# Outsourcing Embroidery...What to look for?



## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

Hi all.

I'd like to be able to offer our future customers the option of embroidered shirts.

What should I look for in a local embroidery service and what questions should I ask?

Our primary in-house methods will be vinyl and Plastisol.

Thanks!


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## KenS (Apr 27, 2007)

Track record
Customer service

They should have pictures or stitch out examples of their work for you to look at. You can ask for references. Also ask how much lead time they need for various types of jobs and quantities.


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

when a company contacts me for emboidery service.I provide them with several references amd can provide phots of my work too. This is the way I have operated for the last 12 years. Good luck,I hope this helps you out. .... JB


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

i guess it depends on how many garments are going to have done. if you have enough then you shouldnt expect to pay for color changes, setup charges, or digitizing if your artwork is ready to be digitized. 

what are enough garments? that depends on the size of your emb service. the large shops wont touch an order under 144 pieces. smaller shops will do as little as 1. expect to pay are $2-$4 for the first 5K stitches and less as your number of items goes up. 

we just brought embriodery in-house but our local source was close by, turned around orders in 1-3 weeks, charged a digitizing fee, didn't charge color changes, and would do 1 or more pieces for us. As a contrast, a local large shop had a minimum 144 pieces, charged 50c per piece, per color for color changes and charged a setup and digitizing fee. We never used them because our local guy could handle thousands of garments or just a few so he got our business. 

So, pick up the phone book, go down and look around and find someone you are comfortable with. Give them some small jobs and see how they do.


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

Thank you for your wonderful post! 

Mark says he knows some (or most) of the questions to ask. It's just that he sleeps at night (has a first shift job) and I don't (I don't REALLY have a job right now), so I get impatient. 

I'll have him read this, tho, just to let him know. 

Thanks again!


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## chluo (Feb 19, 2009)

Quality and price are the most important factors, then the lead time.

Estimate the quality of a order: Are the thread and fabric correct? Are the border and backing (for embroidered patches) good? Are the colors and sizes exact right?

Linda


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## zlf0261 (May 2, 2009)

Could you search embroidery business in Google local map?.


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## irish (Dec 13, 2008)

Definitely look at their stitchouts - not just pictures. We have 2 volume embroiderers near us and neither one is worth a darn.

Are you looking at volume or onesie/twosies?

Are you able to get ahold of them when you need them ? Do they have an answering service and do they return calls?

What is their policy on fixing mistakes?

What is their turn around time?

Finally cost. What is their cost breakdown.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Quality level matches yours or better
Cost per item per quantity
Clear on different types of charges
Spoilage Rate
Turnaround time
Count in drop shipped items
Items won't do
Fold, bag, tag, ship?
Answer questions in timely fashion
How handle mistakes
Receive previously digitized file? Format?


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## mudslinger (Nov 22, 2008)

if you have to have them fix mistakes they made, I would look for a different Embroiderer


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

To clarify the "fix mistakes" issue - A high volumne shop will on occasion produce a mistake. A mistake might be minor such as a looped fill stitches or a crooked design. This usually happens with new employees. A quality shop should provide good employee training but if a mistake does occur, how does the shop handle it? Will they redo the item or consider it to be part standard spoilage? If its spoilage, what is the acceptable rate? These are the questions I would ask when looking for a contractor.


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## CarolRhinestone (Jun 8, 2009)

mudslinger said:


> if you have to have them fix mistakes they made, I would look for a different Embroiderer


 What exactelly! It's a smart thinking for management.


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## mudslinger (Nov 22, 2008)

The final inspector should have caught it, scrap should never leave the plant, our policy is "Zero tolerance".


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## Bayousunrise (Jul 29, 2009)

The thing people look for is the turn around time, quality, and of course the price. The best needles is Groz-Beckert. Digitizing we use EOS 2 & 3 that is the best out there. 

Thanks,
Michelle


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## Bayousunrise (Jul 29, 2009)

When we get emailed a logo we digitize it and we do a sew out and send it to the customer. If they like the way it came out then they tell us to proceed or that they want this done or that done. Then we do it and we do another sew out and send that and go from there.

Michelle


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## hvcustomdesigns (Aug 19, 2016)

We are new and would like to out source embroidery. How would I go about this?


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