Screen printing is likely your go-to choice when you need shirts or hats for an event or party. However, if you’re looking for a professional, durable, high-end design, a printed tee may not be enough.
Instead of a printed design, consider personalized embroidery to add a textured finish and sense of luxury to your items.
At Ink Tees, we offer custom embroidery services in Farmington Hills, MI, and the surrounding areas. Contact us today to learn more about our creative design and durable printing technology.
5 Items Where Embroidery Adds a High-End Finish
Embroidery involves stitching a design into fabric using thread. The result is a raised, textured finish that usually appears more high-end compared to screen printing. Embroidery is a great choice for many items, but especially garments that have structure and weight.
Five items where embroidery works best include:
1. Business Casual Shirts
If you’re printing shirts for your corporation or business team, you need a high-quality option that maintains your brand image. Anything with your business logo or branding should align with your professional image, especially if you plan to wear it around clients.
Polo shirts are a popular choice when it comes to custom shirts for businesses, especially uniforms that are worn daily.
However, screen printing doesn’t work on polo shirts because it cracks and peels over time, especially with frequent washing. In addition, a printed logo on pique knit polo fabric looks flat and washed out.
Embroidered shirts, on the other hand, last longer despite frequent washing. The raised stitches of the design create a dense, rich texture. The thread can also catch the light better than a printed desert, adding more depth to the design. Raised stitches also stand out against the woven fabric of a polo.
2. Outerwear
Similar to polo material, jackets and other outerwear are made from thicker materials. This includes softshell, denim, fleece, and canvas. These surfaces are difficult for printed ink to adhere to while appearing even.
With an embroidery machine, the needle easily penetrates thick fibers to create a long-lasting design. While embroidery may not be as flat as screen printing, it adds minimal bulk, so the image appears seamless.
It’s also better at withstanding rain and other elements compared to printing, which can fade over time.
3. Caps & Hats
Printing is difficult on curved surfaces such as baseball caps and other rounded hats. Not only can the design appear uneven, it can also crease and look distorted.
An embroidery machine solves this problem through digitizing, where the machine translates the design into stitch instructions. The machine is able to stitch across seams and curves easily, so that the image appears seamless and raised on the hat’s surface. The design process can also be customized through puff embroidery to produce a three-dimensional effect.
4. Bags & Accessories
Bags and accessories like backpacks and totes are other great options for embroidered designs. These items have heavy, thick fabrics like canvas, nylon, or industrial-grade polyester.
Screen printing machines don’t work well on these fabrics, making embroidery a better choice. Embroidery is also better for durability, since bags are usually exposed to more dirt and friction, and are used to carry heavy items.
5. Specialty Workwear
Lastly, embroidery is a great option for specialty garments, especially those that need repeated washing. This includes scrubs, chef coats, and industrial work shirts. These types of garments often need high-temperature washing to ensure proper sanitation. This can be harmful to screen-printed images, causing them to degrade, fade, peel, and crack quickly, sometimes after the first wash.
With embroidery, the threads are high-quality, maintain their color, and are resistant to harsh detergents and high heat. The quality of embroidery ensures your uniforms and workwear look professional for a long time.
Contact Ink Tees for Custom Embroidery Designs Today
If you need embroidered branding apparel, reach out to our team at Ink Tees. We specialize in direct-to-garment printing, or digital custom T-shirt printing, as well as embroidery and traditional screen printing.
Whether you have a design in mind or need help, we can help you bring your items to life with your branding and image. We offer expert design consultation and a wide variety of design ideas and templates.
In addition, we have no minimum order amount and offer rush printing when you need reliable, fast delivery.
Interested in working with us for embroidered shirts, hats, or bags? Call 833.465-8337 or contact us online for a quote.