You have a logo and a deadline, but do not know whether to embroider it or screen print it. You do not know if cotton or polyester will survive your work environment. You do not know if your file will print cleanly or turn into a pixelated mess. These are the questions we answer every day at our facility in Milton, Washington.
We have produced custom apparel since 1977. We have seen buyers choose the wrong method, the wrong fabric, and the wrong file format. We have also seen buyers get it exactly right because they asked the right questions before they ordered. This page collects our decision guides. Each one is based on a mistake we fixed or a success we repeated.
The method you choose determines everything else. Price, turnaround, durability, and appearance all flow from this decision. We run four methods in-house. Each one handles different situations.
Embroidery works best for polos, jackets, caps, and any garment worn repeatedly over months or years. The logo becomes part of the fabric structure. It does not crack, fade, or peel. It requires a minimum of six pieces and a one-time digitizing fee for new designs.
Screen printing works best for cotton t-shirts and hoodies at volume. The ink sits on top of the fabric and produces vivid, opaque color. It requires a minimum of twenty-four pieces and a setup fee per color. It is the most cost-effective method at scale.
DTG printing works best for full-color designs, photographs, and small orders. The ink absorbs into the fabric and produces soft, detailed prints with no setup fees and no minimum. It is limited to cotton and cotton blends.
DTF printing works best for polyester, nylon, spandex, and performance fabrics. The design prints onto film and transfers with heat. It is the only method that adheres properly to synthetic materials.
The fabric determines how the decoration looks, how it feels, and how long it lasts. A construction crew in Tacoma needs different material than a tech startup in Seattle.
Cotton is soft, breathable, and accepts every decoration method. It shrinks in the wash. It wrinkles. It absorbs moisture. For office environments and casual wear, cotton is the standard.
Polyester is durable, wrinkle-resistant, and moisture-wicking. It does not accept standard screen printing or DTG ink without cracking. It requires DTF or specially treated screen printing. For construction, landscaping, and outdoor work, polyester is necessary.
Cotton-poly blends split the difference. They are softer than pure polyester and more durable than pure cotton. They accept screen printing and DTF. They are the safest choice when you are not sure what your crew needs.
Performance fabrics with spandex or elastane require DTF exclusively. The stretch factor breaks screen print ink and distorts embroidery. We see this mistake most often with gym owners and athletic teams who order screen printed performance shirts and wonder why the logo cracks after two washes.
Your artwork file determines whether the finished product looks professional or amateur. We review every file before production. These are the rules we use.
For embroidery and screen printing: Send vector files. AI, EPS, or PDF with editable layers. Vector files scale infinitely without losing quality. A logo that looks sharp on a business card will look sharp on a jacket back.
For DTG and DTF: Send high-resolution raster files. PNG or TIFF at 300 dpi minimum with a transparent background. JPEG files do not support transparency. A JPEG with a white box around your logo will print with a white box on your dark shirt.
What does not work: Screenshots from websites. Photos taken with your phone. Low-resolution images copied from social media. These files contain 72 dots per inch. Printing requires 300. The difference is not negotiable.
What we do when your file is wrong: We tell you immediately. We do not accept the order and hope for the best. We explain the problem and give you two options. Fix the file yourself or pay our art department to recreate it. Steve Deland has handled file prep for forty years. He can rebuild a logo from a blurry photograph if necessary. It costs more than a clean file. It costs less than a ruined order.
Not all blank garments are equal. A $3 t-shirt and a $12 t-shirt look similar online. They do not feel similar when you wear them. They do not hold decoration similarly after ten washes.
For construction and trades: Carhartt, Dri-Duck, and Red Kap produce heavyweight cotton and canvas garments that survive abrasion, washing, and weather. We have produced custom Carhartt jackets for Washington State contractors since the 1990s. The fabric is stiff out of the box. It softens with wear. The decoration outlasts the garment.
For corporate and client-facing roles: Cutter and Buck, Nike Golf, and Tommy Bahama produce softer, retail-quality fabrics that employees wear voluntarily. These garments cost more. They generate higher wear rates. A $40 polo that gets worn weekly is cheaper per impression than a $15 polo that sits in a drawer.
For schools and teams: SanMar and Augusta Sportswear produce consistent sizing, broad color ranges, and budget-friendly prices. We maintain relationships with both suppliers and can source specific colors for district-wide uniform programs.
For safety and compliance: ANSI-certified Hi-Vis shirts from ML Kishigo, OccuNomix, and Kishigo meet Washington State workplace safety requirements. We verify certification tags before decoration. A non-compliant safety shirt is a liability, not a uniform.
The placement of your logo affects visibility, professionalism, and wearability. We have produced enough orders to know what works and what looks like a mistake.
