Guide
Logo embroidery: how it works and when to use it
How a logo becomes a stitch file, which garments suit it, the artwork it needs and where print is the better choice.
Resources
Decoration techniques for branded swag
Your decoration method decides how your logo looks, how long it lasts and what it costs. Pick what you’re branding below to see which methods suit it, then read how each one works, where it has limits and what artwork to send.
15 methods · 7 guides
Choosing for an order?Start your project
Start here
Guide
Screen printing: what it is, how it works and when to use it
Ink pushed through a mesh stencil, one colour at a time: where it beats thread, where it struggles and what drives the cost.
Guide
Debossing: how it works and when to use it
A logo pressed into a notebook cover or leather good with a heated die, with no ink: the artwork, the dies and the limits.
Find the right method
Choose what you’re branding to see which methods suit it and why, or browse them all below. Ratings are typical industry guidance, not a promise for every product: we confirm the method for every order.
Browsing all 15 methods
Stitched and applied
3 methodsEmbroidery
Thread stitched into the fabric for a raised, textured, hard-wearing logo.
Best on: Caps and beanies, Sweatshirts and hoodies, Polos, shirts and knitwear, Jackets and workwear
Branded patches
PU badges and labels, printed patches with an embroidered outline, and silicone patches, sewn or pressed on.
Best on: Caps and beanies, Waterproof jackets
Doming
A clear, raised resin dome over a full-colour printed logo, applied as a glossy badge.
Works on: Bottles, flasks and travel mugs, Tech and power banks
Printed
5 methodsScreen printing
Ink pushed through a mesh stencil, one colour at a time, for bold, durable prints.
Best on: Sweatshirts and hoodies, T-shirts, Totes and canvas bags
DTG printing
Full-colour ink printed straight into the fabric, like an inkjet, with no screens to set up.
Best on: T-shirts
Full-colour digital print
Inkjet printing straight onto hard items, in full colour, even all the way round a bottle.
Best on: Bottles, flasks and travel mugs
Pad printing
A soft silicone pad lifts ink from an etched plate onto curved, hard surfaces.
Best on: Ceramic mugs, Bottles, flasks and travel mugs, Pens, Tech and power banks
Dye sublimation
Heat turns dye into a gas that bonds with polyester, for full-colour prints that won’t crack.
Best on: Lanyards
Heat-applied
2 methodsDTF printing
Full-colour artwork printed onto film, then heat-pressed on. Bonds to cotton, polyester and blends.
Works on: Caps and beanies, Sweatshirts and hoodies, T-shirts, Polos, shirts and knitwear, Jackets and workwear, Waterproof jackets, Totes and canvas bags
Heat transfers
Your design screen-printed or digitally printed onto a transfer, then heat-pressed onto the product.
Works on: Caps and beanies, Jackets and workwear, Waterproof jackets, Totes and canvas bags, Notebook covers
Pressed and engraved
5 methodsDebossing
Your logo pressed into the surface, with no ink to fade or rub off.
Best on: Notebook covers
Embossing
Your logo pressed up from behind, so it stands raised from the surface, with no ink.
Works on: Notebook covers
Hot foil
A heated die presses metallic or coloured foil onto the surface, for gold, silver or one brand colour.
Best on: Notebook covers
Laser engraving
A fibre laser marks your logo onto metal, so there’s no ink to fade or rub off.
Best on: Bottles, flasks and travel mugs, Pens, Tech and power banks
CO2 laser engraving
A CO2 laser etches wood, bamboo, leather, cork and glass in a single tone, with no ink.
Best on: Wood and bamboo items
Compare two methods
Embroidery vs Screen printing
Two of the main methods for branded clothing, compared side by side so you can pick the right one for each piece.
Embossed vs Debossed
Raised or pressed in: how the two finishes look and feel on notebooks, leather and packaging, and which to choose.
Want to see decorated swag from real collections?Browse the Inspiration Board
Branding a specific product?
Want us to handle it?
Tell us who you are sending to and what you have in mind. We’ll help connect the products, the packaging and the delivery plan.
ManagedStart your projectStudioBring us your briefShop onlineShop Select (opens Go Swag Select, a separate site)
Or call 0800 118 4047 or email hello@goswag.com.