FAQs about printing & embroidery

Stack of brightly coloured hoodies with embroidery

This page contains some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) that we receive at South Coast Embroidery about printing and embroidery on clothing.

 

On this page, you'll find answers about the ordering process, how to use the shop, minimum order quantities, set-up costs, shipping costs and much more!

 

This page has been designed to make your personalised clothing purchase as smooth and straighforward as possible. However, if you don't find an answer to your question here, head over to the Contact Us page and get in touch with the team!

General questions & Answers

Q: How much does it cost to add my logo to a product?

A: The price to add your logo to a product is clearly displayed on each product on the website, this price includes the garment and one printed or embroidered logo. Add additional logos or text using the design tool and it will calculate the exact price for you.

Why this matters: We have committed to providing transparent pricing on our website to ensure you have an easy and straightforward buying process - you can choose your item and immediately see how much it will cost with one logo included, there's no need to make a phone call or ask for a quote, the price is right there.

Q: What are your lead times?

A: Our standard lead time is 5 working days from approval and payment of your order. Once your order is ready, we will dispatch it via DPD next day service or deliver it in person to local businesses.

Why this matters: We don't believe in making our customers wait for weeks to receive their orders, once you have an idea for your personalised clothing, you want to make it a reality, and we get that! As a business, we have a streamlined production process, that's been built on years of experience, everything is automated and digital, so that from order to production your clothing is handled by our team with care and precision. 

If you need your order quicker than 5 working days, let us know when placing your order.

Q: Why is the minimum order 4 items?

A: The minimum order is 4 items because our industrial machinery runs multiple items at a time and all processes have been set up to complement this for maximum efficiency. 

Why this matters: By being efficient we can ensure orders are turned around in 5 working days and minimise the wastage and energy usage of our machines - which is better for the environment. As a customer, the more products you buy, the price per item decreases, so buying in bulk is cost efficient. To start receiving bulk discounts, order 8 or more products in total.

Q: Do you offer bulk discounts?

A: Yes, we offer bulk discounts. You can start receiving bulk discounts when ordering 8 items or more in total across your order. Check out our services page for more details on our bulk discount tiers.  

Why this matters: We think it's important that businesses benefit from bulk discounts when ordering larger orders to make fitting out their teams more cost effective.

Q: What is the embroidery digitisation cost?

A: The embroidery digitisation cost is £20 per design (ex VAT). This cost allows us to convert a standard digital file into a file that the embroidery machine can read. This is a one-off cost per design and won't be charged again on future orders.

Why this matters: Without converting a digital file into an embroidery file, the embroidery machine won't be able to read the logo design -  embroidery machines read files differently to computers. To convert the file, we send your logo to be 'digitised' by a company that has specialist equipment. This is a standard process across the embroidery industry.

Q: What are the shipping costs?

A: Standard UK shipping cost is £8.95, this is a next working day service via DPD. Tracking details will be sent at time of dispatch. 

It's worth knowing that orders over £500 qualify for FREE SHIPPING (all prices excluding VAT), and if you are local to our DT5 address in Dorset, we will deliver to you, free of charge.

Why this matters: We use DPD as a trusted delivery partner and pay for a next day service so that you receive your clothing quickly and securely. This service gives you control of your delivery and the option to monitor your delivery and adjust your delivery timings and safe places.

Q: I need to order clothing in a hurry, what's the quickest it can be ready?

A: Standard dispatch is 5 working days from order approval and payment, however we offer an 'Express 72-hour dispatch' which is available at checkout for orders up to 50 items and costs a flat rate of £75.

Why this matters: We know life can throw curve balls and sometimes you may have a tight deadline to meet, so our team can be flexible and offer an express service that gets your clothing sent out in 72 hours. Because these orders need to be prioritised in the production schedule, and may require work outside of normal hours, we charge a flat rate of £75.

Q: Can I customise my clothing online?

A: Yes, you can customise your clothing online using our design tool. Choose a product from the shop and click 'start designing' - this will take you to the design tool where you can add your logo in different places on the garment to get the desired look!

The first logo you add is included in the price, as you add more branding the unit price will automatically update. If you get stuck at any stage click the ? icon on the bottom right for a detailed help pop-up.

