The Right Size, In the Right Place.
A baseline placement and sizing guide to help you brief us accurately and avoid costly resizing. These are general industry reference points — not fixed specifications. Always verify on your actual garment before production.
Contact Support for Specific AdvicePlacement Warning
These measurements are reference points only. Placement must be checked on the actual garment, in the actual size, before production. Manufacturer cut, garment size, pocket position, collar height, placket width, hood shape, and fabric behaviour can all change the correct position. Net Digitizing does not accept responsibility for incorrect placement where physical samples were not measured, marked, and test-stitched before bulk production.
Using This Guide (Important)
One of the most common questions we receive is: “How big should my logo be?” The answer depends on where it's going. A logo that looks great on a left chest will not work at the same size on a cap, and a jacket back needs a completely different approach.
This guide gives you our standard recommendations based on 30+ years of production experience. These are general industry baselines only and should be used as a starting point, not a fixed rule. Garment cuts, sizes, plackets, seams, collars, hoods, and fabric behaviour vary significantly between brands and styles. Always measure and mark a sample garment before bulk production, and always confirm placement on the actual item being embroidered. Final placement remains the responsibility of the operator.
Why You Don't Need a Stitch Calculator
Because of the vast variations in design styles, it is not possible to provide an accurate “standard stitch count” based purely on physical dimensions.
The Reality: Two left-chest logos that are both 80mm wide can require vastly different stitch counts. A design consisting of simple, open text might only require 1,200 to 2,000 stitches. However, a dense, shield-style crest with a solid background fill in the exact same 80mm size could easily exceed 15,000 stitches.
The Solution:Don't rely on guesswork or generic stitch calculators. We provide free quotations and digital mock-ups before you commit. Simply upload your artwork to our system, and our studio team will provide an exact stitch count and a visual representation of the prepared file—completely free of charge.
Baseline Placement Positions
Note: These are general industry reference points based on common garment styles. Actual placement will vary depending on brand, cut, and size. Always check on your specific garment before production.
Left Chest (Adult):
- •Typical width: 90mm – 100mm. The “sweet spot” is 95mm.
- •Placement: 18–24cm down from the shoulder seam, 8–11cm from center front.
- •Anything over 105mm starts to wrap into the armpit on smaller sizes.
These measurements assume a standard polo or shirt cut. Garments with wider plackets, offset buttons, or asymmetric designs may require adjusted positioning.
Left Chest (Kids, Age 3–10):
- •Typical width: 60mm – 75mm. Keep it centered.
- •Placement: 14–16cm down from the shoulder seam, 6–7cm from center.
Children’s garment cuts vary significantly between brands. Always check placement on the actual garment size being embroidered.
School Crests:
- •Typical width: 55mm – 65mm.
- •Keeping them under 65mm prevents a high-density crest from becoming a hard, uncomfortable plate on the child’s chest.
These are baseline recommendations. School uniform suppliers should confirm crest sizing with the school before ordering.
Cap Front:
- •Standard embroidery area: 120mm wide × 50mm tall.
- •These are typical dimensions for the most common commercial cap frames, but hoop sizes vary between machines. Please measure the actual embroidery area of your specific cap hoop before ordering — not just the overall hoop size. If a design is ordered at a size that exceeds your frame, it will require an edit. Always align the center of the design with the center seam of the cap.
- •Placement: 12–15mm above the visor seam.
- •Side of cap: Maximum 50mm wide × 30mm high (stay away from the eyelets).
Beanies:
- •Maximum height: 45mm – 50mm on the cuff.
- •Tip: We digitize beanie logos 5% narrower than they appear on screen, because the knit stretches when worn, pulling the logo into its correct proportions.
Beanie cuff widths and knit densities vary. Always test on your specific beanie before bulk production.
Full Back (Jackets & Hoodies):
- •Typical width: 230mm – 260mm.
- •Placement: 10–12cm below the collar seam.
- •Warning: Avoid huge solid fills at this size — a 250mm solid tatami fill will make the jacket feel like cardboard. We use contour fills and negative space to keep it flexible.
Jacket back placement is heavily influenced by hood position, yoke seams, and garment cut. Always mark and check on a physical sample.
The “One Size” Rule for Mixed Garment Orders
A common question: “Will you make the logo bigger on the 4XL?”
Industry standard answer: No.
We size the logo to fit the smallest garment in the order (e.g., the XS Lady fit). If it fits the XS, it fits the 4XL. Resizing requires re-digitizing and re-sampling, which incurs additional cost.
Exception: For very large orders split between distinct size groups (e.g., 500 units of XS and 500 units of 4XL), we may create two master files. But for mixed orders, one master size is standard.
Note:Scaling a digitized file up or down on your machine by more than 10–15% can degrade stitch quality. If you need a logo to look proportionately correct on extreme size variations, we recommend ordering two separate digitized files.
Minimum Sizes for Readability
Note: These are operational baselines, not guarantees. Fabric texture, thread weight, machine condition, needle sharpness, and topping will all influence what is actually readable in production. Always test on your specific fabric.
Text (Standard 40wt thread):
- Block/sans-serif fonts: minimum 4.5mm height.
- Serif or script fonts: minimum 6mm height.
- On caps: minimum 4.5mm height.
- On beanies/knits: minimum 5.5mm height.
Text (Thin 60wt thread):
- Can achieve readable text at 3.8mm, but requires specific digitizing adjustments and specialized needles (typically 65/9 or 70/10).
- Satin borders: minimum 1.5mm width.
- Negative space (gaps between elements): minimum 0.8mm – 1.0mm.
Garment-Specific Notes
Note: The substrate dictates the digitizing strategy. These are general guidelines based on common fabric types. If you are embroidering on challenging or unfamiliar fabrics, please note the fabric type when submitting your artwork so we can adjust accordingly.
Polo Shirts (Pique Cotton):
The textured weave can swallow stitches. We use heavier underlay and increased pull compensation. Cutaway backing is essential.
Fleece / Towelling:
The pile pokes through satin stitches. We use water-soluble topping and mesh laydown stitches to keep the logo clean.
Performance Fabrics (Lycra/Spandex):
Stretchy fabrics pucker easily. We reduce density by 10–15% and use heavy cutaway backing.
Leather / Vinyl:
Needle holes are permanent. We reduce density, avoid short stitches, and never hoop directly — always float.
Puffer Jackets:
The padding fights the needle. We use stabilization techniques to control movement during stitching. Magnetic hoops are recommended.
Dress Shirts (Woven):
Zero stretch means high pucker risk. We use lattice underlay and lighter density to keep the shirt flat.
Need Specific Advice?
Every project is different. If you're unsure about sizing or placement for your specific garment, call us on 0800 368 7414 or submit a quote with your artwork — our team will advise you based on your exact requirements.
Placement Disclaimer: The measurements and guidelines provided on this page are general reference points only. Net Digitizing does not accept responsibility for garments ruined due to poor placement, incorrect scaling, or inappropriate fabric pairing. Operators must physically mark and test-stitch samples prior to bulk production.