Custom embroidered polo shirts, from logo to stitch.
Orders start at 15 pieces, and we price the embroidery in one business day. This guide covers how a mark gets redrawn for thread, the four places it can sit, tonal against contrast, and how 15, 50 and 150 polos are priced.
The piqué polo is 100% combed cotton at 200 GSM, tailored, with a split hem and a self-fabric reinforced collar, and it runs true.
On a polo the logo does most of the work, since there's nothing else to look at. Send the file you have and a designer on our team redraws it for thread.
Why thread suits piqué
Piqué is a textured knit. Its surface is a fine waffle, which gives a polo its dry hand and its structure at the collar.
Thread anchors into that knit, sits proud of the surface in a raised satin stitch and moves with the fabric. The stitch is permanent and outlives the shirt it's sewn into, and on a front-desk or field polo it looks uniform-grade.
Polos take DTF printing as well, along with DTG and vinyl, and a polo with one print is $20.18. A mark with gradients or a photo is the usual reason to print one.
Preparing a logo for thread
A needle can't draw a hairline and a satin stitch can't fade from blue to green. A good embroidered logo is therefore a slightly simplified version of the screen logo, redrawn by someone who knows what a stitch can do. Our designer does that with every file, and you don't need to prepare anything beyond sending what you have.
The rules still help, because they explain why some marks come back looking different from the PDF:
- Minimum lettering height is 5 mm. Below that, the counters in an "e" or an "a" fill with thread. Taglines under a logo are the usual casualty, and they either get bigger or get dropped.
- Up to 12 thread colors. Most corporate marks use two or three, and a gradient becomes solid bands or a single tone.
- Fine lines get a minimum width. A running stitch needs something to hold, so we thicken or remove hairline rules and thin serifs.
- Stitch count sets the density. On the left chest a mark takes 5,000 to 12,000 stitches. A wordmark sits at the low end and a filled crest in several colors sits at the high end. More stitches means a stiffer patch on the chest, which is one reason to keep polo logos restrained.
Send vector (SVG, AI, EPS) if you have it. A 300 dpi PNG on a transparent background works. A screenshot from a slide deck means more redrawing, but we can work from it. For the full comparison of methods, see the decoration methods guide.
A polo has four places for a logo.
Placement changes how a polo reads more than color does, and the four are listed here in the order teams pick them.
| Placement | Typical size | Reads as | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left chest | Up to about 4 in wide | Uniform, at handshake distance | Any customer-facing team, and the default |
| Sleeve | A small mark | Quiet, retail | A second mark for department or tenure |
| Back yoke | A wordmark | Read from behind | Event staff and floor teams |
| Collar | Initials or a tiny mark | Noticed up close | Executive and gift programs |
Left chest plus a small sleeve mark is the most common pairing. Back yoke earns its place when people need to find staff from behind, and hospitality and event teams use it for that reason. Collar embroidery is the least visible placement and the one people comment on most.
Should the thread be tonal or contrast?
Tonal means thread a shade or two off the shirt, such as navy on navy or charcoal on black. Contrast means the logo colors as they appear on screen. Either can be right, and the choice depends on what the polo is for.
- Tonal looks like something people bought for themselves. It stays subtle in photos, hides small digitizing compromises, and suits finance and professional-services teams that want the mark noticed only up close. Meridian Capital runs a navy tone-on-tone micro-check with one brass-thread monogram.
- Contrast is legible across a room. Pick it when the polo is doing identification work for a front desk, a booth or a site crew. Keep it to two or three colors so the chest doesn't look busy.
If you can't decide, ask us for a sample of each, because seeing the two side by side settles the argument in ten seconds.
Sizing a tailored polo for a mixed team
The polo is a tailored cut, closer through the body than a promo polo, with a split hem that sits flat over trousers. For a team order, a cut like that means two things have to happen:
- Collect real sizes instead of guessing from headcount. The share link from the Design Studio lets each person pick their own size, and every piece ships sleeved with their name, so nothing gets sorted on arrival.
- Tell people it's tailored. The polo runs true, and someone between sizes should take the smaller one, since the piqué relaxes by half a size in the first two washes. Chest and length for each size are in the sizing guide.
Sizes XS to 4XL are one price with no extended-size surcharge, which matters more than it sounds once a team has a real spread.
How 15, 50 and 150 polos are priced
An embroidered polo is priced in two parts: $16.40 for the polo and one embroidery fee, however many places it's stitched. We price the embroidery in one business day, and design, name-sleeved plastic-free packaging and every size are included. The volume price is 12% lower from 50 pieces and 22% lower from 150, taken off the whole per-piece price. The thresholds count your whole mixed order, so 30 polos and 20 caps is a 50-piece order. You can order from 15 pieces, and if your team is smaller than that, tell us what you have in mind.
| Quantity | Discount | Per polo | Order total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 (minimum) | List | $16.40 plus the embroidery fee | On your quote, in one business day |
| 50 | −12% | 12% off the polo and its embroidery | On your quote |
| 150 | −22% | 22% off the polo and its embroidery | On your quote |
There's no setup fee and no per-color charge, and an order of 50 or more ships free. For mixed collections, the pricing guide works through the same arithmetic across several products.
Production timeline and washing care
The design stage comes first and moves at your pace. The Design Studio drafts a collection across all eight products, and one of our designers redraws the logo for thread. From the day you approve the design, the polos take three weeks to make and two to ship within the US. If you'd like to see the stitching first, ask for a sample set, which is a paid extra and takes about two weeks. A reorder skips the design stage, because we keep your artwork and everyone's sizes from the first order.
Once it arrives, the embroidery will outlast the shirt, so care is about the piqué. Wash it cold and inside out without bleach, then tumble low or hang dry, and keep it on a hanger because the collar holds its shape better there. If you iron, iron the reverse side, since heat straight onto the stitches flattens the satin sheen. Don't dry-clean it, because there's no need and the solvents dull cotton.
Related reading.
- Embroidery vs DTF Printing for Team Apparel
- Custom Embroidery for Team Apparel, the service page with specs per product
- Why We Embroider, and When DTF Wins
Questions we get.
Why embroider a polo instead of printing it?
Piqué is a textured knit. Thread anchors into it, sits proud in a raised satin stitch and moves with the fabric, and the stitch outlives the shirt. On a customer-facing polo the stitch looks like a uniform, and our designers start a polo in thread for that reason.
What file do I need to send for polo embroidery?
Whatever you have. Vector (SVG, AI, EPS) is ideal, and a 300 dpi PNG works. A designer on our team redraws the mark for thread, and you approve the design before production starts. Lettering is set at 5 mm or taller, in up to 12 thread colors.
How much do custom embroidered polos cost per shirt?
The polo is $16.40 before decoration, and embroidery adds one fee per polo that we price in one business day. Design and name-sleeved packaging are included. The whole per-piece price takes 12% off at 50 pieces and 22% off at 150. XS to 4XL is one price, and the thresholds count your whole mixed order.
How long do embroidered polos take to deliver?
Plan on 8 to 10 weeks in total. That window covers about two weeks of design and approval at your pace, then production and shipping, and a week of buffer.