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Embroidery & Printing Guide

Howsafe are experts in embroidery, direct-to-film (DTF), and vinyl printing onto a wide range of workwear and corporate clothing. We’ve created this guide to make the process of branding your uniforms easier to understand. From T-shirts and polos to hi-vis and jackets, most garments in our range can be personalised with your company logo, name, or design.

Howsafe Embroided T-Shirt

Embroidery, DTF & Vinyl Printing Explained

There are a few different ways to brand clothing, and each has its own strengths:

  • Embroidery delivers a smart, durable finish that looks professional and stands up to heavy wear.

  • Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing produces bold, flexible designs that are ideal for lightweight fabrics and detailed, full-colour logos.

  • Vinyl printing is perfect for simple, high-impact graphics with a clean, modern look.

In the sections ahead, we’ll explain how each method works, which garments they suit best, and what to expect from the ordering process. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of which option is right for your team.

 

Why choose Embroidery and Print?

  • Boost brand awareness by putting your company logo on uniforms and PPE.

  • Stand out from the crowd with professional, cohesive workwear.

  • Encourage team spirit—branded clothing makes crew members feel part of a team.

  • Build trust by clearly identifying staff to customers and site visitors.

  • Reassure clients that they are dealing with a professional business.

Embroidery Machinery

Direct-to-film and Embroidery Systems

The quality of your branded garments starts with our equipment. At Howsafe we use state‑of‑the‑art embroidery machines and direct‑to‑film printers that are regularly serviced for optimum performance, not maximum throughput. Our dedicated in‑house embroidery and print teams work from separate facilities to ensure consistent quality, and multiple machines allow us to handle fluctuations in volume without compromising on finish.

Embroidery

Our newest SWF‑6 embroidery machine is one of the most advanced on the market and can operate at speeds up to 1 000 rpm. It delivers precise stitching and vibrant colours across a wide range of fabrics, giving your logo a premium, long‑lasting feel.

Direct‑to‑film Printing

We’ve invested in a Mimaki TxF300‑75 direct‑to‑film printer paired with an Adkins Inline 800 shaker unit. This high‑end setup produces crisp, durable prints with excellent colour reproduction and adhesion, ensuring your branded garments look sharp wash after wash.

Design Size

When planning your artwork, remember that smaller and simpler logos are quicker to embroider and more cost‑effective. Discreet pocket‑sized logos can be more stylish than large designs, especially on polo shirts and sweatshirts, while hi‑visibility garments may benefit from bigger logos for better impact. As a general guide, our maximum width for an embroidered pocket logo is about 10 cm (4 in), though larger designs are possible on request. For heat‑printed logos we can apply pocket sizes and rear logos up to 36 cm (14 in); hi‑vis garments are limited by the placement of reflective stripes. We’ll advise you on the best size for aesthetics, garment type and budget.

Howsafe Workwear Logo Examples

Embroidery

Embroidery offers a permanent, textured finish that often outlasts the garment itself. It adds depth and quality to your logo, making it ideal for polo shirts, caps and jackets. Most designs can be recreated in thread, although complex gradients may require modification. Our design team can work from your artwork or recreate it from business cards and letterheads. One‑off setup charges vary depending on the complexity of your logo; once the embroidery disk is made, per‑application prices start from around £1.50 plus VAT. If you don’t yet have a logo, we can provide a basic text design free of charge. The more stitches in a design, the higher the individual application cost, but we’ll quote clearly so you can decide whether to proceed.

Stitch Types

We use two main stitch types in our embroidery process: satin stitch and fill stitch. Satin stitch creates a clean, smooth line and is perfect for lettering and borders; fill stitch uses more thread and is used for block colours and wide lettering. We prioritise stitch quality over speed, so your logo looks crisp and professional every time.

Stitch Types

There are many types of stitch used with the embroidery process, but the two most common are Satin and Fill type stitches. The Satin Stitch is very basically a loop of thread and a Fill Stitch involves much more thread and is mainly used for filling in blocks of colour or for wide lettering. Both types are shown in the picture.

Howsafe will have your design made for optimum quality of the finished product not for the quickest speed on our machines.

Polo Shirt

Providing your logo

For the best results, please supply your artwork as a vector file (EPS, PDF, CDR, AI or SVG) or a high‑resolution bitmap at 300 dpi. Vector files are ideal for embroidery and print because they can be scaled without losing clarity. If you don’t have a vector version, we can work with high‑quality JPG, PNG, WEBP, AVIF, BMP, TIFF or GIF files. Even if your logo only exists on a brochure or vehicle livery, our team may be able to recreate it—just send us a good photograph or sample.

Vector Graphics vs Bitmaps

Vector graphics are created with scalable lines and curves, so they stay sharp whether you use them on a business card or a billboard. Bitmap images (like JPGs and PNGs) are made of pixels and can become jagged when enlarged. For crisp embroidery and printing, vectors are always preferable, but high‑resolution bitmaps can work when vectors are unavailable.

File Formats Examples

Safety helmet pricing

  • Option 1: We can apply a sticker‑type logo to the front of our ABS plastic safety helmets with no minimum order.

  • Option 2: We offer premium helmet branding by printing your logo directly onto the helmet. This method provides a razor‑sharp image and excellent durability.


Contact us on 01733 560669 or [email protected] for more information or a quote.

Pricing

Logo‑application pricing is typically volume‑based—larger orders reduce the per‑garment cost. At Howsafe we handle all order sizes and will quote a fixed price with no hidden charges. Costs decrease as quantities increase, but small orders still receive fair pricing. Ask us for a free, no‑obligation quote by calling 01733 560669 or emailing [email protected].

How many garments do I need?

When investing in branded workwear, consider how often each garment will be worn and washed. Our ethos is to supply well‑made garments from trusted manufacturers rather than sourcing the cheapest products. For a year of wear at a five‑day‑a‑week job, we usually recommend five polo shirts, two or three sweatshirts and two pairs of trousers per person. Quality clothing lasts longer and retains your branding better, saving you money in the long run.

Howsafe Workwear

Deadlines

Production times in the branding industry can vary widely, with some suppliers quoting up to 12 weeks. Howsafe carries high stock levels of our core garments, enabling us to turn around most off‑the‑shelf orders within 7–10 working days, often faster. New orders requiring artwork approval or special garments may take longer. Once your requirements are confirmed, we will ask you to fill out an embroidery/printing form so we can keep your design on file and speed up future orders.

Notes for your consideration

  • Personal names: Adding staff names looks great, but consider what happens if an employee leaves or the garment no longer fits. If a name isn’t printed, you can re‑issue the garment more easily.

  • Sizing: Different brands fit differently—a 2XL in one brand may not match a 2XL in another. Try garments on before ordering; you can visit our Peterborough store or arrange a sizing visit from an Account Manager within 25 miles of the city.

  • Garment samples: We recommend trying garments before committing to large orders to ensure comfort, fit and quality.

The Workwear Store

Howsafe’s Workwear Store in Peterborough is open to the public and houses one of the region’s largest displays of safety footwear, workwear and PPE. Thousands of products are available off the shelf, ready to be branded or taken away immediately. Come and browse our full range, try on garments and boots in our changing rooms and get expert advice from our team. We’re located at Units 18–20 Challenger Way, Edgerley Business Park, PE1 5EX, with free parking right outside. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 am–5:00 pm and Saturday 9:00 am–1:00 pm. We look forward to welcoming you.

We are open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm and Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm.