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Northwest Custom Apparel Building

Sales: 1-800-851-3671

Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm

[email protected]

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Northwest Custom Apparel

2025 Freeman Rd E, Milton, WA 98354, United States

FAQ

Production Time:
Our turnaround time for production is typically 12-14 business days after receiving final approval of artwork and order. This allows us enough time to order materials from our suppliers and shipping, decorate, fold, and box your order.

New Embroidery Designs:
For new embroidery designs, please allow 5-7 days to digitize and sample your logo. We can email you a photo of the stitched layout, or you can visit our office to view the physical sewn sample. You will need to approve the design before we decorate the garments.

New Custom Designs:
If you require a custom design for direct-to-garment printing, screen printing, or embroidery, the design process typically takes 7-10 days, depending on the complexity of the design.

Vectoring and Simple Art Cleanup:
Simple vectoring and art cleanup usually take 2-3 days. Providing a cleaner logo will make the vectorization process easier and faster.

The choice between screen printing and embroidery is not solely based on cost. In some cases, screen printing may be comparable in price to embroidery, particularly for small orders with multiple colors. For quantities, less than 72 shirts, the difference in cost is often minimal. It’s essential to consider the desired appearance, durability, and intended use of your custom garments when deciding between screen printing and embroidery.

Digitizing Fee:
We offer a one-time digitizing fee for your custom embroidery logo. This helps ensure the highest quality and accuracy of your design. For larger designs, feel free to ask for a quote.

Direct-to-Garment Printer Setup Fee:
A one-time setup fee is applied for each direct-to-garment design, which ensures optimal print quality and perfect color matching for your custom garments.

Screen-Print Setup Fee:
For screen printing, we charge a setup fee for each new screen. This fee helps us create a precise screen that produces sharp and vibrant prints on your garments.

Screen Resets:
A minimal fee for screen resets is applied to maintain the quality and consistency of your screen-printed design throughout the production process.

Promotional Product Setup Fees:Setup fees for promotional products are tailored to each specific item. This ensures we provide the best possible customization for your unique promotional items, such as coffee mugs, pens, and more.

Screen printing is an excellent choice for designs with 2-3 colors, particularly for larger orders of 288 or more shirts. This method is known for its durability and vibrant colors.

Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing, on the other hand, is perfect for smaller orders with a minimum of 12 shirts and provides the flexibility to print designs with unlimited colors. DTG uses water-based ink, resulting in a soft and lightweight feel on the print. To achieve the best quality with DTG, it is recommended to use 100% cotton shirts.

Both methods have unique advantages, so the choice depends on your design, order size, and desired outcome.

For large orders, we are often able to negotiate discounts with our primary supplier, thanks to our long-standing relationship. These discounts can result in significant savings for you, especially when dealing with high-volume orders. To learn more about special pricing opportunities for your large order, please get in touch with our sales team, who will be more than happy to assist you.

Our knowledgeable sales representatives are here to help you select the perfect thread or ink colors for your custom design.
For embroidery, we offer a range of thread colors showcased in our color chart. We use high-quality rayon threads from the manufacturer Robison Anton (please note that these threads are unsuitable for industrial wash).
For screen printing, we can match Pantone (PMS) colors to ensure consistency and accuracy in your design. When it comes to Direct-to-Garment printing, we utilize CMYK colors. While we strive to match PMS colors as closely as possible, there may be a slight variation in shades.

We understand that sometimes you may need your order urgently. While we do our best to accommodate rush orders, acceptance is subject to our current capacity and product availability. We apply a percentage-based rush fee depending on the required turnaround time:

7-10 business days: Additional 25% rush fee
5-6 business days: Additional 30% rush fee
3-4 business days: Additional 40% rush fee
2 business days: Additional 50% rush fee
1 business day: Additional 100% rush fee

Yes, we provide personalization services for embroidery, Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing, and heat transfers. Whether you need your name embroidered on the left chest of a polo shirt, different last names or team numbers on the back of a t-shirt with DTG, or personalized names and numbers on baseball jerseys using heat transfers, we’ve got you covered. Our customization options ensure that your apparel stands out and represents you or your team perfectly.

