, Jacob Schiess started an embroidery business in America. He brought 15 women over from Switzerland to work in his factory. They worked by hand to create intricate designs, but today factories use computerized machines to do them.
In the 1800s, Joshua Heilmann invented a machine that could sew faster than a person could sew by hand. This new machine could make embroideries that were more detailed and colorful than those made before. The machine became a big help in sewing and helped create a lot of new sewing methods like stitch embroidery and shuttle sewing.
In the 1900s, Robert Reiner recognized the demand for embroidery machines in America. He went to Germany to get them, and he brought them to the USA. He brought the Schiffli machine to America for Embroidery, and New Jersey became the epicenter of mechanized garments manufacturing and decorating. The newly introduced machines we there to create patterns on fabric.
In 1964 Tajima, a small Japanese company started to mass-produce and sell TAJIMA Multi-head Automatic Embroidery machines. By 1980 the first computerized embroidery machines liberated manufacturers further by introducing machine codes to the manufacturing process. Machines were programable with plots fed into a program defining left-right, back-forth coordinates. The coordinates are described as X Y-axis plots. Before embroidery software, these plots used to be drawn by hand on a 6 to 1 scale then reduced, all super time-consuming. The Wilcom company, in 1979, introduced the first computerized graphics embroidery design system to make the process even faster.
Today, hand embroidery and machine embroidery are both enjoying trends of popularity based on the specific goals of each crafter. Lots of people like to use their hands to Embroidery. They want to do it by hand. It is unique when you do it by hand. Historically some craftsmen spent years hand embroidering one garment for the Emperor or the Pope. Embroidery machines speed the creation process and standardize custom logos so the logos can be reordered and easily replicated.
The new high-speed machines can run at 1000 stitches per minute, were as, if we’re doing the same decoration by hand, that may take a week to complete. Modern embroidery machines are consistent, efficient. The machines in my embroidery shop work two shifts every day, running 16 hours every day. When it comes to mass production, there is no beating a machine. The newer industrial machines are typically used by people who want to sell their embroidery items to others. There are a few industrial machines in private households; however, the cost of entry is high. One can easily spend $12,000 on an embroidery machine and another $12,000 on the software to produce designs and translate those designs into machine code.
Types Of Embroidery Machines – 3 types which you must see!
There are three types of embroidery machines in production: Mechanical, Electronic, and Computerized. These machines offer different features and capabilities and can help you with specific projects and tasks. In this article, we have enclosed the basics of each kind to get what you need from whichever type you choose for your project! The industrial machines I’m referring to are what is used in all commercial Embroidery shops. The original computerized embroidery machine, the Tajima brand is still around; Baurdan and Melco are two other long-standing brands. The ones we love the most are called SWF and are a product of South Korea. We love our SWF embroidery machines them so much purchased ten machines with 60 embroidery heads at Merlin Embroidery in San Diego. Each machine has its’ own specialty usage. Some set up for large format embroidery, 12-15 inch wide full jacket back logos. Other devices are set up for hats, and still, others are set up for small left chest embroidery logos for polo and dress shirts.
The mechanical embroidery machine:
The mechanical embroidery machine is a basic model. This machine is commonly found in homes due to its ease of use and its standard. The automated embroidery machine is an excellent choice for beginners because of its simplicity, but you should only use it for small projects, to begin with. The smaller the design, the fewer the stitches. I’ll bet you’re like me and want to know how fast, small designs will run versus larger designs. We use a simple math formula to convert stitches of a design into minutes of production time. For example, if a logo is 5,000 stitches and your machine runs 500 stitches per minute, how many minutes will it take for the design to finish? If you quickly came up with 10 minutes, your right. This type of production rate thinking permeates all manufacturing businesses. How many items need decoration, and how long does the machine take to decorate one?
The electronic embroidery machine:
The electronic embroidery machine is a ubiquitous and straightforward embroidery machine to use. It’s easier than mechanical machines and comes with more patterns than ordinary mechanical ones. It may be an electrical machine, but it has traditional sewing capabilities, showing that it truly is a good solution for your sewing needs.
The Singer company invented the first electronic sewing machine in 1889. Electric sewing machines didn’t become portable until the 1920s. Though they were technically portable, these machines were both heavy and expensive. Sewing machines became much more lightweight by the 1930s.
