Sound familiar?
- Your logo turns into a blob when it's embroidered on a polo shirt
- The supplier is charging extra for every colour in your logo
- Workwear from different suppliers shows your logo in different colours
- Your event T-shirt design doesn't work on a dark garment
- You need artwork for a mug, a pen and a hoodie and have one JPG
Key facts
- Quoted as a fixed price, or £45 an hour + VAT for simple logo placements
- Screen print artwork separated into spot colours, one screen per colour
- Embroidery needs a simplified logo; very small text and fine lines do not stitch cleanly
- DTF and direct-to-garment printing handle full colour and photos
- Artwork supplied as vector files sized to the supplier's print area
- Colours matched to Pantone references where your supplier works from them
Artwork that works on fabric
A logo designed for a website does not always survive on a polo shirt or a pen. Fabric has texture, embroidery uses thread, and small products have tiny print areas. dijitul prepares your logo and designs for each method so they reproduce cleanly, and we tell you up front if a design needs simplifying for a particular product.
Most branded clothing needs at least three versions of the logo: full colour for white or light garments, a one-colour version for single-colour print, and a reversed white version for dark garments. If your brand guidelines already include these, we follow them; if not, we create them.
Print and embroidery methods compared
| Method | How it works | Artwork needs |
|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one screen per colour | Vector, separated spot colours; fewer colours costs less |
| Embroidery | Logo stitched in thread from a digitised file | Simplified logo, no tiny text or fine gradients |
| DTF (direct to film) | Full-colour transfer heat-pressed onto the garment | High-resolution artwork; photos and gradients work |
| DTG (direct to garment) | Inkjet printing straight onto fabric | Full colour; best on cotton |
| Vinyl transfer | Cut vinyl heat-pressed onto fabric | Vector, solid colours; good for names and numbers |
Screen printing is cost-effective for larger runs of simple designs, because each colour needs its own screen. A four-colour logo costs more to set up than a one-colour version. Embroidery looks premium on polos, caps and jackets, but the supplier converts your logo into a stitch file (called digitising), and fine lines and small lettering fill in. We simplify the logo for embroidery before it is digitised and keep text at a size that stitches cleanly.
Placement and print areas
Common placements are a left chest logo, a large back print, a sleeve print and a nape print below the collar. Each has a typical size range set by your supplier, and products like mugs, pens, USB sticks and lanyards have very small print areas, sometimes printable in one colour only. We work from the supplier's product templates and print area sizes, then show you mockups before anything is ordered.
Garment colour affects ink colour. A light colour printed onto a dark shirt often needs a white underbase first, and some brand colours shift on coloured fabrics. Where your brand colours matter, give your supplier the Pantone references we provide and ask for a sample.
Workwear, teams and events
Branded workwear helps customers recognise your staff, and it should match your van and signage; see vehicle livery design. For events, sports clubs and charity runs, we design T-shirts, vests and medals with dates, sponsor logos and names, and supply artwork for each size if the print scales. Giveaways for trade shows, such as tote bags, pens, notebooks and lanyards, can be designed alongside your exhibition stand so everything matches.
Choosing merchandise people keep
Promotional items only work if people use them. A good-quality tote bag, notebook or water bottle that suits your audience gets carried around for months; a cheap pen that stops writing goes in the bin. We help you pick fewer, better items and design them so the branding is tasteful rather than shouting, which makes people more willing to use them in public. A small logo with a short line or a pattern in your brand colours often works better than a large logo in the middle. For staff clothing, think about comfort, washing and how it looks after fifty washes: embroidery usually lasts longer than print on polos and jackets that are washed often.
Price and suppliers
Merchandise and clothing design is quoted as a fixed price for a set of items, or charged at £45 an hour + VAT for simple logo placements and file preparation. Garments and products are bought from a printer or embroiderer, priced separately. We can prepare files for your supplier or help find one through print management. Tell us the items and quantities for a quote.
What you get
- Vector artwork (AI, EPS or PDF) sized to each product's print area
- Simplified embroidery version of your logo
- One-colour and reversed (white) versions for dark garments
- Mockups on the garments or products you have chosen
- Pantone references for screen print and embroidery thread matching
How it works and what it costs
Logos from £150, brochures from £295, photography from £295 a half day and CAD at £45 an hour, all + VAT. You get a fixed price before we start.
Tell us the brief
What it is for, who will see it, where it will be used and any examples you like. Rough is fine.
Fixed price
We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.
First designs
We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.
Refine
We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.
Final files
You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does branded clothing design cost?
dijitul quotes merchandise and clothing design as a fixed price for a set of items, or at £45 an hour + VAT for simple logo placements and file preparation. The garments, printing and embroidery are priced separately by your supplier.
Why does my logo look bad when it's embroidered?
Embroidery uses thread, so very small text, thin lines and gradients fill in or disappear. dijitul creates a simplified embroidery version of your logo with bolder shapes and larger lettering before the supplier digitises it into a stitch file.
Why does screen printing cost more for my logo?
Screen printing needs a separate screen for each ink colour, so a multi-colour logo costs more to set up than a one-colour version. dijitul can create a one or two-colour version of your logo for screen print, or recommend DTF or DTG printing for full colour.
What files does a clothing printer need?
Usually vector artwork (AI, EPS or PDF) at the size it will print, with colours specified as Pantone or as separated spot colours. For DTF and DTG, a high-resolution PNG with a transparent background is common. dijitul supplies whatever your printer specifies.
Can you design T-shirts for our event or club?
Yes. dijitul designs event and club T-shirts, vests and hoodies, including dates, sponsor logos, names and numbers. We prepare versions for light and dark garments and supply files to your printer, or help find one.
Related
Get a fixed price
Send a rough brief. You'll know exactly what it costs before we start.