Embroidery equipment & software recomendations please

Here is another alternative you may not have thought of. Instead of shirts for the workers, how about aprons with your logo embroidered?

The workers could wear the apron (or a vest) during the event or show which would serve the same identification purpose. Then return the apron (or vest) to you once there 'employment' with you is complete. You could have the aprons cleaned by a professional uniform cleaning service like Cintas (local branches located all over the USA). Then you would only need enough aprons for all the staff at each event, have them professionally laundered after each event and you're ready for the next event without having to invest in a new set of shirts.

If you are concerned about the staff looking all the same, you could ask them to arrive wearing a clean white T-shirt without a logo or screen print on it. Then each worker would look similar (white shirt + apron).

Your current embroiderer may be able to supply you with the embroidered aprons (or vests) since they already have your logo digitized (assuming you are happy with their work and service).

Just another thought. JJordan

I screwed up. They are sewn directly above the pocket. Not on the pocket itself. And for appearances I do not believe that a patch would fit my needs.

Thanks for your ideas,

Assuming I am slow at sewing (distracted most likely) If I could crank out 3 finished shirts an hour in my spare time in hotel room at night (better for me than spending my time in the local bars) between trade shows that means I could make enough shirts in one or two nights to cover my temp workers for the week....

I currently pay $10 for each blank shirt to be embroidered so the payback time would be short but I certainly was hoping that it was easier. My logo is only two thread colors but it must have a high stitch count to justify cost or is $10 a piece normal?

I just know my current embroider runs 10-15 machines at once and completes my order in a couple of hours so even if I had to take up 10 hours of dead time that I ordinarily would be watching TV in a hotel room it could work but I still need to know what to buy.

I have no plans to start manufacturing shirts for sale.

embroiderers.

I would check out one of the small embroidery machines, it would mostlikely accomplish all you need.

There are some small Barudan Machines that might meet your needs.

. (Check Elite Jr. and Elite Pro) (I don't have a Barudan, so I am not endorsing any one machine.) Also, for some different machines.

You want one that will handle your multi (2) thread design without having to change the thread, so you must have more than one needle. You will most likely have to go with a 6-needle machine.

They are not light, so transporting them will be difficult.

Kelly

I need embroidery equipment and software advise in the worst way so I sure hope that I have come to the right place.

I am a small businessman whose business utilizes a number of temp help and day laborers that I must outfit with a polo shirt containing my company logo on the front pocket each day that they are needed to work. Because the business is trade show related and moves nationally I rarely ever have the same people working for me from day to day so the cost to outfit my employees with this never ending supply of embroidered polo shirts is eating away a fair percentage of my meager profits.

I have already located a wholesaler of the plain polo shirts at a drastic cost savings but the cost to have somebody else embroider them each week is still too high. My helpful girlfriend with average sewing skills suggested that I might want to take on this project myself as the cost savings to self produce 10-15 shirts a week could pay back the cost of equipment and software rather quickly.

Here are my requirements:

1) My company logo is two color and currently sized at 3 inches by 1 inch total. I can only imagine ever having 2 or 3 variations of sizes stored. 2) The maximum size my logo would ever be is 4x4 inches. 3) The maximum quantity of embroidered shirts I would need to produce each week as my business grows would never exceed fifty shirts a week. 4) I do not want to do any logo design or digitizing work myself (I am just too busy building my business to try and learn the ropes) rather I would like to pay an expert to produce the logo from the same .jpg file that I gave to my current embroiderer to start with and then take that file and load it into whatever machine etc selected.

Now my questions:

1) Is this realistic? Can I with limited time to learn something new learn how to reproduce the same embroidered pattern over and over? 2) Are these non commercial machines fast enough to produce 10-50 shirts a week of the same two color logo? 3) Are these non commercial machines tough enough to produce the same pattern over and over for 2-3 years or are they only light duty and subject to breakage? 4) How much supervision of sewing is needed? I was hoping to align the shirt in the hoop correctly and press start and not have to intervene until it finished the first color and was ready for the second is this realistic? 5) Is it true that their are professionals / highly skilled hobbyist around that would be willing to digitize my logo for me for a reasonable fee and email the required file to me or am I going to have to do this work myself? 6) Given that I do not need or desire the capability to do other logos, lettering, etc. What brand and model should I be looking at and what other stuff will I need? 7) Is their a most popular or standard file format that these embroidery machines use so that I would not have compatibility or conversion issues?

Thanks,

John