Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If your question isn’t answered in this section, please let us know.
Production Time
Our standard delivery window is 5 – 7 business days on orders with a quantity of less than 100 within 8000 stitches.
In the lead up to the Calgary Stampede and at Christmas, orders can take up to 3 weeks.
Payments & Exchanges
Payments
We prefer e-transfers but we also accept VISA, MasterCard and American Express. Once you are an established customer, we may accept orders to be paid by check. Sales Tax: 5%
Deposits
For large orders and apparel ordered through us, 50% with balance due upon completion. Crests must be paid for in advance.
Exchange Policy
Due to the custom nature of embroidery and heat transfers, we cannot accept returns or exchanges unless the item has a clear manufacturers or decoration defect. All requests for returns must be made within 30 days. Please send us an email to sales@embroideryclassics.ca with the following information: your name, invoice number, the items to be returned, and the reason for returning them.
We will promptly review your request and issue you a Return Authorization Number if warranted. We will then send you a prepaid shipping label for you to use. No returns will be accepted without a Return Authorization Number. Orders returned COD will be rejected.
We will notify you of your refund via email once we have received and processed your return. Credits are not processed until the merchandise has been returned and inspected. Refunds will be credited back to your credit card. In the event you paid by check, we will issue you a check for your refund. Once you have received your prepaid shipping label, mark your Return Authorization Number clearly on the box and ship the package to the address on the label.
Minimums & Volume Discounts
Minimums
We accept small orders with quantities less than 12.
Minimum Invoice – $35.00
Apparel – No minimums with most suppliers
Embroidery – Prices are based on QUANTITY AND STITCH COUNT. An order must have the same thread color, garment and design. Any thread color change or edits is considered a new order. Hat, bags, apparel cannot be combined for a quantity pricing.
Crests
Crest smaller than 7 inch minimum order 25
Crest larger than 7 inches minimum order 12
Name Crest – Embroidery 6 minimum
Name Bars – Embroidery – 1 minimum; heat press 6 minimum
Heat Press – Easy Prints – no minimums; custom orders – please call.
Hats – 12 to 24 depending on supplier.
Apparel & Promotional
Apparel Orders: No minimums with most suppliers
Hat Orders: 24 with most suppliers
Promotions – Please call
Volume Discounts
Volume discount over 24 items
Rush Orders
Yes, we can do rush orders. Each rush order is quoted individually based on your needs and our adjustments needed to meet them. We don’t have a flat rate which might overcharge you. We look at each situation individually and account for overtime needed, express shipping costs, etc. Let us know your needs, and we’ll give you a detailed quote.
Returns & Exchanges
Please contact Customer Service for more information.
Do you sell Blank goods?
Yes, we sell undecorated merchandise.
Where can I find apparel catalogs?
Right here: View Catalogue.
Choose from a vast selection of apparel and accessories from casual and corporate wear to uniforms, hats and handbags! Browse the online catalogs in our apparel/promotional section. After you find something you like, contact us or use the online quote request form. It’s that easy! We’ll order the item(s) and embroider it with your custom logo or design.
Where can I find stock images?
We have over 10,000 Stock images in our library and there 1,000s more on the web. Click here for customization.
Embroidery
Can you handle contract work?
We at Embroidery Classics offer contract embroidery as well as supply a vast range of apparel and promotional products.
Can you embroider patches?
Yes, we embroider patches with a merrowed edge. We recommend no less than a quantity of 12 to get your value's worth.
Click here for more information.
How big should a logo be?
For embroidery projects Our general guidelines are 3 to 3.75″ wide for logos wider than they are tall for embroidered use on the left chest of shirts. If the logo is square, 1.5 to 2″ on a side, and 2 to 2.5″ in diameter for circular logos. For caps, 2.25″ tall and 4″ wide are size limits, and 1 to 1.25″ tall and 4″ wide for visors. Full back logos (we only recommend putting them on materials no lighter than a sweatshirt) up to 11″ x 11″.
