How we decorate team apparel.
We decorate with seven methods. Three have a published fee per piece: DTF and DTG print at $3.78 and vinyl at $3.03. Embroidery and screen printing are priced in one business day, as are patches and sublimation, which needs a polyester garment we don't make.
The seven methods side by side
| Method | What it suits | Garments that take it | Price per piece |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidery | Logos and wordmarks up to about 4 in wide on the chest. A left-chest mark runs 5,000 to 12,000 stitches in up to 12 thread colors. | All eight | Priced in one business day |
| Screen printing | Flat spot colors with hard edges | Ask us which garments suit it | Priced in one business day |
| DTF print | Full color with gradients and fine detail. Chest up to about 10 in, back up to about 12 in, rated for 50-plus washes. | All eight, the beanie through a printed label | Adds $3.78, or $2.02 on the cap |
| DTG print | Full-color artwork with the ink printed straight into the fabric | T-Shirt · Pique Polo · Hoodie · Zip Hoodie · Sweatshirt | Adds $3.78 |
| Vinyl heat transfer | Names and numbers, or a mark in one or two colors | Every garment except the beanie | Adds $3.03, the cap included |
| Sublimation | Full color on polyester only | None of our eight, since none is polyester | Priced in one business day |
| Patches | A sewn-on badge on the cap's front panel or the beanie's cuff | Cap · Beanie | Priced in one business day |
The garment rate comes on top of the fee. A tee starts at $13.24, so a simple tee with one DTG print is $17.02, and every rate is on the pricing page. The sweatshirt and the beanie are priced in one business day, whatever goes on them.
What a piece costs with one method or two
Each method adds one fee per piece, however many places it covers. A simple hoodie printed on the chest and again on the back is $23.96, the $20.18 rate plus a single $3.78 print fee. Put vinyl on the sleeve as well and the piece carries two methods and two fees, for $26.99.
Volume pricing runs across the whole order, whatever the mix of garments and methods. At 50 pieces, 12% comes off every piece, and at 150 it's 22%. There's no setup fee and no per-color charge on any method.
Which method suits your artwork?
- A small logo on a polo, an oxford or a cap looks most considered in thread, so start with embroidery.
- Full color, a gradient or a photo goes to a DTF or DTG print. Pick DTF when you want a published wash rating, and for the oxford, the cap and the beanie, which DTG doesn't cover.
- Flat spot colors with hard edges are worth asking about for screen printing, and we'll tell you which garments suit it.
- Names and numbers, or a mark in one or two colors, suit vinyl.
- A badge on a cap or a beanie is a sewn-on patch.
- For an all-over print on polyester, sublimation is the method, and that page explains why we print DTF or DTG on our garments instead.
One collection can mix methods. Poly9's expo capsule paired a purple-to-pink gradient DTF print on tees with tonal embroidered marks on polos. Puff print is a method other vendors offer and we don't. For a raised mark, ask for 3D embroidery on the cap.
From one logo to a decorated order
- Enter your email in the Design Studio and upload the logo. Describe the team, and the Studio designs a collection with live pricing.
- A designer on our team finishes the design and sends you the proof.
- Pieces with embroidery, screen printing or a patch come back with a price within one business day.
- You approve the design, and we make the order in the three weeks after approval and ship it within the US in two more.
We tell buyers to begin 8 to 10 weeks out, because design and approval come before production and move at your pace. Orders start at 15 pieces.
Related reading
- Custom Apparel Decoration Methods, Compared
- Embroidery vs DTF Printing for Team Apparel
- Corporate Apparel Pricing Guide
- Brand Guidelines for Merch
Decoration questions we get
Which decoration method costs the least?
Of the methods with a published fee, vinyl adds $3.03 a piece and a DTF or DTG print adds $3.78, or $2.02 for DTF on the cap. Embroidery and screen printing are priced in one business day, and so are patches and sublimation.
Can I use two methods on one piece?
Yes, and each method adds its own fee. A simple tee with a DTF print on the front and vinyl on the back is $20.05, the $13.24 rate plus $3.78 and $3.03.
Do you charge per color or per location?
No. There's no setup fee and no per-color charge, and one fee covers a method wherever it appears on the piece. A hoodie printed on the chest and the back pays the DTF fee once.
Which method lasts longest?
Embroidery lasts longest, because the thread is permanent and outlives the garment. DTF is rated for 50-plus washes without cracking. We don't publish wash ratings for DTG or vinyl.
Why can't you sublimate our shirts?
Sublimation only works on polyester, and none of our eight garments is polyester. We offer the method, but on our cotton and fleece pieces a DTF or DTG print does the full-color work instead.
Every decoration method we offer
