Printing Vs embroidery

One of the most commonly asked question that our customer services team are asked is what’s better, Printing or Embroidery? The answer can be complex due to the following, Logo, budget and the usage of the garment.

Therefore, we have put together a Pros and Cons to Printing and Embroidery to help you make that decision clear! 

There are several methods of garment printing which included Direct To Garment (DTG), Vinyl, Colour Transfer, and Screen Printing. We will choose the printing method we use for your order based on your artwork and the garment you have chosen. For single colour designs, Vinyl printing may be used, yet for multi-colour logos and photos, we may use Colour Transfer. Screen Printing may be used for larger quantity 1-2 colour prints.

We will always choose the best method for you based on your artwork. Once ordered our expert graphic designers will determine the best method before setting up your artwork.

1. Perfect For Larger Designs.

If your artwork is large or you are looking for your logo to be large front or back then print will be the option for you. Print is great for larger designs and is much more cost effective than embroidery. 

2. Good For Intricate & Gradient Designs.

Printed artwork gives a much sharper finish compared to embroidery especially when it comes to intricate designs and gradient colours which is something that can't be achieved with embroidery.

3. Lower Costs.

The cost of printing tends to be cheaper than embroidery overall. For starters, logo setup is free for print, unlike embroidery which comes with a first-time logo setup fee of £24.99. Also for large artwork, the price of print will not increase but with embroidery, the cost can go up considerably for larger designs with high stitch counts.

1. Less Durable.

Print tends to be less durable over a longer period of time and multicolour print will start to fade eventually. That said we use some of the best materials and ink in the industry ensuring our prints keep their quality for longer.

2. Not Suitable For Fleece Materials.

Print doesn’t work well on fleecy material and can only really be printed on to garments with flat surfaces.

3. Less Professional Finish.

For garments such as Polos & Shirts print can look less exclusive than the embroidery alternative. Hence why embroidery is the choice for many corporations.

Embroidery is the process of stitching your design into the garment using an industrial embroidery machine. Your logo is taken and redrawn into a stitched design a process which is known as digitising. This then enables our embroidery machines to read your logo file and stitch the design onto the garment..

1. Good Durability.

Embroidered logos are much more durable than print and will generally outlast the garment. This is better if you only replace clothing every few years. Likewise, if you replace clothing regularly then print might actually be more cost effective for you.

2. Professional Finish.

Embroidered logos give the ultimate professional image which is why they are used mostly in the corporate world. Embroidery gives you a high-quality finish which on garments like Polos & Fleeces can give a much more professional look.

3. Multiple Colours For The Same Cost.

Industrial embroidery machines will generally have up to 20 different colours at one time meaning multiple colours can be used at no extra cost. In contrast to screen printing which for multiple colours can be costly as each colour requires a new screen setup. 

1. More Expensive.

As mentioned earlier embroidery has a onetime logo setup fee of £24.99 compared to the free setup of printing. For larger designs with a high stitch count embroidery becomes considerably more expensive.

2. No Good For Small Intricate Designs.

Embroidery doesn't work well for intricate designs such as small lettering. Smaller elements under 0.25inch will become clammed up.

3. No Good For Gradient Designs.

You are unable to recreate gradient colours with embroidery. A gradient is when colours fade into other colours or go from light to dark. To achieve this sort of effect print is much more suitable.DTG is able to achieve very comfortable, flexible and high quality prints. The ink is printed directly in to the fibres of the T-Shirt. Therefore when using DTG there is no need to use an additional layers such as vinyl’s that is placed over the top of the garment. That way the t-shirt print is always super soft and not harsh on the skin.

T-shirts: The most popular choice for T-shirts is printing. Embroidery is possible on T-shirts but only on thicker materials. In all honesty, we prefer not to embroider T-shirts as they can easily become clumpy around the stitches especially after washing. That said if you are intent on embroidery then we suggest keeping designs to 10 CM.

Polo Shirts: Polo Shirts can be both embroidered and printed but embroidery does look that bit more professional when it comes to Polo Shirts.

Hoodies: Like polos, hoodies can be printed or embroidered but we usually find hoodies have large logos on the back meaning print is the most popular choice for hoodie personalisation.

Caps & Hats: We offer a range of caps and hats which are suitable for print or embroidery. Most the time we would suggest either based on the style of your logo. You find Caps & Hats have a smaller area for personalisation so some logos might look better printed and give a sharper finish.

Jackets: Suitable for both Print & Embroidery but we personally prefer print on jackets and softshells. Also, bare in mind that some waterproof jackets are only suitable for print as the stitching can comprise the waterproof material.

Shirts: We would recommend embroidery for the extra professional look. We find shirts are used more by our corporate clients who prefer an embroidered finish.

Sweatshirts: Can be printed or embroidered but we personally think embroidered sweatshirts look smarter.

Still have trouble MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE?