Embroidery Information

EMBROIDERY is the process of decorating a material with a stitched design using a needle and thread. Traditionally this was done by hand, but modern embroidery is done with large multi-needle sewing machines which use high tech software. DIGITIZING is the process of converting a design to a stitch format that will run on an embroidery machine.

$$$ - Pricing is based on the stitch count, which is determined by the size and complexity of your design. Embroidery is generally more expensive than screen printing.

PROS - Embroidery has more upscale appeal than screen printing, making it the most popular choice for corporate apparel like golf shirts, denim and oxford shirts. You can also embroider on items like 6-panel caps, knit caps, towels and polar fleece that can't be screen printed. It's also more economical for small designs with a lot of colors.

CONS - Embroidery cannot capture fine detail or small letters. Large or complicated designs can be very expensive.

• Turnaround - Orders are generally completed in two (2) weeks.
• Rush Service - Most orders can be completed faster for an additional fee. Call for details.
• Payment Policy - For all new customers, we require a 50% deposit at the time the order is placed, and the balance upon completion. Other terms may be available for repeat customers at our discretion. Acceptable methods of payment are Cash, Check (No third party or post-dated checks please!), Mastercard or Visa. In some cases we will accept a purchase order or hold a credit card number in lieu of a deposit. We reserve the right to request payment in full up front.
• Pick-up and Shipping - Completed orders can be picked up at our office in Rockville between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM Monday through Friday. We do not deliver. You can arrange for a courier, or we can ship the order at your expense. Shipping is done by UPS Ground unless you request otherwise.
• Price Quotes - Click on the menu tab and submit the online request form.
• Contract Printing or Embroidery means that you, the customer supply us with the items to be printed or embroidered. It is your responsibility to count and inspect any and all garments before and after they are decorated. We make every effort to return your garments in the condition that they were given to us. However, ABC T-Shirts will not be held responsible for damage to garments which are not purchased from us. We do not replace garments or provide compensation in the unlikely event of a shortage for any reason. If you need an exact amount, you may wish to provide a few extra items to be safe.

Artwork for Embroidery

• General Information - In order to embroider a design, it must first be digitized. Digitizing is the process of converting a design into a stitch format that will run on the embroidery machine. Artwork can be up to 15 colors. Our in-house artists can work with your own design or create one for you from scratch.
• Art Fees - Simple typesetting with up to 2 scans or stock art images is free. We charge $20 per hour for basic artwork or design editing, and $40 per hour for more advanced designs or color separation. This does not include the digitizing fee.
• Digitizing Fees - We charge a digitizing fee for new designs as well as changes on existing ones. Depending on the size and complexity of the design, this can range from a minimum of $30 to $150 or more, but you should expect to pay $48 to $72 for most designs.
• Embroidery Files - If your design has been digitized or embroidered before, you can avoid paying for it again by supplying us with the digitized embroidery file. These files are small enough to fit on a 3.5" floppy disk, or may be emailed to sales@abctees.com. Acceptable formats are Outline Files (PXF, POF, PED, KWK), Stich Files (PSF, PCH) or Embroidery Machine Files (Barudan, Brother, Happy, Marco, Melco, Pfaff, Stellar, Tajima, Toyota and ZSK). We use Tajima DGML software by Pulse and a Tajima embroidery machine.
• Hardcopy - We accept clean, crisp black & white or color artwork. It may be hand drawn or computer generated, but it should be actual size and camera-ready. 300ppi or higher Laser prints are best. Faxes, photocopies, embroidered swatches or garments, non-scanable items, freehand sketches or low resolution pixelated prints may be subject to additional Art Fees.
• Vector Graphics - This is the prefered electronic format. We use CorelDraw 13, and Adobe Illustrator CS in PC format and accept the following file types: CDR, AI, EPS. Files can be submitted on a PC formatted 3.5" floppy or CD/DVD disk, or by email to sales@abctees.com. It's important that all fonts be converted to curves, or we may not be able to open the file.
• Bitmap Graphics - We use Adobe Photoshop CS in PC format. Bitmap files should have a resolution of at least 300ppi at actual size. We accept the following file types: PSD, TIF, JPG, BMP. Because of the size of these files, we recommend that they be submitted on CD/DVD disks. If you must email large files, please use zip compression and send to sales@abctees.com
• Color Matching - We offer a wide range of standard thread colors to choose from. We will order custom colors or match Pantone PMS colors for $15 each.
• Small Letters - Lettering should not be smaller than 1/4" in height. Smaller letters are possible in some cases, depending on the material and the letter style, but we cannot guarantee the results.

CALL NOW to speak with one of our friendly customer service / design specialists! Se Habla Español

Toll Free (800) 291-4980

E-mail: sales@abctees.com

Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM EST