Patch Border
All patches will contain a finished embroidered border. You can set the finished border in your artwork file by stroking the exterior of your artwork with the border you'd like.
Level Of Detail Within Artwork
Embroidery can be used to create detailed shapes, text, and artwork. However, because custom embroidery creates your artwork by stitching threads, there are physical limits to how intricate details can be within your artwork. The smallest a single stitch can be is 2mm or ~.07". This means that the smallest level of detail within your artwork must be at least 2mm. If your artwork contains details smaller than 2mm our artist will update your file to ensure your artwork can be created as embroidery, this may alter the look of your embroidery.
Guidance For Fonts & Text
Remember, your text and fonts will be created out of thread so you want to take precautions to ensure your text is legible.
Font Height
In order for text to be legible it must have a minimum height:
- Recommended Minimum Height: 1/2"
- Acceptable Minimum Height: 1/4"
- Not Acceptable Height: Less than 1/4"
Please note that different fonts may have different height requirements.
Letter Spacing
You should also give additional thought and care to letter spacing, or tracking, to ensure your text is legible. Generally speaking, the best fonts for embroidery are cursive letters where each letter is connected in script. The thread will continue between each letter and be more legible. The next best fonts are san-serif fonts because there are less pieces to each letter and are more easily legible. Serif fonts are not recommended at small scales, but if you intend to use one, we recommend adding additional space between each letter for visibility and clarity around each letter.
Embroidery Colors
We offer a variety of thread colors to achieve the most accurate color representation for embroidery. When you upload your artwork and select embroidery, the website will automatically detect and display colors in your artwork that match our available thread colors. The
apliiq color chart shows our available thread colors. If your art requires specific thread colors, please send an email them to
cs@apliiq.com to request a quote for custom embroidery colors.
Disclaimer: When images are embroidered the colors may not match exactly what you see on your screen. Unfortunately, there are differences between how colors are rendered on a computer or phone screen.
Maximum number of colors
Orders placed online can contain up to 5 thread colors. If your artwork requires more than 5 colors you can request an estimate by emailing
cs@apliiq.com.
What to do if your file is too small
Sometimes you may need to use existing design element to create your artwork. If your file is too small you still have options to make amazing happen:
- Try locating a larger version of your file.
- Our artists can vectorize your artwork for you so it can be properly scaled up. We are happy to do this free of charge, in most cases the artwork will be altered slightly.