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Production Tips

Cap Embroidery
Things to consider when selling to a customer:

Backing Applications

3-D Foam applications

Machine Operators

Yes, they are people too! Speaking from experience, I have to say, it is wonderful to work for a good employer, an employer that knows how to operate a machine, hoop a cap, change frames, & maintain machines.

Remember to check up on your operators once in awhile, if they aren't happy, you will probably see it in the final product's quality (or lack there-of). Give your machine operators a 'thank you' for doing a great job - it means a lot to someone drudging away at the machines eight hours a day without much in return when it comes to cash.

I worked with many operators that, though thankful for having the job, were frustrated in the demands of the production supervisor. It takes time for quality: Needles need to be changed or solvey or special backings may be needed for a job. This all takes more time!

It behooves any shop owner to get to know what their employees' responsibilities are & how they do their job. You may have insight to teach them something new, and they might show you an aspect of the system that never occurred to you.

If you digitize, be sure they know what to look for when sewing a sample & they can convey the proper info back to you if it needs adjustment. I haved often heard the age old blame for poor embroidery: production says, "It's in the digitizing," or digitizing says, "Its' the way they have the machines running."

How would you know? Here are some things you and your operator(s) should be familiar with:

If you're all on the same page, it makes for a better work environment for everyone!

Design Placement

Above the Pocket
Design baseline should be one fingers' width (about 1 1/4" ) above pocket. be sure to align hoop with the top edge of pocket!

Cap Center front
Design baseline should be 1/2" above the brim seam.

Cap Back
For most text and logos,the base line is a distance of 1/2" above the hem stitching.

Cap Side
The design should be centered between the panel seams and 1" above the bottom edge of the cap side.

Center Chest
Top edge of design should be at least 4" down from the basic mock and crew- neck lines. Some necklines, like scoop- necks, boat or ballet- necks will require a 2" to 3" space from top edge to neck line.This will also depend on the design size an gender of garment wearer.

Jacket Back
Horizontally line up the arm pit seams, the center of the design should be about 2" above that 'line'. If the design is very large, be sure there is at least 5" to 6" space between the center neck line and the top edge of your design.

Left Chest
Center the design down from where the shoulder & neck seams meet. You don't want the logo in the armpit, so do a visual and mark the area before you sew.

Women= 6 1/2" to 7" down, over from center of placket 3 1/2" to 4" Most women's garments will require the design placement to be slightly above the normal place ment.

Men= 8" to 9" down, over from center of placket 4" to 5" XXLs and larger will alter the placement by 1/2"

Monograms
Names and initials are placed on the left front unless otherwise specified.

Shorts
Match the seams up and locate the center fold on the front of the left leg. The design baseline should be at least 1 1/4" above the hem stitching. Center the design between the side seam and the center crease.

Ties
Use a soft cut away on silk, center the design 2" to 2 1/2" from the center bottom tip.

Yoke
Center the design 1 1/2" to 2" down from the center back seam.

Monogram Tips

There seems to be a few universal rules about monograms that you will need to apply when working with your customer to decide how their initials will be embroidered on the shirt:
  1. The initials should be small and tasteful.
  2. The initials should be embroidered with a basic color or tone-on-tone thread.Such as navy, charcoal, dark khaki or black thread, so the monogram will go well with a variety of suit ensambles.
  3. There should only be one set of initials on a shirt.Make the initials either ¼-inch or 3/8-inch high depending on choice of font.Remember: Less Is More.

Cuff Placements
Cuff monograms are usually placed on the left cuff. This custom came about because people generally wear their watches on their left wrist and would see their monogram when glancing at their watch. To monogram a cuff, fold the cuff in half, with the buttonhole facing right. The center point of the initials should be 1 inch to the right of the fold, with the bottom of the initials 3/8-inch from the bottom edge of the cuff. Two alternate cuff initials are:

  1. Fold the cuff in half with the buttonhole again facing right. The center point of the initials is 2-1/2 inches to the left of the buttonhole, with the bottom of the initials 3/8-inch from the edge of the cuff.
  2. The center point of the initials is directly across from the buttonhole, 2-1/2 inches to the left of the button hole.

French Cuff Placement
French cuffs can be tricky because the fold is not always in the center of the cuff. Keep a cuff link by your machine, so you can correctly put the cuff in wearing position. Find the center point the same way you would on a regular cuff. However, the bottom of the initials should be 1/8-inch from the bottom of the cuff fold. You must be clear when you hoop the cuff, that you are embroidering the initials to read correctly when the shirt is worn.

Pocket Placement
The most common pocket monogram is in the top center of the pocket. Center the initials on the top border. There are two alternate pocket monograms. First, one can center the initials on the pocket itself. To find the center point, square off the bottom of the pocket and make the center point of the initials the center of the square. Second, consider left-justifying the initials directly above the inside edge of the pocket.

Collar Placement
If your customer wants initials on a collar, either collar is acceptable to use. The center point of the initials should be 1 inch above the buttonhole of the collar (see Figure 3, initials RSL). If there is no buttonhole, center the initials 1-1/4 inch to 1-3/8 inch above the collar point.

See also Thread Tips

Check back often for more embroidery tips!