Garment Decoration Info

Custom Apparel Done Right

From work shirts and uniforms to event merch, team gear, safety apparel, and branded company stores, Holtyme helps you choose the right decoration method for the garment, the deadline, and the way it will be used.

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What We Help With

  • ✓Choosing the right print or stitch method for your garment.
  • ✓Making sure artwork is clean, readable, and production-ready.
  • ✓Helping with sizing, quantities, deadlines, and repeat orders.
  • ✓Building team, staff, event, and organization apparel orders.

What We Decorate

If it can be worn, used by a team, handed out at an event, or branded for staff, we can usually help source it and decorate it.

Shirts & Tees

Great for events, crews, staff uniforms, school groups, family reunions, fundraisers, and everyday branded apparel.

Hoodies & Sweatshirts

Popular for teams, organizations, company gear, winter apparel, merch drops, and higher-value branded pieces.

Hats & Beanies

Best for embroidery, patches, staff gear, promotional giveaways, and brands that need a clean professional look.

Workwear

Polos, button-ups, jackets, vests, FR garments, high-vis apparel, and safety gear for crews and field teams.

Bags & Accessories

Totes, backpacks, drawstring bags, aprons, towels, and other items that support events, programs, and promotions.

Stores & Group Orders

For teams and organizations that need sizes collected, orders organized, and apparel managed without the back-and-forth.

Decoration Methods

The best method depends on your artwork, garment type, quantity, budget, and deadline. Here is the plain-English breakdown.

Screen Printing

Best for quantity

Screen printing is one of the strongest choices for larger shirt orders, bold graphics, team shirts, event apparel, and repeat designs. It works especially well when the design uses solid colors and the order has enough quantity to justify setup.

Bulk shirts Events Simple logos Repeat orders

Embroidery

Best for professional apparel

Embroidery gives apparel a durable, professional look. It is ideal for polos, hats, jackets, button-ups, workwear, staff uniforms, and pieces where you want the logo to feel established and long-lasting.

Hats Polos Jackets Uniforms

DTF Transfers

Best for full color

DTF is a strong option for detailed, full-color artwork, smaller runs, names, numbers, mixed garment types, and designs that have too many colors for traditional screen printing to make sense.

Full color Small runs Detailed artwork Names & numbers

Heat Transfer Vinyl

Best for simple personalization

Vinyl is useful for names, numbers, simple one-color graphics, specialty finishes, and certain personalization jobs. It is not always the best choice for every bulk order, but it has a place when the design is simple and specific.

Names Numbers One-color designs Specialty looks

Patches

Best for premium branding

Patches are a strong option for hats, jackets, bags, uniforms, and branded gear that needs a more finished look. Embroidered, woven, leatherette, and specialty patch styles can create a more retail-ready feel.

Caps Bags Jackets Premium merch

Quick Method Comparison

This table is a general guide. The final recommendation depends on your artwork, garment, quantity, and deadline.

Method Best Use Strong Points Watch For
Screen Printing Bulk shirts, events, simple-to-medium artwork Durable, efficient at quantity, clean for bold graphics Setup matters; not always best for very small full-color runs
Embroidery Hats, polos, jackets, uniforms, workwear Professional look, long-lasting, premium feel Tiny text and heavy detail may need simplification
DTF Full-color art, short runs, mixed items Handles color and detail well, flexible for small batches Artwork quality still matters; garment choice affects feel
Vinyl Names, numbers, simple personalization Clean for simple designs and individual customization Not ideal for every design or large full-color jobs
Patches Caps, jackets, bags, premium branded gear Retail look, durable, strong brand presence Shape, size, and detail need to be production-friendly

Artwork Requirements

Good artwork helps your order move faster and print cleaner. If your file is not production-ready, we can review it and let you know what needs to be fixed.

Preferred File Types

  • Vector files are best: AI, EPS, SVG, or production-ready PDF.
  • High-resolution PNG files can work for some print methods.
  • Transparent backgrounds are preferred when possible.
  • For raster artwork, 300 DPI at final print size is recommended.
  • Send the cleanest original file you have, not a screenshot.

Common Artwork Issues

  • Small text that will not print or stitch clearly.
  • Low-resolution images pulled from social media.
  • Logos with blurry edges or unwanted backgrounds.
  • Too much detail for embroidery or small left-chest logos.
  • Colors that may shift depending on garment and print method.

How The Order Process Works

We keep the process straightforward so your apparel order does not turn into a confusing project.

1

Tell Us What You Need

Share the garment type, quantity, sizes, colors, deadline, and artwork if you have it.

2

We Recommend The Method

We help match the decoration method to your artwork, budget, garment, and order size.

3

Approve The Details

You review the quote, garment choices, placement, artwork proof, and production details.

4

We Produce Your Order

Once approved, we decorate, check, organize, and prepare your order for pickup or delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

A few things customers usually want to know before starting a custom apparel order.

It depends on the garment, quantity, artwork, deadline, and how the item will be used. Screen printing is often best for bulk shirts, embroidery is strong for professional apparel, and DTF is useful for full-color or smaller runs.
Yes. Send the best file you have and we can review it. Some files may need cleanup, vector work, simplification, or recreation before they are ready for production.
Sometimes, but it depends on the item and decoration method. Customer-supplied garments can carry extra risk because replacements may not be easy to source. It is usually best to ask before ordering blanks yourself.
Rush options depend on garment availability, artwork readiness, quantity, and the current production schedule. The cleaner the details are at the start, the better chance we have of helping with a tight deadline.
Yes. Stores are helpful when you need individuals to choose sizes, place orders, or select approved items without one person collecting everything manually.

Need Help Choosing The Right Option?

Send us the garment idea, artwork, quantity, and deadline. We will help you figure out the cleanest way to get it done.

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