Does is really matter what type of material is being embroidered?
It’s important that we know what type of material you’re going to want to have embroidered. For instance, t-shirt designs would have fewer stitches in them since the fabric is not as heavy as, say, denim, and simply can’t hold as many stitches. If we’re embroidering polyester fleece, the stitch type (and the ‘underlay’ stitches that you don’t see on the finished product) will be different than on other materials.
Fleece has ‘loft’, meaning that it’s relatively thick and springy. If we don’t use proper underlay stitching to ‘squash’ down the fleece where satin stitches will be placed, stitches can be ‘lost’ in the springy fleece (and not be seen). This could lead to bits of the fleece poking through the stitching.
All that said, most of the time we can use one logo on many different types of fabrics, but it looks best when we know in advance which fabrics and items are to embroidered (even on future orders) and can digitize the logo for embroidery accordingly.
How long does the process take?
5 – 10 business days once the order is approved and the product is received. Stampede and Christmas can take up to 15 business days.
Why do I have to pay a setup (digitizing fee) when my logo is already in digital format?
Digitizing, or punching, is the process of converting artwork into a digital code that can be read by today’s advanced embroidery machines. This digital code provides the instructions to the embroidery machine’s operating system which, in turn, tells the embroidery machine’s frame how to sew the design. The word punching actually comes from the traditional jacquard embroidery machines.
The instructions that told the machines frame how to move and sew the embroidered design came from a tape punched with holes. A skillful digitizing artist uses very specialized (and expensive) embroidery digitizing software to interpret your particular artwork design into a digital embroidery pattern. Digitizing is both a technical and a creative process.
It’s much more than most people might imagine – a lot of people think their design will just be ‘scanned’. While the digitizer may begin with a scan or a graphic file, he has to tell the embroidery machine where to put each stitch, and what order to sew your design – including where to stop, trim the threads, and switch to a different color.
Poor digitization WILL result in a poor-looking design. Saving a few dollars on a one-time digitizing fee and ending up with a poor-looking logo is no bargain. Some embroiderers tout their “free” digitizing. If you really look at their prices, the digitizing is simply built into the selling price of the item. That means on future orders, you’ll be paying for the “free” digitizing with every order, instead of just once with us. If they say they have “FREE” embroidery, try sending them a shirt and see if it’s really free (or once again built into their prices).
What is a standard digitizing fee?
Digitizing fees are based on the number of stitches in the design. A larger design or one with more stitching (as compared to one with more unstitched areas) will cost more. That said, most left chest and cap designs fall in the $85 flat rate one-time fee.
Small logo 2 – 4 in: $85 minimum
Medium logo 5 – 8 in: $100.00 minimum
Large logo 8 inch: Call for quote
Text Setup (for personalized names, etc.): $35 min
Heat Transfer/Silkscreen: $45 min
Do I have to pay a setup fee when I reorder?
No – Digitizing fees are a one-time thing. As long as you use the same logo, there are no further ‘setup’ fees for subsequent orders.
How do you calculate embroidery costs?
Embroidery costs are based on the number of stitches in the design and how many articles we’re embroidering with the exact same logo (to include thread colors).
What locations can I embroider?
Just about anywhere you want. If we can hoop it, we can embroider it!
Can a logo be resized from the left chest size to a full back size (and vice versa)?
Logos can be resized a little bit (usually about 10%) without incurring an additional charge. Changing from a left chest size to a full back size would and require a completely new digitization of the logo. It can’t just be “clicked and dragged” from one size to another.
An example of why is in the Central Tool logo shown here. This is a left chest design. Click on the thumbnail picture to see a larger version. The stitching in the large “CTS” letters is called “satin” stitching. That is, the threads on the vertical portion of the large capital “T” go back-and-forth across the width of the letter. One stitch on the left side, the next stitch on the right side, the next stitch back on the left side, and so on. That works fine for a small logo.
