# Embroidered Polo Shirts-What Kind??



## Mustard57 (Jul 3, 2007)

I am researching embroidered polo shirts as a uniform for a restaurant. What holds better- a 100% cotton shirt, or a 50/50 Poly/Cotton blend? Also should I chose a pique knit or jersey knit?

I am not familiar with these and am not sure which shirt will last the longest! Seems to me everyone has a different opinion. Please help! I have a deadline at work and I have NO idea!!!

Thanks for everyone who is willing to offer their advice!


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## fat_miao (Jun 18, 2007)

still new with the embroidery biz, wont it really be the underlaying that control the stitches? 

some seem to use the water solube on top and embroidered over it, aside from the under being two / three pieces.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

I think a pique knit shirt works better for embroidery.

100% cotton or 50/50 is usually just a matter of preference.


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## vctradingcubao (Nov 15, 2006)

All types of fabrics you mentioned will be fine for embroidery! It's difficult to screen print pique knit shirts, so they almost always use embroidery for this type.


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## John S (Sep 9, 2006)

Mustard57 said:


> I am researching embroidered polo shirts as a uniform for a restaurant. What holds better- a 100% cotton shirt, or a 50/50 Poly/Cotton blend? Also should I chose a pique knit or jersey knit?


Why not get a few samples and put them to the test? I like the 100% pima cotton pique myself. (alphashirt.com D100 is my favorite)

The crew will pick the expensive shirts, the owner will go for the cheap shirts.


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## theprintshop (Oct 8, 2008)

John S said:


> Why not get a few samples and put them to the test? I like the 100% pima cotton pique myself. (alphashirt.com D100 is my favorite)
> 
> The crew will pick the expensive shirts, the owner will go for the cheap shirts.


haha i agree the owner will always shop around and find the cheapest polo shirt


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

For a restaurant I would recommend one with a stain resistant finish. They may cost a little more but will look better longer than a shirt without the finish.


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## Flint54 (Oct 16, 2008)

I prefer a pique cotton poly blend for embroidery, to me it is more stable, less wrinkling ans less stretch. We use topping all the time unless the embroidery is a solid area. Any lettering or designs that let the shirt show anywhere in the design topping is standard. Almost all of our shirts are a 60/40 blend.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

For restaurant wear I would choose a blend especially if you're using a dark color which will be more likely to fade. Cotton is cooler; blends will have fewer wrinkles, shrinkage and less fading. Pique knit is usually preferred over jersey knit (T-shirt like fabric) but embroidery will look better on jersey knit because it has a flatter weave than pique which allows stitches to sink into the fabric. If you're using a less expensive shirt I would go with a pique because I think the jersey knits have cheaper look. If you use a pique just make sure your digitizer knows the design is for pique and you'll be fine.


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## theprintshop (Oct 8, 2008)

but for the restaurant trade you really need to ensure the polo shirt is cotton since some people when working in a sweaty environment can create allergies if you are buy a cheap poly cotton polo shirt. Cotton is best or restaurant trade since it is a breathable garment


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## Flint54 (Oct 16, 2008)

I still highly recommend a cotton/poly blend, especially in a restaurant environment. Fewer problems with staining and fading. Be sure that the embroidery is done with Polyester thread. As far as embroidery on pique, you should not have any problem with stitches going into the weave especially if you use a soluble topping. At fractions of a cent well worth the extra cost especially if you have any stand alone text in the design. Without it you may have mixed results.


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