The computerized embroidery machine :
The computerized embroidery machine is the most avant-garde with the highest level of technology. It is also the most costly embroidery machine. Able to hook up directly to a computer, it has it’s own computer as part of the machine, you can send designs to the machine via wifi, save them to a thumb drive and upload one file at a time if you so, please. Our SWF machine typically can run all year without being serviced. It can do many different stitches and can make a lot of different designs. The computerized machine is handy because it can store as many as 100 designs. For repeat orders, this storage capability comes in handy. We regularly run each machine 8-16 hours per day with very little trouble. Every 8 hours, we oil the machines and use compressed air to blow out any lint or dust. This high productivity and reliability keeps costs down and quality high.
Why Choose Custom Embroidery for the company?
50k personalized embroidered company logo shirts already made
It accomplishes a few things when you give away quality items like shirts embroidered with your logo or brand. Like artisans of old, it takes about 2,000 hours for an apprentice to become a competent embroiderer. At 10,000 hours, an embroiderer becomes a master at their craft. As I’m writing this article, I have over 70,000 hours working with over 52,000 unique embroidery logos for over 12,000 clients over 30 years.
Is it really needed like branded shirts Polo, Hawaiian for embroidered logo patches?
A professional embroiderer will communicate with you and help you translate your vision of how you want your unique logo to look. Just imagine being able to wear your unique branded logo proudly embroidered on your shirt, jacket, or hat. Like printed t-shirts, you’ll enjoy a 24/7 marketing machine. There are no more fantastic conversation starters than someone admiring your embroidery logo.
Brand recognition and awareness:
Free advertising for your business
Firstly, it creates brand recognition and awareness and expands the visibility and the footprint of your company. It is free advertising for your business whenever your employee wears the shirt.
Embroidered company logo polo shirts bring job satisfaction
Experience shows that uniformed Embroidery decorated apparel worn by staff and organization members increases a sense of meaning and purpose and job satisfaction. If you’re like me, I want happy employees and coworkers.
Improves company reputation:
Secondly, when you provide quality uniforms to your employees, they will be delighted with your employees and be happy to work with your company. It will help your company’s reputation.
Embroidered company logo patches take your business next level
Clients give feedback, describing company representatives as clean and tidy, neat and presentable. For top companies, reputation is everything. To become more successful requires a team of happy employees that represent your company. Studies have demonstrated higher rates of productivity and cooperation when they are wearing matching branded garments and uniform attire.
What should you consider when deciding to get embroidered company apparel such as hats, beanies, caps, jackets, and sweatshirts?
Should you get Hawaiian shirt with embroidered company logo?
Mostly Hawaiian shirts are worn by men. Sometimes women also wear it. Usually, this dress code is for casuals. if you want to take your brand to more people, it is advisable to have the embroidered company logo on your employee’s casual shirts too. Hence, they can wear the dress wherever they go for their personal work. It’s free advertising for your company as I mentioned earlier.
If you want your logo to be the talk of the town, you need an embroidery printing company specializing in creating logos that grab attention for all the right reasons. Your logo is an image that represents your brand. Images are powerful things, like Nike and its swoosh. People are tribal and want to identify with symbols. The better job at branding you do, the more quickly your community will be able to see what makes your company unique and different from your competition.
That said, not all Embroidery is created equal, so it’s vital to do some research and ask plenty of questions before choosing an embroidery company to work with. Communication is key. We ask the right questions regarding your vision, timeline, and budget. Help from an experienced professional embroider can put your mind at ease and, more precisely, carry out your idea of converting your branded logo into a work of art. Superb Embroidery is both art and science, visually pleasing and machine produced.
It would be best to be careful when selecting a shop to make sure they are reputable in the embroidery business. Experience counts in terms of getting quality in your logo. The number of stitches in your logo will vary by brand and style of clothing or other promotional items but typically ranges from 6,000 – 15,000 stitches for a hat front or left chest size logo.
On average, it takes 8-30 minutes per piece/hour to produce at this level. Our embroidery shop has 60 embroidery heads, so that means that every 8-30 minutes, 60 embroidered garments are produced over an 8-hour workday. That’s nearly 500 garments. As the boss, I’m ultimately in charge of quality control. You should make sure that the embroidery shop that makes your logo does a good job.
When samples are produced for you first thing once you place your order and pay for the work, once you see the sample, take a long hard look at it, compare it with your business card, logo, or another branding.
The three-dimensional nature of Embroidery should make your logo pop out at you. The Embroidery should make the logo shine as you’ve never seen it before. If your logo doesn’t look good, be sure and mention where you think the logo could be improved. To be honest with you, about 1% of clients only request changes to their logo. It’s no big surprise the rejection rate is so low. The new computerized software can copy a logo just like a copy machine or scanner would. Instead, the software and the embroidery designer convert the image into an embroidery file that carries the machine codes that make the machine move and do beautiful designs.
