• Where will you be wearing the shirts?  Will you be wearing them doing yard work or at a convention?


• What is the image you are going for? Do you want to look a little bit more professional with embroidery or do you want to go for more of a “team” look with the screen-print?


• How many will you need?  Less than two dozen or over 6 dozen?


• How many colors are in the design?


• What is your budget?


• Will you be making repeat orders?


• How many locations will there be?  Do you want logo, web page, tag line, etc to also be included but in different locations on the shirt?


• Do you want something really big across the entire shirt?
  

Pros and Cons for Screen-print and Embroidery

Screen-print: There is a screen charge each time you place a screen-print order, even with reorders.  It will not always be as expensive as the initial order, but there will be a charge.  With screen-printing, the cost for each shirt is based on the number of colors in the design, as well as the number of shirts ordered.  Your logo has four colors, so that puts it into the highest price category.  There is usually a minimum quantity of items purchased for screen print too.  One benefit is that screen print can go larger on the front of a t-shirt than the left chest of the embroidery.

Embroidery: The shirts just look more professional. You will have a one-time set-up fee, but after that has been completed then you can always order more shirts as they are needed without a minimum.  We do not recommend  putting a large embroidered design on the front of a t-shirt.  Embroidery will last much longer than screen print, sometimes even outliving the shirt.  The embroidery can be placed in several different locations such as a logo on the front left chest and then your website on the back or sleeve.

Rough Estimate: Here is a rough estimate I gave a potential client recently:  The logo had 4 different colors in it and they really only needed about 6 to be worn at conventions or other events.  Based on a rough estimate, they were looking at a difference in cost of about $15.00 for 12 screen printed t-shirts vs. 6 embroidered polo shirts.   Both with only a front location of the logo.

There are times when it is way more cost effective to go with screen print vs. embroidery.  But when the logo has so many different colors like this one and the quantity is so small, it really does not make that much difference in cost.  It is sometimes better to go with the embroidery because then it is ready for any future orders.

What do you think?

Which way would you go?

Labels: Embroidery, Logo colors, logos, Screen Print