When we talk about embroidering caps, we generally think of the front of the cap. Of course, that isn’t the only place that a cap can be embroidered. With advancements in framing devices over the years, more placements are not only possible, but they're even easier than ever.
March 15, 2010
Caps are a large part of most any embroiderer’s business, but varying opinions and attitudes exist about embroidering them: Some would like to do nothing but caps, while some would be glad if they never had to embroider another one again.
March 03, 2010
Attending your first decorated apparel trade show is exhilarating. Even though the cost of travel is up, I don't think you can afford to miss the trade show closest to your home town. If you are new to the industry, prepare to be astounded by the number of new products and suppliers you will find. If you are an old hand in the industry, expect to find new products, ideas and processes to keep your business innovative and on the right track.
March 02, 2010
In this tough economic climate, it pays to be a good shopper when purchasing goods for your business. As such, your goal should be to find the best-possible price for these goods. Unfortunately, as business owners, our customers want to do the same thing, so the rising costs of doing business is something we have to confront. What can you do when your clients ask for a better price, or tell you your prices are too high?
February 16, 2010
There are several funny things about knit caps, one of which is the correct way to refer to them. In the south, most of us call them toboggans. However, my brother-in-law informed me that a toboggan is actually a long, narrow sled. Some people prefer to call them stocking caps, but that makes me think of the long, pointy things that guys would wear to bed at night. Most vendors call them knit beanies. I really don’t like that term either — it makes me think of those propeller caps that kids wore in the 1950s — but I guess we’ll have to go with it.
February 01, 2010
As our industry continues to show resilience during these challenging economic times, it is evident that art remains at the core of apparel decoration. The 31st annual Impressions Awards competition, which was judged at last September’s Fort Worth Imprinted Sportswear Show, presented a collection of artistic and technical decorating expertise on all types of wearables and even in framed pieces.
January 11, 2010
If you’re an embroiderer, adding direct-to-garment decorating technology to your shop is probably one of the simplest things you can do from an operational standpoint. In fact, it’s akin to adding a singlehead embroidery machine — to put it rather simply, you’re just adding another machine that hooks up to a computer and produces fantastic-looking decorations.
January 11, 2010
This time of year brings out some of the most difficult items that customers want embroidered: thick, heavy coats. I embroider lots of jackets of all types this time of year and they can be very challenging. Their thickness makes them very difficult to get framed, not to mention the normal challenges of lining them up.
January 04, 2010
It’s that time of year again, when the weather gets colder and people start to want fuzzy things embroidered. Sweaters, fleece blankets, polar fleece jackets and Christmas stockings all have a nappy surface and are popular for embroidery. They aren’t the only items that have a nap; so do towels, which are popular year round. Winter items, however, make up the bulk of this category of items with nap.
December 07, 2009
Last time, I shared tips on handling customer-supplied goods that are to be embroidered. It is important to have policies in place to handle such situations. After reading e-mails from many customers during the last two weeks, I've found that the best — and most important — solution to this problem is to have a written policy that is either posted in your shop or given to the customer.
November 23, 2009
There is no one set way to embroider a bag, and no one way to create an embroidered patch. Each presents its challenges, but if you find a smooth workflow for each, bags and patches can be nice niche markets.
November 16, 2009
Footwear, especially athletic shoes, is a booming retail market with shoppers readily shelling out big bucks for the hottest styles. The concept of personalization fits in naturally with the consumer mindset, making shoe embroidery a great niche for savvy embroiderers. And using shoe embroidery for branding purposes opens up a world of interesting possibilities including spiritwear, team uniforms, resort wear and private labeling.
November 09, 2009
There has long been a debate among individual custom embroiderers as to how to handle customer-supplied goods. Some embroiderers don’t allow customers to do this at all. Others allow it, but they structure their pricing to discourage it. Still, others treat customer-supplied goods the same as the ones they provide themselves. Contract embroiderers, on the other hand, aren't affected in this scenario because their customers always supply the goods that are embroidered.
November 09, 2009
Embroidering on bags is a pretty wide-ranging topic because in our business, bags could refer to anything from a large suitcase to something as small as a purse. Because of this, there is no set way to embroider a bag. Each type of bag presents its own set of challenges. Some bags, such as drawstring backpacks and some totes, are relatively easy. Others, like gym bags and regular backpacks, can be quite challenging to embroider — especially by conventional means.
October 26, 2009
Emblems have been a staple of the embroidery industry since…well the beginning of embroidery, most likely. You see them everywhere: military, scouts, government services, clubs and work uniforms. The interesting thing about them is that they are mainly produced by a small segment of the embroidery industry. To the average embroiderer, emblems or patches are a mystery.
October 05, 2009
Complex lettering is an area where a digitizer can show off the mastery of all the manual digitizing skills she has acquired. Personal monograms, bordered and drop-shadowed lettering, blended colors and fancy fonts all fall into the category of advanced lettering.
October 02, 2009
A third-generation garment decorator, Zackary Faraj got the idea for a line of customizable T-shirts, Custom T Couture, Fairview, N.J., after seeing the decline in domestic garment production.
October 02, 2009
To help you achieve success with embroidering metallics, consider the following guidelines, in addition to those specifically provided by your thread brand’s manufacturer:
October 02, 2009
It’s only appropriate that garments known for their durability and dependability should remain resilient during tough economic times. Wovens, a perennial favorite in the decorated apparel industry, are holding their own despite the fact that the recession has affected most businesses and the economic climate is conservative.
October 01, 2009
Appliqués are an interesting form of embroidery. A lot of people have never done them simply because they don’t know how. It looks like it would be a long complicated process, but nothing could be further from the truth. They are very simple. In some cases, using an appliqué can save time. Instead of filling in a huge area on the back of a jacket, use an appliqué and the time saved will be huge.
September 28, 2009
TestDoes your shop have a training program? Even if you are a one-person shop, there will likely come a day when you will need to train a helper, salesperson or machine operator. Start keeping notes now about what your employees need to know and how you want to teach them.
September 14, 2009
A common frustration for contract digitizers is when the sew-out of their file tests perfectly but turns out horrible on the customer's machine. The file is sent back and the digitizers are then trying to fix an already perfectly digitized file and can only guess where the problem may lie.
September 14, 2009
It seems like nearly all new products introduced today are made of some type of moisture-wicking performance knits. The most common shirts are being replaced with these new fabrics. While they may be nice for the wearer, many embroiderers have found moisture-wicking fabrics to be downright wicked to deal with.
August 31, 2009
When making your own patches, trim away the excess material (leaving a doubled tearaway backing) after the outline stitch and before the satin finishing stitch.
August 31, 2009
Follow these methods to protect yourself when a contract embroidery job is rejected by the end-user. If you fail to protect yourself, the end-user can take you to court and both the contract embroiderer and the distributor may get stuck paying for the garments and losing any potential profits.
August 31, 2009
Maximize the Potential of Your Embroidered Apparel Business
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embroidery visit us at Impressions mag. Impressions is a valued
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