Why this matters: Not everyone wants to talk through their personalised clothing ideas or get in touch via email, so our online design tool gives you the freedom to design your own clothing using your logos and text on a variety of products and in a variety of colours. You can play with the tool as much as you like to get the desired clothing outcome! Then once you're happy, you know your clothing will be ready in 5 working days.

Q: What format do I need to provide my artwork or logo in?

A: The format to provide your artwork in depends on whether you are having your clothing printed or embroidered. If you are having your clothing printed, we'll need your artwork as a vector file (EPS, PDF) so that it is hi-res and will print clearly without any blurring. If you are having your clothing embroidered, you can provide us with a PNG, JPEG, EPS, PDF file as the file will need to be digitised into an embroidery file. 

Why this matters: File format is crucial to getting the best result from your clothing printing in particular. The type of printing we carry out at South Coast Embroidery is called DTF and this relies on hi-resolution file types to ensure the logo is printed without pixelating. For more information on clothing printing and file types, visit the clothing printing page in our services.

Q: How do I use the 'shop'?

A: To use the shop, click on the 'shop' tab, and you'll see all the products available to personalise with your logo. You can then use the filter on the left handside to choose specific products such as t-shirts, hoodies, hats.

Once you've chosen a specific product, click into it and the product details, colours and sizes will be available. If you wish to see what your logo will look like on this product, click 'start designing' and you'll open the deisgn tool. 

Why this matters: The shop allows you to go through the full clothing personalisation process in a few easy steps, not all printing and embroidery companies have this function.  What's better is that you can see the pricing, choose where to place your logo on the garment and checkout. 

Q: What happens once I place my order in the online shop? Do I need to do anything else?

A: Once you place your order through our online shop, your job is done. We will check the artwork to ensure the logo and design is in a useable format before going ahead. If there are any issues, we will get in touch.

If your design is to be embroidered, we will send an image of the embroidery to check and approve before embroidering your products on our machine.

Why this matters: We want your online purchase of personalised clothing to be as simple as possible and are proud of our online shop that gives you the freedom to choose your clothing, add your logo in the designer and choose all colours and sizes. You have control over your order but we're here if you need to talk it through!

designer questions & answers

Q: What does 'remove background' mean in the design tool?

A: The 'remove background' button in the design tool allows you to remove a block colour background from your logo or design. Your uploaded logo might be sat on a solid white background for example that you don't want printed or embroidered in your design, if you select 'remove background' it will remove the white background in your logo.

Why this matters: Getting your logo printed or embroidered exactly as you want is very important and how you upload it to the design tool is how it will be printed or embroidered. You might then need to adjust the colour and background of your image. The designer tool gives you the option to do this without having your logo redrawn. If the design is being embroidered, including a colour background will increase stitch count and cost.

Q: Why can't I add a print design to a particular product?

A: You can't add a print design to certain products such as towels or fleeces. This is because not all products are suitable for printing. Towels and fleeces are examples of materials that are better suited to embroidery due to the thick fabric pile. The design tool has been set for the decoration methods that are most suitable for each product.

Why this matters: It's important that your design is set up correctly on the products you choose, so that the logo is printed or embroidered to the highest quality. We use our experience to determine if a product is most suited to print or embriodery.

Q: I've set up a design on the design tool that I don't want to lose but I'm not ready to checkout yet, what should I do?

A: If you've set up a design in the design tool and you're not yet ready to checkout, you can simply click on the 'save' icon in the bottom right of the design tool and register for a new account. If you're an existing customer, log in. You can then save your design until you're ready to revisit it and checkout.

Why this matters: We want you to have the flexibility to use the online design tool as you need and go back to edit your designs whenever you need. We know that sometimes a bit more time is needed to refine your custom clothing idea! If you have any questions while creating your design, get in touch, we'll be happy to help you!

Q: I want to print larger than / outside of the decoration space in the design tool, can this be done?

A: Yes, you can print larger than the design area available in the design tool, or outside of the allocated design space. Just get in touch with your image or logo and let us know the sizing and placement you need. We will reply with a visual mock-up and a price tailored for you.

Why this matters: Sometimes customers have a large design or an unusual location they'd like to place their logo on a garment and we're happy to accomodate that for them so they get the desired outcome they want! 

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