Customized Apparel is Easy - Decoration Options Explained

by Alex Plachta

Customized shirts and jackets are a fun way to give your employees something practical to represent their company.  Personally, I feel more professional wearing my Office Express gear and it gives me some zero thought outfits to wear to work, which is always good!  Not every promotional item gets good use and I think apparel increases the chances of being used and appreciated.

So, if you’re interested in some apparel for your company, there are three common imprinting methods to choose from when creating your order. We’ll look briefly at each of them below.

1. Embroidery: This is the simplest to explain because embroidery is basically sewing on a shirt.  Typically, this is used on polo shirts and thicker fabrics like jackets.  The cost is affected by the number of stitches needed, so usually items are done in a reduced-size company logo on the left chest or on the sleeve.

Pros: Professional look and will hold up over time. 

Cons: Not good for large designs or small detail.  Not much of a discount for bulk orders.

2. Screen Printing: This is the most common type of printing for apparel - particularly for items like T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jerseys.  This method involves breaking the design down into individual colors and applying layers of color one at a time.  The process requires a lot of work at first, but really scales well and produces bold colors and a product that holds up well over time.

Pros: Bold, high-quality printing.  Cost-effective at higher quantities printing one design on many shirts.

Cons: High upfront setup cost so requires a minimum order to make it cost-effective.

3. Direct-To-Garment: This is a newer digital method of printing on apparel that closely resembles how a digital printer prints on pieces of paper.  It does not require the more complicated setup process that screen printing requires and it prints all at once instead of in layers. It’s good for detailed items with many colors. Because it prints in one layer, it doesn’t print as boldly or hold up as well over time like screen printing.  It also doesn’t scale as well with larger orders. 

Pros: Less expensive for small orders.  Good for detailed color images. 

Cons: More expensive than screen printing on larger orders.  Doesn’t print super bold or hold up as well over time.

I hope this post is helpful when placing your next custom apparel order!  If you are in the metro Detroit area and want help with an apparel order you can contact us at print@oexusa.com.

Thank you for reading!