Embroidery Artwork Guidelines: Do’s & Don’ts

To make sure your design looks great when stitched, here are a few important tips:

✅ Do’s

• Know your size - We don’t recommend embroidery on your first lab coat with us. About 5% of customers need a different fit after using the size chart to order. Embroidered lab coats can’t be returned for any reason.
• Keep it simple – Bold, clear digital artwork translates best to embroidery. No photos or hand drawings.
• Use solid colors – Gradients, speckles, and shading cannot be stitched.
• Pick bold fonts – Strong, thick lettering is easiest to read.
• Stick to clear outlines without fading – Defined shapes stitch cleanly.
• Send high-quality artwork – Clean digital files give better results. SVG is preferred. PNGs with transparent backgrounds at least 1000 pixels per side will also work.
• Clearly define the background - Solid-color black or white backgrounds in image files will not be embroidered unless specifically stated in an email.
• Check licensing agreements - We cannot embroider officially licensed university or team logos. The licensing process is expensive and time-consuming. Just find someone local with an existing license!

❌ Don’ts

• Don’t use gradients or shading – Only solid fills can be embroidered.
• Don’t send drawings or photos of logos – We need high resolution digital files to work with.
• Don’t add tiny details – Small dots, thin lines, trademark symbols, or intricate designs may be lost.
• Don’t include emoji’s in text – Only letter and number characters can be embroidered in the text lines.
• Don’t use small, thin text – It won’t be legible when stitched.
• Don’t rely on smooth color transitions – Threads can’t fade like ink.

✨ Our artists can make small simplifications to your design to make sure it looks its best when embroidered, but we will not proceed with logos that break the clear guidelines above.

🚫 When Logos Go Wrong: What Not to Send

🌟 Stitch-Perfect: What Great Logos Look Like

🧵 Some Other Embroidery Examples

Please don’t send logos hoping for the best if you’re unsure - it takes a lot of time and slows down production for everyone. If a logo has major issues, it will be up to you do redesign it and send a usable file.