ur customer with a promotional tool he might not otherwise have by turning him on to the possibility of co-op dollars. Monies are often available to help cover the cost of an item, such as a hat, to promote the vendor’s name alongside the company’s name. The side panels of a hat would be ideal for this. A good example would be a local hardware store owner who secures co-op dollars from two of his vendors. A national tool manufacturer and a national paint manufacturer would be good prospects. Many national organizations have funding available for just such a purpose. (A single 270° tape would handle the embroidery and help keep the cost manageable.)

Another exciting marketing idea that’s showing up in the promotions industry today is the “theme hat.” where a scene is embroidered on the bill of a baseball cap or visor. Examples would include a casino environment, sporting event, beach scene, etc. The design normally tells a story that relates to a specific target industry. Once basic designs have been created, the hats can be marketed in two ways:

1. Sales of 1,000 units or more can be customized to customer specifications at the manufacturing level, before the hat is assembled.

2.

EMBROIDERING ON HEADWEAR

Digitizing and Embroidery Tips

WHEN TO CHOOSE EMBROIDERY

Hats come in as many shapes and styles as there are reasons and people to wear them. Some common types of headwear that sport embroidery today are knit caps, racing caps, headwraps, straw hats, bucket hats and visors. When considering a hat for embroidery, however, the baseball cap stands out from the crowd.

The baseball cap, an American invention, was first worn by national baseball teams and gained widespread popularity in the 20’s and 30’s when “regular folk” started wearing them to show support for their favorite team. The baseball cap, with the bill backwards, sideways or facing front, is more popular today than it was then. It is a trendy item that can “spread the word” for your customer for years to come.

LOCATION

Baseball caps come in 5 basic styles:
• high profile with high flat fronts, good for advertising but not as popular with younger hat wearers,
• low-profile with a lower frontal area and a sloping crown. This is the most popular style but has a more restricted embroidery area,
• pro-style, which is a low-profile hat with a more upright front—traditionally used by professional teams,
• 5 panel, a high-profile hat with no front center seam,
• 6 panel, available in high, low or pro-style with a front center seam.
For a design over 4” wide, which is to be sewn on a cap front, it is generally necessary to digitize from the middle of the design outward since sewing from left to right may cause most caps to pucker at the front seam. (This is not as much of an issue on a 5-panel, high-profile cap.) Therefore, if you are trying to cut costs to spec a job and are considering using one tape for both a cap and left chest, keep your design under 2.25” high and digitize for the cap. Your embroiderer will be able to go from a cap to a flat (left chest) much more easily than from a flat to a hat. For best results, of course, we recommend that each embroidery tape be digitized specifically for the area on which it will be embroidered.

If you are planning to embroider a design on the side of a hatband for a hat worn by men, make sure the design is placed on the left side. Anything on a woman’s hatband must be on the right side. (This custom has its roots in the seventeenth century and the Cavalier hat with its long plumes and ostrich feathers, which needed to be restricted to the left side to free the sword arm.)

FABRIC

The most common fabrics used for embroidered hats today are poplin, twill and wool. Of the three, poplin is the best all around choice for embroidery. It holds its shape, shows off embroidery well and is pliable enough to be easily hooped. Twill and wool also display embroidery well but are not quite as pliable as poplin. Wool’s thickness and stiffness make it the most difficult of the three to hoop for the embroidery process once backing is included.

On the other end of the spectrum, avoid foam hats, which are impossible to embroider and painters caps, made of paper-thin fabric, which do not embroider well. If you want a finished product that you can be proud of, investing in a better quality fabric for your embroidered caps is well worth the investment.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

The baseball cap, in particular, can be a veritable “walking billboard” today with 180° and 270° hooping capability. This treatment is most often seen in resorts, pro shops or country clubs, but done tastefully, could show up at a company picnic or corporate event. Keeping the sides fairly simple is the suggestion here. A long, narrow design, interesting text or complimentary logos along the sides can make a statement without making the hat appear too busy or confusing.

A recent trend is to have a customer’s website address along the back of the hat and the company logo across the front. (This would require two separate digitized tapes.)

An ongoing problem with embroidery design elements for all types of fabrics is text size. This is especially critical on hats. A design layout may need re-thinking if small text is included. In this situation the company logo may be sewn across the front and text across the back or on the side. Script or serif fonts are not advisable for text up to ?” high. For best results, use capitalized letters in a sans serif font such as Ariel. (Your digitizer will let you know if the text in your design will sew out well at its original size.)

Suggested minimum letter height:

Polar fleece, nylon and corduroy..……………. 1/ 4”

Poplin, twill, wool and most other fabrics….. 3/16” MARKETING IDEAS

You could increase your chance of a sale as well as provide your customer with a promotional tool he might not otherwise have by turning him on to the possibility of co-op dollars. Monies are often available to help cover the cost of an item, such as a hat, to promote the vendor’s name alongside the company’s name. The side panels of a hat would be ideal for this. A good example would be a local hardware store owner who secures co-op dollars from two of his vendors. A national tool manufacturer and a national paint manufacturer would be good prospects. Many national organizations have funding available for just such a purpose. (A single 270° tape would handle the embroidery and help keep the cost manageable.)