Additional charges will apply if a customer requests a copy of their digital artwork, such as a Photoshop file. This is because the customer is paying for the time and labor involved in creating the original artwork or digitized files, which are meant to be reproduced exclusively at NW Custom Apparel. Should you require a copy of your design, please get in touch with us to discuss the additional fees associated with providing you with the digital files.

  • Garments purchased through Northwest Custom Apparel that have defects, please contact us, and we can replace them.
  • Customers unsatisfied with their order due to personal preferences will be dealt with case by case. Our policy is that once decorated, we can’t accept returns if it doesn’t fit or you don’t like the style.
  • Incorrect sizing and design: We send out art and approvals for each order to verify correctness. Once you approve and sign off on your order, we can’t accept returns. We understand that things may get overlooked in the approval process, so please get in touch with us, and we will work out a win-win solution.
  • Restocking Fees: There is a 25% restocking fee once we purchase the blank goods from our supplier. Decorated items can’t be returned to our vendor.
  • Notify us within seven business days: Please go through your order after you receive it. If you find any issues, please contact us within seven business days.
  • Due to production restraints, we cannot replace individual items for orders with extensive setups like screen printing or promotional products. In such cases, we offer credit back to your account. We recommend ordering extra items to avoid such situations.
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Antonio-Massey

Antonio Massey

Production Team: Folder

Antonio Massey recently joined NWCA in June of 2022. His role on the Production Team has greatly improved our processes and productivity. Antonio is always willing to lift heavy boxes or help his co-workers during busy times. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his dog and mastering video games.

Alicia-Wada

Alicia Wada

Shipping Clerk

Alicia Wada is passionate about helping her co-workers at Northwest Custom Apparel in any way that she can. She works in our Shipping and Logistics department. Alicia, who goes by Ali, has a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics. She lived in Japan for ten years and recently brought her family to America in 2019. She is interested in learning crafts and textile art from around the world.

Erik-Mikelson

Erik Mickelson

Manager

Erik Mickelson’s position as Manager is more than a job, it’s a passion. It’s always fun and exciting because he enjoys marketing, computers, and coming up with innovative ideas to help NWCA grow. He majored in accounting and finance at Washington State University, graduating in 1996, and returned to school to obtain his Master of Business from WGU, graduating in 2016. Erik continually strives to advance his education through podcasts, audiobooks, and industry tradeshows. He is married to a remarkable and caring wife named Wendy, a Registered Nurse, with whom he shares his many hobbies and a love for the outdoors.

 

Ruth-Nhoung

Ruth Nhoung

Production Manager

Ruth Nhoung is our Production Manager and Northwest Custom Apparel is lucky to have her. Thanks to her vast knowledge of machine embroidery and dedication to creating a comfortable and supportive work environment, the production plant runs smoothly and customers are pleased with our work. She is a loving mother and grandmother and enjoys spending quality time with her siblings. She says, “I love everything about Northwest Custom Apparel: the people, the atmosphere, the work, and the customers. I love what I do and I embrace all of NWCA’s core values”.

Steve-Deland

Steve Deland

Art Director

Steve Deland has been our amazing Artist since 2017. He loves working at Northwest Custom Apparel because he appreciates the goal-oriented, progressive-thinking management style. He is most passionate about his art, which includes scroll saw woodwork, and his five grandchildren.

 

Taylar-Hanson

Taylar Hanson

Sales

Taylar Hanson is a highly acclaimed Saleswoman at Northwest Custom Apparel. She has a BA in Apparel, Merchandising, Design, and Textiles from Washington State University. “Go Cougs!” The best part of Taylar’s job is getting to work with longtime customers who trust us to do the best work and take care of their needs. She is passionate about appreciating nature, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Nika-Lao

Nika Lao

Sales

Nika Lao is very knowledgeable in how the business is ran because she began as an Embroidery Machine Operator and has worked hard to become the excellent and personable saleswoman she is today. She enjoys the stress-free environment and the many chances to connect with her co-workers over potlucks, BBQs, and bowling parties. Nika is a proud sister of two highly successful brothers and can boast mastering three languages herself: Khmer, Thai, and English. She is an avid camper, enjoys going to farmer markets, and loves cooking.

