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Don’t Skimp on the Stitch Count

Avoid threadbare logos when digitizing artwork for apparel

Before logos and names can be embroidered on a jacket or shirt, the embroiderer has to know the stitch count. Different software applications allow users to convert the image from a native file into a format that tells the embroidery machine how many stitches are necessary.

Embroiderers are equipped to handle digitization, but distributors such as R.J. Stienstra, vice president of sales at Bridge Printing and Promotional Products, Arlington Heights, Ill., also rely on service bureaus for prepress tasks. One of Stienstra’s service bureaus recently underestimated the necessary stitch count. “In this industry, everything has to be digitized. The fewer stitches an imprint requires, the less expensive it is to produce, and it runs through the factory quicker because it doesn’t take as long to stitch,” Stienstra says. “Some places short on you a little bit with the stitch count so they can run it though the factory quicker, but it doesn’t look as good.”

The order was for one of the distributor’s top clients, a paint supplier to the automotive industry. “My client had an issue with one of their customers. It was a very important client to them,” says Stienstra. “Not only did they fix the issue, they also wanted to do something a little extra, and that was buying them $150 leather wool coats.”

The client ordered 25 letterman jackets from Preston, Wash.-based supplier SanMar. Stienstra was more than happy to fill the order. “This particular client of mine is a top 15 customer,” he says. “It’s a make-or-break project to them, so I needed a quality vendor that wouldn’t jeopardize my relationship with my client.”

Fortunately, after using the service bureau, Stienstra was alerted to the low stitch count by manufacturing partner USA/docufinish, which launched an apparel division last year. “We sent the order to USA/docufinish with a digitized file, and they went straight to the stitch out,” says Stienstra. “There was a logo on the front left chest and a logo on the back. It’s called a full back, and it’s probably 10 x 15 inches. The background of the logo was white, but the stitch count wasn’t high enough, so the background wasn’t thick enough. You could kind of see through the back of the jacket. They brought that to my attention and fixed it for me.”

“The client was concerned that the back logo would look too much like a billboard,” says Stienstra, “but when the saw the finished product and the quality of it, they were ecstatic.” Stienstra also notes that how the jackets were packaged matters: “As an add-on, USA/Docufinish polybagged them, which is always nice, because the tags and the sizes show through.”

Bridge Printing and Promotional Products normally fulfills apparel orders in quantities of thousands, particularly for trade show clients. “One of my customers represents CAT scan machines. At each of their trade shows, they introduce a new product,” says Steinstra. “There are literally 1,000 of their employees attending these shows, so they order apparel to help with the announcement of the new product and to brand it.”

One key to successfully selling apparel is asking the client lots of questions. “Are men or women going to be wearing this? More companies out there, including Cutter and Buck, and SanMar, now offer products in men’s and women’s sizes,” says Stienstra. “I don’t think a lot of clients know that.”

—Andy Brown