Another exciting marketing idea that’s showing up in the promotions industry today is the “theme hat.” where a scene is embroidered on the bill of a baseball cap or visor. Examples would include a casino environment, sporting event, beach scene, etc. The design normally tells a story that relates to a specific target industry. Once basic designs have been created, the hats can be marketed in two ways:

1. Sales of 1,000 units or more can be customized to customer specifications at the manufacturing level, before the hat is assembled.

2.

a low-profile hat with a more upright front—traditionally used by professional teams,
• 5 panel, a high-profile hat with no front center seam,
• 6 panel, available in high, low or pro-style with a front center seam.
For a design over 4” wide, which is to be sewn on a cap front, it is generally necessary to digitize from the middle of the design outward since sewing from left to right may cause most caps to pucker at the front seam. (This is not as much of an issue on a 5-panel, high-profile cap.) Therefore, if you are trying to cut costs to spec a job and are considering using one tape for both a cap and left chest, keep your design under 2.25” high and digitize for the cap. Your embroiderer will be able to go from a cap to a flat (left chest) much more easily than from a flat to a hat. For best results, of course, we recommend that each embroidery tape be digitized specifically for the area on which it will be embroidered.

If you are planning to embroider a design on the side of a hatband for a hat worn by men, make sure the design is placed on the left side. Anything on a woman’s hatband must be on the right side. (This custom has its roots in the seventeenth century and the Cavalier hat with its long plumes and ostrich feathers, which needed to be restricted to the left side to free the sword arm.)

FABRIC

The most common fabrics used for embroidered hats today are poplin, twill and wool. Of the three, poplin is the best all around choice for embroidery. It holds its shape, shows off embroidery well and is pliable enough to be easily hooped. Twill and wool also display embroidery well but are not quite as pliable as poplin. Wool’s thickness and stiffness make it the most difficult of the three to hoop for the embroidery process once backing is included.

On the other end of the spectrum, avoid foam hats, which are impossible to embroider and painters caps, made of paper-thin fabric, which do not embroider well. If you want a finished product that you can be proud of, investing in a better quality fabric for your embroidered caps is well worth the investment.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

The baseball cap, in particular, can be a veritable “walking billboard” today with 180° and 270° hooping capability. This treatment is most often seen in resorts, pro shops or country clubs, but done tastefully, could show up at a company picnic or corporate event. Keeping the sides fairly simple is the suggestion here. A long, narrow design, interesting text or complimentary logos along the sides can make a statement without making the hat appear too busy or confusing.

A recent trend is to have a customer’s website address along the back of the hat and the company logo across the front. (This would require two separate digitized tapes.)

An ongoing problem with embroidery design elements for all types of fabrics is text size. This is especially critical on hats. A design layout may need re-thinking if small text is included. In this situation the company logo may be sewn across the front and text across the back or on the side. Script or serif fonts are not advisable for text up to ?” high. For best results, use capitalized letters in a sans serif font such as Ariel. (Your digitizer will let you know if the text in your design will sew out well at its original size.)

Suggested minimum letter height:

Polar fleece, nylon and corduroy..……………. 1/ 4”

Poplin, twill, wool and most other fabrics….. 3/16” MARKETING IDEAS

You could increase your chance of a sale as well as provide your customer with a promotional tool he might not otherwise have by turning him on to the possibility of co-op dollars. Monies are often available to help cover the cost of an item, such as a hat, to promote the vendor’s name alongside the company’s name. The side panels of a hat would be ideal for this. A good example would be a local hardware store owner who secures co-op dollars from two of his vendors. A national tool manufacturer and a national paint manufacturer would be good prospects. Many national organizations have funding available for just such a purpose. (A single 270° tape would handle the embroidery and help keep the cost manageable.)

Another exciting marketing idea that’s showing up in the promotions industry today is the “theme hat.” where a scene is embroidered on the bill of a baseball cap or visor. Examples would include a casino environment, sporting event, beach scene, etc. The design normally tells a story that relates to a specific target industry. Once basic designs have been created, the hats can be marketed in two ways:

1. Sales of 1,000 units or more can be customized to customer specifications at the manufacturing level, before the hat is assembled.

2.

Cavalier hat with its long plumes and ostrich feathers, which needed to be restricted to the left side to free the sword arm.)

FABRIC

The most common fabrics used for embroidered hats today are poplin, twill and wool. Of the three, poplin is the best all around choice for embroidery. It holds its shape, shows off embroidery well and is pliable enough to be easily hooped. Twill and wool also display embroidery well but are not quite as pliable as poplin. Wool’s thickness and stiffness make it the most difficult of the three to hoop for the embroidery process once backing is included.