Bradley-Wright

Bradley Wright

Accountant

Bradley Wright has been a vital team member of NWCA since 2017. As our accountant and knower-of-all-things, Bradley is proud to work closely with his wonderful colleagues. He studied at the University of Washington. These days he dedicates his free time to his new house.

Dominic-Nguyen

Dominic Nguyen

DTG Operator

Dominic Nguyen recently joined our Direct-To-Garment department. He says he loves the family work environment at Northwest Custom Apparel. In his free time, Dom likes to listen to music, hangout with friends, and play video games. He comes from a very big family which can be very chaotic at times, but is always exciting.

Sothea-Tann

Sothea Tann

Production Team: Trimmer

Sothea Tann recently joined the Production Team in 2022. She finds Northwest Custom Apparel to be a good working environment with helpful and friendly staff. In her free time, Sothea spends quality time with her family and, overall, focuses on a peaceful and happy lifestyle.

Brian-Beardsly

Brian Beardsley

DTG Supervisor

Brian Beardsley has been with Northwest Custom Apparel since 2018. He is our DTG Supervisor. Brian loves that he gets to work with high-tech machines in a fun atmosphere. He has a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. He said, “I always wanted to create visually interesting assets in a variety of mediums”. In his free time, he enjoys building and painting models, playing video games, designing, and playing his guitar.

UT-Tri-Tran

UT Tri Tran

Embroidery Machine Operator

UT Tri Tran loves Northwest Custom Apparel so much that, although she has already retired after a long career in machine embroidery operations, she is happy to return part time. She says, “I love the family style work environment and how everyone shares food, laughter, and fun on a regular basis.” In her free time she is dedicated to living a healthy and peaceful lifestyle with her friends and family.

Bunsereytheavy-Hoeu

BunsereytheavyHoeu

Embroidery Machine Operator

BunsereytheavyHoeu, who goes by Theavy, won our Operator of the Year in 2021. She takes on many roles in the production team. She says, “These are not my co-workers, these are my family! I cherish all the memories we make together”. When she goes home to be with her family, she makes the most of her time with them by holding family get-togethers and even karaoke competitions.

Sreynai-Meang

Sreynai Meang

Embroidery Machine Operator

SreynaiMeang is a hard-working Machine Operator. She is most passionate about helping people. Sreynai, who goes by Nai, likes to exercise in her free time and talk with her family in Cambodia.

Kanha-Chhorn

Kanha Chhorn

Embroidery Machine Operator

Kanha Chhorn has been an Embroidery Operator with Northwest Custom Apparel since 2018. She is delightful and always makes everyone smile and laugh. Kanha takes on additional tasks that allow us to exceed our customers’ expectations. In her free time, she can be found at her local temple or spending quality time with her family and friends.

Savy-Sorm

Savy Som

Embroidery Machine Operator

SavySom is one of our Machine Operators who is passionate about embroidery and sewing. She enjoys working at NWCA because of its flexibility. She has two teenage sons and loves spending time with her family on the weekends.

Sorphorn-Sorm

SorphornSorm

Embroidery Machine Operator

SorphornSorm has been a Machine Operator since 2011. One of her four sisters works here as well. Her other relatives are in Cambodia. In her free time, Sorphorn studies English, listens to music, and enjoys exercising.

Jim-Mickelson

Jim Mickelson

CEO

Jim Mickelson, after a successful career with a major oil company, founded Northwest Embroidery in 1977. This was the first commercial embroidery in the Pacific Northwest. Over the years, Jim has become the guru of embroidery never refusing to answer a question or offer advice to his fellow embroiders. Jim and his wife Leeanna raised four wonderful children who went on to successful business careers.