Guide · Machine embroidery
Embroidery is the only decoration method where the result is physical thread, not pigment on a surface. That makes it the most durable and the most premium-looking of the four methods we run, and also the one with the most variables: the needle, the thread, the backing, the stitch types and the digitizing all change with the fabric. This guide is what we actually do at Inkstitch in Bahrain, written so you can brief any embroiderer well — and judge the work when it comes back.
01
A commercial embroidery machine moves a hooped piece of fabric under a fixed needle, following a stitch file that lists every needle penetration as an X–Y coordinate. Multi-head machines run the same file on several garments at once; a head running caps is slower because the fabric is curved. Typical production speed is 600 to 1,000 stitches per minute, so a 10,000-stitch left-chest logo takes 10 to 15 minutes per head, plus hooping, trimming and backing removal.
Three things decide the result before the machine starts: the stitch file (digitizing), the consumables (needle, thread, backing) and the hooping. Get all three right for the fabric and the same logo looks identical on a cap, a hoodie and a tote bag.
02
Digitizing converts artwork into stitches. It is not an automatic conversion: a digitizer decides the stitch type for each shape, the direction the stitches run, how dense they are, what underlay goes beneath them and how much to compensate for the fabric pulling in. A logo digitized for a stiff cap will pucker on a thin tee; one digitized for fleece will look sparse on canvas. We digitize in-house and keep a file per logo, adjusted per fabric.
03
Every design is built from three stitch types plus two techniques that use them. Which one carries a shape depends on its width: running stitches for lines, satin for anything up to about a centimetre wide, fill for everything larger.
| Stitch | What it is | Used for | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running stitch | A single line of stitches | Outlines, fine detail, underlay, lettering too thin for satin | Reads thin; not a main element |
| Satin (column) stitch | Zigzag stitches that span a shape edge to edge | Lettering, borders, logos with narrow columns, 3D puff | Columns from about 1 mm to 10–12 mm; wider columns are split or converted to fill |
| Fill (tatami) stitch | Rows of stitches that cover a large area, with a pattern | Large shapes, backgrounds, big lettering | Can feel stiff on thin fabrics; needs underlay to avoid gaps |
| 3D puff | Satin stitching at high density over 2–3 mm foam | Bold front-of-cap wordmarks and emblems | Columns at least 3 mm wide, closed ends, best on structured caps |
| Appliqué | A piece of fabric stitched down and edged with satin | Large letters and shapes on hoodies, jackets, bags | Fewer stitches and lighter than a fill; adds a fabric colour |
04
Embroidery needle sizes are quoted two ways, metric and Singer: 75/11 means a 0.75 mm blade, size 11 in the American system. Thicker fabric and thicker thread need a larger needle; small lettering and fine fabric need a smaller one. Commercial machines use round-shank needles — the DB×K5 system is the common one — with a larger eye than a home sewing needle, so 40-weight embroidery thread runs without shredding.
| Size | Blade | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 65/9 | 0.65 mm | Small lettering, 60-weight thread, fine performance fabrics, light silky knits |
| 70/10 | 0.70 mm | Light knits, fine detail on t-shirts |
| 75/11 | 0.75 mm | The standard: t-shirts, polos, fleece, most garments with 40-weight thread |
| 80/12 | 0.80 mm | Caps, cotton canvas totes, denim, twill, thicker fabrics; metallic thread |
| 90/14 | 0.90 mm | Heavy canvas, leather and faux leather, multiple layers, very heavy workwear |
Point shape matters as much as size. A sharp (round, R) point pierces the fabric cleanly and is right for wovens — cap twill, canvas, denim, oxford shirting, leather. A ballpoint (SES light ballpoint, SUK medium) pushes between the loops of a knit instead of cutting them, so t-shirts, polos, fleece hoodies and performance polyester don't develop holes or runs around the embroidery. Titanium-coated needles stay sharp longer and resist the adhesive on sticky backings, so they are common for caps and long runs. Needles are changed on a schedule — roughly every eight hours of stitching, or sooner at the first thread break, fray or skipped stitch.
05
Embroidery thread is sold by weight, and the higher the number, the finer the thread. 40-weight is the standard for almost all commercial embroidery; 60-weight is finer and used for small text and fine detail; 30-weight is heavier and bolder for a hand-stitched look. The bobbin underneath runs a fine 60- to 90-weight polyester, usually white or black.
| Thread | Strengths | Watch out | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polyester, 40 wt | Colourfast, strong, bleach- and chlorine-resistant, survives industrial laundering | Slightly less sheen than rayon | The default: uniforms, workwear, caps, anything washed hard |
| Rayon, 40 wt | High sheen, soft hand, very smooth | Weaker; fades with bleach; not for hard laundering | Fashion pieces where sheen matters |
| Polyester, 60 wt | Sharp small lettering, less bulk | Needs a 65/9 needle and tighter density | Text 3–5 mm, fine detail, patches |
| Metallic | Gold and silver effects | Breaks easily; slower speed, larger-eye needle, lower density | Accents, crests, event badges |
| Specialty | Glow-in-the-dark, variegated, fire-resistant, wool-look | Specific needles and settings | Safety wear, effects |
Colour matching is by thread chart against Pantone references or a physical sample. We record the thread codes with the stitch file, so the logo on next year's polos matches this year's caps.