On the other end of the spectrum, avoid foam hats, which are impossible to embroider and painters caps, made of paper-thin fabric, which do not embroider well. If you want a finished product that you can be proud of, investing in a better quality fabric for your embroidered caps is well worth the investment.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

The baseball cap, in particular, can be a veritable “walking billboard” today with 180° and 270° hooping capability. This treatment is most often seen in resorts, pro shops or country clubs, but done tastefully, could show up at a company picnic or corporate event. Keeping the sides fairly simple is the suggestion here. A long, narrow design, interesting text or complimentary logos along the sides can make a statement without making the hat appear too busy or confusing.

A recent trend is to have a customer’s website address along the back of the hat and the company logo across the front. (This would require two separate digitized tapes.)

An ongoing problem with embroidery design elements for all types of fabrics is text size. This is especially critical on hats. A design layout may need re-thinking if small text is included. In this situation the company logo may be sewn across the front and text across the back or on the side. Script or serif fonts are not advisable for text up to ?” high. For best results, use capitalized letters in a sans serif font such as Ariel. (Your digitizer will let you know if the text in your design will sew out well at its original size.)

Suggested minimum letter height:

Polar fleece, nylon and corduroy..……………. 1/ 4”

Poplin, twill, wool and most other fabrics….. 3/16” MARKETING IDEAS

You could increase your chance of a sale as well as provide your customer with a promotional tool he might not otherwise have by turning him on to the possibility of co-op dollars. Monies are often available to help cover the cost of an item, such as a hat, to promote the vendor’s name alongside the company’s name. The side panels of a hat would be ideal for this. A good example would be a local hardware store owner who secures co-op dollars from two of his vendors. A national tool manufacturer and a national paint manufacturer would be good prospects. Many national organizations have funding available for just such a purpose. (A single 270° tape would handle the embroidery and help keep the cost manageable.)

Another exciting marketing idea that’s showing up in the promotions industry today is the “theme hat.” where a scene is embroidered on the bill of a baseball cap or visor. Examples would include a casino environment, sporting event, beach scene, etc. The design normally tells a story that relates to a specific target industry. Once basic designs have been created, the hats can be marketed in two ways:

1. Sales of 1,000 units or more can be customized to customer specifications at the manufacturing level, before the hat is assembled.

2.

ny picnic or corporate event. Keeping the sides fairly simple is the suggestion here. A long, narrow design, interesting text or complimentary logos along the sides can make a statement without making the hat appear too busy or confusing.

A recent trend is to have a customer’s website address along the back of the hat and the company logo across the front. (This would require two separate digitized tapes.)

An ongoing problem with embroidery design elements for all types of fabrics is text size. This is especially critical on hats. A design layout may need re-thinking if small text is included. In this situation the company logo may be sewn across the front and text across the back or on the side. Script or serif fonts are not advisable for text up to ?” high. For best results, use capitalized letters in a sans serif font such as Ariel. (Your digitizer will let you know if the text in your design will sew out well at its original size.)

Suggested minimum letter height:

Polar fleece, nylon and corduroy..……………. 1/ 4”

Poplin, twill, wool and most other fabrics….. 3/16” MARKETING IDEAS

You could increase your chance of a sale as well as provide your customer with a promotional tool he might not otherwise have by turning him on to the possibility of co-op dollars. Monies are often available to help cover the cost of an item, such as a hat, to promote the vendor’s name alongside the company’s name. The side panels of a hat would be ideal for this. A good example would be a local hardware store owner who secures co-op dollars from two of his vendors. A national tool manufacturer and a national paint manufacturer would be good prospects. Many national organizations have funding available for just such a purpose. (A single 270° tape would handle the embroidery and help keep the cost manageable.)

Another exciting marketing idea that’s showing up in the promotions industry today is the “theme hat.” where a scene is embroidered on the bill of a baseball cap or visor. Examples would include a casino environment, sporting event, beach scene, etc. The design normally tells a story that relates to a specific target industry. Once basic designs have been created, the hats can be marketed in two ways:

1. Sales of 1,000 units or more can be customized to customer specifications at the manufacturing level, before the hat is assembled.

2.

ur customer with a promotional tool he might not otherwise have by turning him on to the possibility of co-op dollars. Monies are often available to help cover the cost of an item, such as a hat, to promote the vendor’s name alongside the company’s name. The side panels of a hat would be ideal for this. A good example would be a local hardware store owner who secures co-op dollars from two of his vendors. A national tool manufacturer and a national paint manufacturer would be good prospects. Many national organizations have funding available for just such a purpose. (A single 270° tape would handle the embroidery and help keep the cost manageable.)

Another exciting marketing idea that’s showing up in the promotions industry today is the “theme hat.” where a scene is embroidered on the bill of a baseball cap or visor. Examples would include a casino environment, sporting event, beach scene, etc. The design normally tells a story that relates to a specific target industry. Once basic designs have been created, the hats can be marketed in two ways:

1. Sales of 1,000 units or more can be customized to customer specifications at the manufacturing level, before the hat is assembled.

2. Smaller quantities can be sold from a stock of inventoried hats that have been produced in a variety of designs. The hats can then be personalized on the front and/or back once a customer chooses a design.