Buying custom polo shirts for your staff is an investment in your brand credibility. But with so many options and prices, it can be overwhelming, especially if you are working on this for the first time. Whether you're looking to outfit a small team or an entire workforce, this guide will help you navigate the process of purchasing custom logo polo shirts for your organization.
With the wide variety of styles and colors to choose from, the first thing to do is determine the features required based on what the polos will be used for. For example, the best polo shirts for a golf tournament are a very different kind than the best polos for a utility company service crew.
Some things to consider:
Our customizable shirts are manufactured with top-quality fabrics, so they are breathable, durable, and look good. That said, the most popular fabrics for polo shirts are cotton, polyester, and a mix of polyester and cotton.
We offer ladies’ versions in most of our polo shirt styles. Your female staff will appreciate it.
Once you’ve determined the type of shirt best suited for your needs, you’ll want to know how many you need and the sizes.
Here are some tips to determine the quantity
When planning your custom polo order, there are variables that affect the price besides the cost of the garment. How many imprinting locations and the intricacy and size of the design, among others, are factors that affect the price. We offer a variety of styles, prices, and customization options to fit almost any budget. Our knowledgeable customer service team will assist you in finding the best options for your budget.
Logos on polo shirts can be screen printed or embroidered, but embroidery will deliver the best results.
Whether you’re using screen printing or embroidery, you’ll get the best results by keeping your design simple. If your original logo has a complex design, with small details, it is advisable to simplify it to ensure the finished product looks its best, especially for embroidery. We’ll be happy to review your logo at no charge and we can also help with the logo simplification if needed. This will also help keep the costs under control.
You can place the logo just about anywhere, but the most common logo placement is on the left chest. It allows the logo to be most visible when facing a customers. You can also have multiple locations, such as your main logo on the chest and your brand symbol on the sleeve, for example.
Personalization is a good practice for service companies where a technician visits the customer’s homes or places of business. It adds trust and professionalism, which customers appreciate. Even though it adds to the cost, it’s worth it in some cases.
We recommend to keep the size 4 – 5 inches for chest placements. It’s large enough to keep your brand visible yet small enough to look elegant and professional.
There are many moving parts to producing your custom logo polo shirts. From gathering inventory to adjusting art files, to prep work, proofing, to producing the shirts, the turnaround time for a 1st time order can take as much as 2-3 weeks, provided there aren’t stock shortages. It’s good to get an early start and allow plenty of time to ensure all the steps are covered for the best outcome.
For a small staff or a one-time event, you can personally hand the embroidered polos yourself. But for large numbers of staff in various locations, having your own online apparel store where they can order as needed and have them drop shipped can be the best solution. We can help with that as well!
We at A Logo For You, are ready to help you with your next order. We’ll narrow down the options based on your brand, the purpose of the customized shirts, your budget, and your timeline. Contact us!
1. Ladyfit, Unisex or Both.
Do you need to provide clothing for both males and females? If so you will need to consider choosing a brand that provides a feminine and classic fit. Most brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Kustom Kit and Russell all provide both. However, some of the more traditional workwear brands only offer a classic fit version such as RTXTRA.
Beware as not all styles come in both male and female fit.
2. The Range of Sizing Required.
Most brands of polo shirts come in sizes small to XL or size 10 to 18. If some of your staff are smaller or larger than this, then you will need to pick your brand carefully. Brands such as Henbury offer XS to 5XL and sizes 8 to 20, just watch out as some colours are only available in certain sizes.
3. Type of Material.
Polo shirts are manufactured in a range of materials. The most common are 100% Cotton, a Poly/Cotton mix, and 100% Polyester.
Cotton is a good choice for those who prefer natural fibres and the best for those who have allergies. Organic cotton is grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides. Cotton polo shirts are soft, durable and feel great to wear. The downside of cotton is that it requires more care when washing, so for uniforms, many organisations prefer a poly/cotton blend which is easier to care for and less crease-prone than cotton. Cotton naturally loses its dye and so can be prone to fading, most noticeable on dark fabrics. Consider a pre-shrunk cotton to prevent shrinkage during washing.
Polyester is a synthetic fibre, which returns its original shape when stretched. It is a high strength fabric that resists creasing and shrinking and is quick drying, so a great choice for easy care washing. Due to the fibre construction they take and hold dye well and cope with heavy wear. Great for environments including factories. Most polyester based polo shirts have excellent moisture wicking so are great for hot environments, however due to the lack of absorption can lead to odour. They can also be prone to snagging.
Poly/Cotton fabrics offer the optimum blend of comfort and ease of care as it combines the advantages of cotton and polyester, resulting in looking smart for longer. Often the best choice for a range of staff.
Jersey or pique fabric.
Jersey is a knit fabric which offers a smooth, flat slightly elastic surface. It is a lighter fabric, has a soft texture and popular for staff who are highly active, and often used in the healthcare industry. Can feel like a T-shirt.
Pique knit, is durable, flexible and breathes well. When looked at closely it seems to have a waffle type pattern, so is texturised. A double pique combines two threads, to make the fabric stronger and therefore more durable. Pique knit can be more prone to wrinkling unless treated with crease-resistant additives.
4. Colour.
Colour choice is often down to personal preference however there are several points that need to be considered.
What colour is your logo? A dark logo will stand out best on a lighter material such as Heather Grey. A lighter logo will be more visual on a darker material such as navy.
Fading? If you have a range of staff they may not adhere to wash instructions, resulting in clothing fading, so if you are after a dark colour consider charcoal as an alternative to black.
The type of industry you are in. Do your staff sit at a desk all day or are they in a factory getting covered in grease? Stains show less on dark material. However white always looks smart.
If you have staff who are larger in size there will be limited colour choice, so it may be best to choose your colour on what fits your largest staff.
Do you need your polo to match in with other products? Polo shirts come in a range of colours, however jacket colour is more limited, if you want it all to match, start with the jacket and then move to the polo.
Do you need to stand out from the crowd to make a statement? It would be a good idea to choose a bold colour such as Orange, Yellow or Red.
5. Price Point.
Do you have a high turnover of staff? Or is the work particularly messy such as plastering, car maintenance? Then a cheaper polo shirt would be ideal, especially if they will be replaced regularly. Consider budget brands such as Uneek.
The saying “you get what you pay for” is true when it comes to work polos. If you want to achieve a high end look then you need a high quality polo, consider brands such as the Scandinavian company Nimbus.
Aiming for something in the middle, a good quality of polo without the price tag then Kustom Kit, Russell and Premier are all great brands.
Still confused or just want some more guidance, then drop me a line kim@sigmaembroidery.co.uk.
Kim Oakhill
Sigma Embroidery and Printing
01353 863049
www.sigmaembroidery.co.uk