06
Backing is the non-woven material hooped behind the fabric. It carries the stitches while the machine runs and, on knits, stays in the garment to stop the logo stretching and puckering for the life of the piece. Choosing the wrong one is the most common cause of puckered, sunken or distorted embroidery.
| Backing | What it does | Fabrics |
|---|---|---|
| Cut-away | Stays behind the embroidery permanently; the excess is cut off. Soft, medium or heavy weights | All knits: t-shirts, polos, fleece hoodies, performance fabrics, beanies |
| No-show mesh (cut-away) | A light, sheer cut-away that doesn't shadow through light fabrics | Light knits, white and pastel tees and polos, children's wear |
| Tear-away | Removed after stitching by tearing. Light, medium, heavy and stiff cap backings | Stable wovens: caps, canvas totes, denim, twill jackets, towels, patches |
| Fusible / adhesive | Ironed or stuck to the fabric before hooping | Hard-to-hoop items, slippery fabrics, small pieces |
| Water-soluble topping | A clear film laid on top of the fabric, dissolved after stitching | Fleece, towelling, piqué, corduroy, velvet: stops stitches sinking into the pile |
The rule of thumb is simple: knit means cut-away, woven means tear-away, pile means add a topping. Caps use a stiff tear-away so the backing supports the curved front without staying in the sweatband.
07
Hooping holds the fabric and backing drum-tight and square to the machine. A loose hoop shifts and misregisters colours; an over-stretched knit springs back after stitching and puckers. Caps are hooped on a cap frame that holds the crown taut and the brim out of the way; bags and jackets with awkward panels are hooped with adhesive backing or in a border frame.
| Placement | Standard position | Typical size |
|---|---|---|
| Left chest (polo, tee, hoodie, jacket) | Centred between placket and shoulder seam, 15–20 cm below the shoulder; level with the second button on a polo | 7–10 cm wide |
| Cap front | Centred on the front panels, above the brim | Up to 12 × 5–6 cm structured; smaller on dad hats |
| Cap side / back | Left or right panel; above the closure | About 5 cm; about 10 × 4 cm |
| Sleeve | Upper left or right sleeve, or the cuff | 5–8 cm |
| Back yoke / nape | Centred below the collar | 8–12 cm wide |
| Full back (jacket, hoodie) | Centred between the shoulder blades | 20–30 cm wide |
| Tote bag face | Centred, clear of handle seams and gusset | 8–15 cm embroidered; 15–25 cm printed |
| Towel | Centred above the dobby border | 10–20 cm wide; letters at least 7 mm |
08
09
The same logo, five fabrics, five setups. This is the table we work from; it is also why a quote asks what the garment is before it asks how many.
| Garment | Fabric | Needle | Backing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caps, structured | Cotton or poly twill with buckram | 75/11–80/12 sharp | Stiff tear-away | Cap frame, centre-out digitizing; 3D puff on bold fronts; front up to about 12 × 5–6 cm |
| Caps, unstructured / dad hats | Soft garment-washed twill | 75/11 sharp | Medium tear-away | Smaller, lighter logos so the crown keeps its shape; flat embroidery preferred |
| Beanies | Acrylic or cotton knit | 75/11 ballpoint | Cut-away | Bold shapes, lower density; hooped on the cuff |
| T-shirts | Jersey, 150–240 GSM | 70/10–75/11 ballpoint | No-show mesh cut-away | Small logos, light density; large designs are better printed |
| Polos | Piqué cotton or performance knit | 75/11 ballpoint | Cut-away or no-show mesh, topping on piqué | Left chest 7–9 cm; more pull compensation |
| Hoodies and sweatshirts | Brushed-back fleece, 300–860 GSM | 75/11 ballpoint | Cut-away + water-soluble topping | Takes large bold logos; avoid the kangaroo-pocket seam and drawcord |
| Jackets, softshell and nylon | Woven synthetics, membranes | 75/11–80/12 sharp | Cut-away | Needle holes compromise waterproofing: use a patch, or accept it |
| Denim and twill workwear | Heavy cotton woven | 80/12–90/14 sharp | Tear-away | Takes dense fills well; 90/14 through seams and layers |
| Tote bags | Cotton canvas 10–12 oz (340–400 GSM) | 80/12 sharp | Tear-away | Flat and stable: large fills and fine lettering both work; keep clear of handles |
| Towels and bathrobes | Cotton terry | 75/11 | Tear-away + water-soluble topping | Bold shapes; letters at least 7 mm; fill underlay so the pile doesn't show through |
| Performance / dry-fit | Light polyester knit | 65/9–75/11 light ballpoint | No-show mesh cut-away | Lower density, polyester thread, smaller designs so the fabric stays soft |
| Leather and faux leather | Hide or PU | 90/14 sharp or wedge | Tear-away or none | Low density, minimal underlay, no re-stitching: every hole is permanent |
| Patches | Polyester twill | 75/11 sharp | Tear-away or cut-away | Merrowed or satin border; sew-on, iron-on or hook-and-loop backing |
10
Puff is satin stitching over a sheet of 2–3 mm EVA foam. The design is digitized with closed, capped column ends so the foam is cut by the needle penetrations and tears away cleanly, with density increased so no foam shows between stitches. It needs columns at least 3 mm wide, suits bold block lettering and simple emblems, and works best on the structured front of a cap, where the buckram supports the raised stitching. Flat elements — outlines, small text, fine detail — are stitched beside it in the same run. Puff should not be ironed; heat flattens the foam.