In some cases, designs will pucker or become misshapen after they are washed. This is generally because the garment was 100 % cotton. It’s best to prewash any garment before you take it to the local embroidery shop. Other puckering causes include only shaped designs or designs that are too stitch dense. Designs that were too stitch dense or too much detail were attempted in too small an area. There are physical limits to Embroidery, namely needle size, and thread width or diameter.
A sure sign of problems is the puckering of a design. Either the wrong backing was used, or the design is too stitch dense. A good embroidery company will ensure that the garments suit your goals. Modern high-speed embroidery threads are made from 100% polyester and can withstand everyday wear and tear and hundreds of regular washing. With colorfast 100% polyester thread used, The logo will contrast and show, even if you choose a tonal thread strategy on your logo. Tonal means, for example, that we are embroidering a black-colored logo on a black t-shirt. If the black t-shirt is 100% cotton, there is a tonal contrast and shine of the 100% polyester thread. The garment will fade a bit over time, and the logo will continue to be Gleaming black. This decoration strategy is called tonal Embroidery.
If you are working on company branding, try to visualize different kinds of clothes and fabrics. It is crucial that your logo is easy to see and looks good on any material that you choose. Some companies now digitize their logos to change the design if they need to before they make it into a shirt for you. If you are overly anxious about your design, order one as a sample and see how you like it. Volume discounts are typical on orders over 72 pieces. Case price breaks are based on cases of 72 garments. Ask your embroidery company if they offer to digitize your logo in-house. Most professional embroiderers do their own digitizing, quick edits, and adjustments must be made on the fly. To become a great embroiderer, you must develop editing designs to suit different types of garments. Your computerized embroidery design will run differently depending upon the garment type if we want to maintain consistent embroidery designs across different garment types. We always look at the finished product with a skeptical eye, always prepared to make adjustments.
Things to avoid when placing an order
- There are many types of threads, and not all of them are the same. The most common type of embroidery thread is 100% polyester. Yes, they still make Rayon and 100% cotton threads for Home and Hobbie use. All the new industrial high-speed computerized embroidery machines use 100% polyester. The 100% Poly threads have high tensile strength and fast color quality over 100s of washes. When getting your logo embroidered, make sure that you talk to the embroidery company about what kind of thread they will use.
- Price is one of many indicators that help shoppers understand the quality of an embroidery company. Some companies are good in that they provide the best service they can for their clients. Over 30 years, Merlin Embroidery has served over 12,000 small business customers. We do twice-yearly surveys of embroidery prices. We aim to be middle of the road in terms of pricing, this has always been our strategy, and it’s kept us busy with 15 – 20 orders every day.
- If you need help with Embroidery, Hire an embroidery logo designer to help you with your design, then hire that designer to set up your embroidery logo. Ask your logo designer to send you a sample of what the design will look like once it’s been embroidered.
- Inventory your garments at the desk with an embroidery shop representative. When you receive your completed order, once you get home or while you’re at the shop, if you have time, inventory your order to be sure you got all your garments. Experience shows that if you inventory when you pick up and drop off, 99.9% of errors are eliminated. We’ll be happy to help walk you through the process.
- Bonus Tip: Call your local embroidery shop during regular working hours, typically 10-5 Monday thru Friday. A text or phone call to get honest time feedback is essential to maintain the highest levels of efficiency.
- Lastly, It’s an excellent idea to check that everything is as promised on your order.
Conclusion
Among the long list of benefits of having custom branded company apparel, Embroidery has a higher perceived value than printed t-shirts, but they make a powerful uniforming combination. Like company branded t-shirts, embroidered garments are 24/7 advertising for your business, only with a more upscale dressy look.
We’ve discussed that even prehistorical societies valued and cherished decorated garments and even 30,000 years ago designed and wore Embroidery embellished clothing.
Embroidery is an excellent way of branding your group, company, and organization. That is why we at Merlin Embroidery are committed to making sure you get the best quality products for your money. Since 1992, we’ve worked hard to ensure that the Embroidery is special and unique to your branded garments. Would you be open-minded to the idea of converting your current logo into an embroidered branded logo for your company? Call today. We’ll answer your questions fast and get you on with the rest of your day. Call Kevin at 619.884.9712. I’m sure you’ve got questions, lets discuss them right away and begin talking about your ideas.
I look forward to discussing your ideas.
