One of the biggest challenges we face at Customized Guys when working to embroider a logo onto a polo shirt, cap or other piece of apparel is the fact that embroidery has its limitations. The physics of embroidery sometimes get in the way of being able to recreate a graphic logo or other elements in embroidery. In other words, putting thread on material is different from ink on paper.
The physics of embroidery are what create those limitations. Thread is 3-dimensional; it has height, width and depth. Because of that, it cannot be made smaller than it already is. Contrast that with a droplet of ink, which is really only two-dimensional and can be made to represent something really small.
One of the challenges created by this fact is small text. Many companies use taglines in their logos. Taglines are created using text that is usually very small in size. Therein lays the problem for embroidery. Small text generally doesn’t embroider cleanly.
However, some taglines are a very important part of some logos and brands. So what do we do? Well, there are several options. Sometimes there is room enough to make text bigger and therefore embroider cleanly. Sometimes the text can be made bigger and then stacked on top of each. Sometimes the only option to eliminate the tagline altogether.
If neither of those options is available, the next best thing is to embroider that tagline in another location on the shirt. That provides more flexibility and room to work with so the text can be made bigger without overpowering the logo.
One of the best locations to put that tagline is on the left sleeve of a shirt. We really like this location because it puts the tagline very close to the logo that is embroidered on the left chest-thereby creating an association with the logo and the brand. It is also a very visible location so other people can see it.
Another popular location is the back yoke of a shirt or jacket. The yoke is that area just below the collar on the back. It is not a visible as a sleeve location, but it is still on the shirt. This area works really well if the wearer is in a situation where the back yoke will be seen a great deal like a show floor or a trade show.
Less popular locations include the right sleeve, right chest or even the cuff of a long sleeve button down shirt.
One downside is that is does cost more to add that additional location of embroidery-generally only a few dollars per shirt. But for many customers, that is a better option that removing the tagline altogether.