11
Send vector artwork — AI, EPS, PDF or SVG — when you have it; a clean, high-resolution PNG or JPEG is fine for digitizing. The output is a stitch file: DST (Tajima) is the universal format read by every commercial machine; PES (Brother), EXP (Melco), JEF (Janome) and VP3 (Husqvarna) are machine-specific; EMB is Wilcom's editable source format. Inkstitch keeps your DST on record and will give you a copy. A stitch file is sized for one fabric and one dimension: re-sizing it more than about 10 percent without re-digitizing changes the density and the result.
12
13
Embroidery is for logos, lettering and anything that must look premium or survive hard washing. Printing is for photographs, gradients, very large artwork and very thin fabrics. The full comparison — DTF, DTG and screen printing against embroidery, by garment, quantity and artwork — is in Embroidery vs DTF vs DTG vs screen printing.
| Method | Best for | Not for |
|---|---|---|
| Embroidery | Logos, lettering, caps, polos, uniforms, bags; anything washed hard or meant to look premium | Photographs, gradients, very large or very small artwork on thin tees |
| DTF | Full-colour artwork on any fabric, small and medium runs, bright colour on dark garments | Jobs where a stitched, textured finish is the point |
| DTG | Photographic, soft-hand prints on cotton tees and hoodies, from one piece | Polyester, caps |
| Screen print | Fifty-plus pieces of a flat design; the lowest cost per piece at volume | Short runs, many colours, photographs |
Questions
75/11 is the standard for most garments with 40-weight thread. Use 65/9 for small lettering and fine fabrics, 80/12 for caps, canvas and denim, and 90/14 for heavy canvas, leather and layered seams.
Sharp for woven fabrics — cap twill, canvas, denim, shirting, leather. Ballpoint for knits — t-shirts, polos, fleece hoodies and performance polyester — because it passes between the loops instead of cutting them.
Cut-away for knits, because it stays in the garment and keeps the logo stable through washing. Tear-away for stable wovens such as caps, canvas totes, denim and towels. Add a water-soluble topping on fleece, towelling and piqué so the stitches don't sink.
40-weight polyester is the commercial standard: strong, colourfast and bleach-resistant. 60-weight is used for small text and fine detail, 30-weight for a bolder look. Rayon has more sheen but fades with bleach and is weaker.
About 4–5 mm high for block capitals in 40-weight thread, 6–7 mm for serif or script, and about 3 mm with 60-weight thread and a 65/9 needle.
The spacing between adjacent stitch lines in a satin or fill, around 0.40 mm as a standard for 40-weight thread. Tighter density covers foam in 3D puff; looser density keeps performance fabrics and thin jersey soft.
Stitches placed before the visible ones to anchor the fabric to the backing and lift the top stitching off the pile. Fleece and towels need more underlay; canvas needs little. Without it, stitches sink and edges wobble.
An allowance added in digitizing because stitches pull the fabric inward along their direction, by about 0.2 to 0.4 mm per side. Shapes are made slightly wider so they stitch out true, more so on knits than on wovens.
A left-chest logo is usually 4,000–10,000 stitches, a cap front 6,000–15,000, a 3D puff cap logo 8,000–20,000 and a full jacket back 50,000 or more. At 600–1,000 stitches per minute a 10,000-stitch logo takes 10–15 minutes per head.
Yes, with a ballpoint needle, no-show mesh cut-away backing and a light, small design, usually left chest. Large or detailed artwork on a thin tee is better printed with DTG or DTF.
Yes. Fleece hoodies take bold left-chest, sleeve, hood and back logos with cut-away backing and a water-soluble topping. Cotton canvas totes are among the best embroidery surfaces there are: flat and stable, so large fills and fine lettering both work.
DST (Tajima) is the universal commercial format; PES, EXP, JEF and VP3 are machine-specific, and EMB is Wilcom's editable source format. Send vector artwork (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG) or a clean PNG and the embroiderer digitizes it into the stitch file.
Glossary
Or don't — send the logo and the garment and we'll set up the needle, thread and backing ourselves. Quotes the same working day, Bahrain-wide.