Left chest: 2.5 to 3.5 inches wide. The standard for corporate polos and work shirts. Visible when shaking hands. Not overwhelming when seated at a conference table.
Full back: 10 to 12 inches wide. The standard for event shirts and team jerseys. Visible from a distance. Dominant on the garment.
Sleeve hit: 1.5 to 2 inches wide. Subtle. Professional. Works for secondary logos, website URLs, or founding years.
Cap front: 2 to 2.5 inches wide. Centered or offset depending on cap structure. Curved caps require cylinder framing. Flat bills allow larger designs.
What does not work: Logos that touch seams, wrap around sides, or sit too close to collars. These placements distort during wear and look unprofessional after the first wash. We flag these issues in the proof stage.
Timing affects cost, quality, and stress level. Rush orders cost more. Last-minute file changes cause delays. Poor planning produces compromises.
Standard turnaround: 7 to 10 business days for embroidery and screen printing. 2 to 3 business days for small DTG orders. This assumes your file is clean and your garment is in stock.
Rush turnaround: Same-day DTG for orders under 24 pieces approved by 10:00 AM. 3 to 5 day rush for embroidery and screen printing with priority scheduling. Rush fees apply.
What slows orders down: File revisions. Out-of-stock garment colors. Client approval delays. Each of these adds days. We tell you upfront if your color is unavailable. We do not guess.
What speeds orders up: Pre-approved files. In-stock garments. Clear decision-making. Clients who respond to proofs within 24 hours get their orders faster than clients who take a week.
| Guide | What You Will Learn |
|---|---|
| DTG vs DTF vs Screen Printing | Which method matches your fabric, design, and quantity |
| Embroidery vs Screen Printing for Uniforms | Which finish works for polos, jackets, and work shirts |
| No Minimum DTG Printing | When small orders make sense and what they cost |
| 4imprint Alternatives for Washington Businesses | Why local production beats national catalog vendors |
| Carhartt Alternatives for Bulk Workwear | Comparable brands at different price points |
| Best T-Shirts for DTG Printing | Fabric types that produce the best DTG results |
| Cotton vs Polyester Guide | Which fabric survives your work environment |
| T-Shirt Design Styles for Business Branding | Six design styles that employees actually wear |
| How to Design a Custom T-Shirt | File requirements, color limits, and production constraints |
| Technical Logo Design Rules for Embroidery and Printing | Minimum line weights, text sizes, and color separations |
| Tips for Selecting a Company Logo | What makes a logo work on apparel versus paper |
| Avoid Custom Apparel Design Mistakes | Common errors we fix before production |
| Screen Printing Minimum Order Explained | Why 24 pieces is the break-even point |
| Advantages and Disadvantages of Screen Printing | When screen print wins and when it loses |
| DTG Printing Pros and Cons | Cost, speed, durability, and fabric limits |
| What Is Screen Printing | The process from screen burn to finished shirt |
| Company Uniform Program Guide | How to set up recurring orders for your team |
| Company Webstores Guide | How employees order directly without HR involvement |
| T-Shirt Sizing Guide for Custom Embroidery and Printing | How to size a crew without measuring everyone |
| Custom Oversized T-Shirts | When oversized fits your brand and audience |
| Best T-Shirt Color Combinations | What colors work for decoration and brand visibility |
| Choose the Best Fabric for Your Printing Job | Method-specific fabric recommendations |
| Apparel Sourcing Money-Saving Tips | How to reduce cost without reducing quality |
Tell us three things: your design file, your fabric type, and your quantity. We recommend the method that produces the best result for your specific situation. We do not recommend the method that makes us the most money.
Embroidery requires six pieces. Screen printing requires twenty-four pieces. DTG and DTF have no minimum. Laser engraving has no minimum. Custom patches require fifty pieces for embroidered, one hundred for woven.
Send us your file. We review it for free. Embroidery requires clean edges, minimum line weights, and no fine gradients. If your logo has photographic elements or very small text, we will recommend screen printing or DTG instead.
We handle sizing on every order. For uniform programs, we provide size breakdown forms. For small orders, we ask for a size list at checkout. We stock common sizes and can source extended sizes with a few days notice.
Yes. For orders over 100 pieces, we produce a physical sample on the actual garment for your approval. For smaller orders, we send a digital proof. You approve before production starts.
Standard turnaround is 7 to 10 business days for embroidery and screen printing. Small DTG orders take 2 to 3 business days. Rush production is available for deadline-driven orders. Call 253-922-5793 to check current scheduling.
Erik Mickelson is the Operations Manager at Northwest Custom Apparel in Milton, Washington, with 29 years of hands-on experience in embroidery digitizing, screen printing, and custom apparel production. He graduated from Washington State University in 1996 and founded the Apparel Graphic Academy. His father, Jim Mickelson, founded Northwest Custom Apparel in 1977.
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