What is the difference between embroidery and printing?

Embroidery uses thread to sew a design onto an item; we do all embroidery in-house with our 6-head machine. Printing involves either using ink pressed through a screen onto an item to create the design (done in-house) or using a print with the design on it and using heat to apply it to the item (prints are ordered and we apply in-house).

Depending on your design and garments we may recommend one over another for the best result.

Applies to Company orders & Individual Orders

Orders

How do I place an order or get an estimate?

We recommend that you email us or come by in person, so we have the clearest communication, but we place many orders over phone calls.

The information we'll need from you includes, but is not limited to:

  • Garments: Are we ordering your garments or are you providing them? What type of garment is the logo going on? How many items?
  • Placements: How many placements? Where (left chest, upper arm, full back, full front, front or left panel of a cap, etc)?
  • Is this embroidery or printing?
  • Deadline: Is there a strict day you need it by?

Among other questions we will ask. We'll have a detailed discussion on consult.

What brands do you carry? Can I provide my own items?

For both name-brands and cost-effective brands we carry please look at our supplier website sanmar.com. While we have plenty of samples and miscellaneous garments in store, we may have to order your items to be shipped to us. We can also order samples.

To order from our supplier you will need to email us the items, sizes, colors, and quantities by Saturday, and we will place the order on the following Monday on your behalf.

You are welcome to provide your own garments, however we do have customers sign a liability waiver stating that we do not take accountability for any potential workmanship error and will not replace the item.

These errors are an uncommon occurrence; we do many provided garments every year with no issues however our embroidery machines run very fast. We often don't have the ability to replace your item from the manufacturer. When we order for customers, we take into account any potential spoilage and often have them leftover (you can see these in our store on the clearance rack).

Are there minimum quantities I need to order?

Embroidery has no minimums, we're happy to do one-off items such as a name on a shirt.

We usually recommend at least 10 items to be printed with the same logo as that's our minimum for prints.

What is your lead time?

The time from order to when you can pick up the items varies with each job and changes frequently between within a week to two weeks and a month. It all depends on the current jobs we have going, your shipping time, possible digitizing time, changing the logo/image and waiting for approval, etc.

While we can sometimes accommodate rush orders, we ask that if you have a deadline, please place your order as soon as possible to ensure timely completion. We ask that you contact us with detailed information if you have a deadline. We do charge a rush fee.

Upon ordering we’ll let you know about when you can expect it to be finished and will do our best to have it finished by your deadline (if not earlier) but we’ll always call you for pick up.

One-offs and small orders are also subject to the same lead time.

What's your pricing? How do you charge?

We charge by quantity and stitch count.

Links to our downloadable and printable price guides: hats & caps, garments bought through us, garments provided by the customer.

Keep in mind this may change and does not include other possible charges such as one time set-up fee (not applicable if it's only embroidered text with standard font) and shipping to or from Juneau, AK.

This price guide applies to both one-off single orders and larger company orders.

Screen printing is subject to quote due to variables.

How can I pay?

We now accept both online payments and in person. We require payment on pick-up or before. If we need to ship them, we need payment beforehand.

Large orders over $500 may require half down.

What if I have an issue with an order you did?

Upon pick up we always ask if you want to see the items first to help catch any potential mistakes early, but we understand that the one who placed the order isn't always the one picking it up. Let us know as soon as possible if you notice an issue (we used the wrong colorway, a misspelling, we left the backing on, etc).

These are rare but as we're a small staff with many orders, mistakes do happen, and we'll do our best to make it right.

If there's something that happens after-the-fact such as a print coming off or fading faster than you expected, also let us know. We'll see what we can do and/or change the prints we order for that fabric. We appreciate any feedback so we know the best prints to use.

To make your prints last the longest, we do recommend washing them inside out and drying on low heat.

Applies to Company orders & Individual Orders

Logos

How do I send our logo to you?

Please email us the logo at embroidery@alaskanwearhouse.com.

What type of file do you need?

If you had an artist/company make your design for you, please ask them for the line art file or vector file. This will let us resize and adjust individual parts of the logo as needed. Otherwise, we can digitize the logo for you (we'll send it to our digitizer) if you don't have that file for a one-time digitizing fee.

For setting up an embroidery file, there will be a digitizing and set up fee which includes turning your logo into stitching and giving you a proof for approval.

Digitizing is also important for printing, so we don't print your logo with pixelation.

In short: Vector format, AI file, .png, .pdf all work but Vector or AI file (Adobe Illustrator) is ideal.

What if I just want a one-off?

If it's purely text and wording that you're looking to be embroidered there is no digitizing fee. If you want names to be printed, we'll need to look at quantities and timeline to order prints.

If you're looking for a pre-made embroidery design (ie. a dog), we may be able to find one for you but usually we end up buying a pre-made file we choose together (you and us) which would add to your cost.

Occasionally we can accommodate one-off prints when we have time to order them. If we already have the print (ex. you tore a work shirt with the logo on it) we would need to check if we any prints on-hand.