Using the exact same stitch type for a full back logo would create a stitch so long (across the width of the capital letter “T” again, for example) that it would be likely to snag and get pulled out. For a letter this size, we would use “tatami” stitching that would insert the needle into the fabric a number of times as it goes across the width of the letter as opposed to in one jump in the small logo.
One stitch on the left side, a second stitch to the right of the first, but only partway across the width of the letter, a third stitch to the right of the second, but still not to the right side of the letter, and a fourth stitch that actually goes into the right side of the letter, and so on.
Artwork
Artwork Guidelines
Please view the following PDF document for Artwork Guidelines.
Can you match Pantone (PMS) colors?
We will let you know what the closest pantone match we have in stock is for your corporate logo. If we do not have the perfect match in stock, we can custom order these in for you at an extra cost.
We carry Madeira thread brand and have a very large thread library to choose from. While there are over 1000 pantone colours to choose from, Madieria has around 350 thread colours, out of the 350 thread colors we carry around 300 different colours in our embroidery library.
Can I use the same logo for shirts and caps?
You can use the same logo for shirts and caps, with some exceptions. First, cap logos can usually be no taller than 2.25″ tall, while shirt logos may be taller. Second, cap logos need to stitch from “bottom up and middle out” meaning that the stitching needs to start at the bottom middle of the design and work towards the top and edges as it progresses.
This is due to the fact that caps are gripped (hooped) differently than shirts (since a shirt is flat and a cap is curved). If the logo was initially digitized only for use on shirts and you want to put it on caps at a later date, we may need to edit the original file (usually for a small fee) be able to embroider well on caps.
What type of image do I need?
The essence of a good quality embroidery design is in the quality of the image itself. The design images can be sent as VECTOR images like Corel (AI) or Adobe (EPS) which are best; you can also send JPEG/JPG, WMF, EMF, BMP, GIF, TIF, or scanned images with a resolution equal or greater than 400 DPI. Your image should be sent in the actual size of the logo you wish to have digitized. If you are unable to size the image, please give us the dimensions and we will gladly resize it for you.
Clear artwork will allow us to give precision to the design and it is also important to let us know what type of fabric your logo will be applied to. With this knowledge we can make your logo come to life using the best techniques available.
What is vector art? & why should I use it?
Bitmap art gets blurry
Bitmap art is made from pixels. There are a set number of pixels (dots) in each inch of the image (the image’s DPI). The more dots per inch the higher the resolution of the image and the clearer it will be. Once an image is created with a certain number of dots per inch it can’t really be made any clearer.
Vector art stays crisp
Vector art isn’t made from pixels at all. It is made from lines and mathematical ratios. Because of this it doesn’t have a DPI. You can take a postage stamp sized vector image and blow it up to the size of a billboard and still have the same amount of detail.
Machines and programs for many processes require vector art for these reasons. It can be easily separated for silkscreen printing, the vector lines can be followed by vinyl cutting and engraving software.
How do I get a logo to you for a quote?
Contact us or include the image as an attachment with your Quick Quote form. The image should be in a .bmp, .jpg, .gif, or .pdf file format. JPG is our preference. Tell us what size you want your logo to be and what you want to put it on (caps, shirts, fleece, etc.). No more than 3.75″ x 2.00″ is standard for logos wider than they are tall [or vice versa], or 2.50 inches on a side is standard for logos as wide as they are tall.
Cap logos can be no taller than 2.25″ or wider than 4.5″. Visor logos can be no taller than 1.25″ or wider than 4″. Often, the limiting factor in a logo’s size is small lettering or a thin, small part of the artwork. If we think something needs to be changed, we’ll let you know. Email the file to us.
Customer Supplied Goods
We do offer contract orders for embroidery and heat transfers.
Example. 24 assorted colours polos 12 Navy polos with white text, 12 White polos – Black text
Invoice will be quoted on 12 of each not 24 as there is a colour change within the same logo