Screen Printing vs Embroidery: Which Is Right for Your Order?
Should you screen print or embroider your next order? After 20+ years and thousands of jobs, we've helped South Florida businesses make this exact decision. The short answer: it depends on what you're putting it on. Here's what we've learned — with real pricing, real examples, and the mistakes to avoid.
Forget the Method — Start With the Garment
Most guides frame screen printing vs embroidery like one is universally better. That's not how it works.
When a customer calls us, the first question is always: what garment are you ordering? The fabric and garment type tell us more than anything else about which method will look best and hold up longest.
Polos? Embroidery, almost every time. The material is thick enough to hold stitches without puckering, and people love that slightly raised, textured look. Embroidered polos are our most popular product for a reason.
T-shirts? Screen printing is the move. Thinner fabric means you don't want to feel the logo on your chest all day. Screen printing sits flat, feels smooth, and costs less in bulk.
That's the starting point. Everything else — cost, durability, design complexity — flows from there.
When Screen Printing Is the Right Call
Screen printing works best for:
- T-shirts and long sleeves
- Hoodies and sweatshirts
- Dri-fit performance shirts
- Any thin-fabric garment where you want a smooth finish
It's also the most cost-efficient method for large orders. If you need 100+ pieces with the same design, screen printing scales better on price than anything else. Designs with up to 8 colors work great, and we do Pantone color matching for brands that need exact shades.
Just last week, a customer came in wanting embroidered t-shirts for their staff. We walked them through why screen printing was the better call — thinner material, smoother feel, lower cost per piece. They went with it and loved the result.
When Embroidery Makes More Sense
Embroidery is the better choice for:
- Polos and button-downs
- Hats and caps
- Jackets and outerwear
- Uniforms where durability is the top priority
The stitched look carries more perceived value. There's a reason law firms don't hand out screen printed polos at golf tournaments — embroidery says we invest in our brand.
Embroidery also wins on color flexibility. With screen printing, every color means a separate screen and more setup cost. With embroidery, thread color changes are built into the process — you can run 10+ colors without the price jumping the way it does with extra screens.
The Cost Difference, With Real Numbers
The gap between screen printing and embroidery isn't as dramatic as people think — and it doesn't always go the direction you'd expect.
We had a customer order 250 polos with a simple white logo on the left chest. We quoted both methods. Screen printing came in about $2 per piece cheaper than embroidery. That's $500 in savings on the full order.
The customer chose embroidery anyway. Their staff washes those polos three times a week. They wanted the option that wouldn't need replacing next year.
That's the real trade-off. Screen printing saves money upfront, especially at higher quantities with simple designs. Embroidery costs more per piece but lasts significantly longer — which can actually make it cheaper over time if you're not reordering every year.
The general rule: screen printing gets cheaper as quantity goes up, since setup costs spread across more units. Embroidery stays more consistent on price regardless of volume, since it's priced by stitch count rather than setup.
Which Actually Lasts Longer?
Embroidery wins on durability. Full stop. In 20+ years of doing both, we've never seen a situation where screen printing outlasts embroidery.
But that doesn't mean screen printing falls apart. We have shirts that are 5+ years old with prints that still look great. A well-done screen print on quality fabric holds up through years of regular wear and washing.
The real question is: how hard will this garment get used? Staff polos and jackets that need to look sharp for years? Embroidery is worth the extra cost. Event t-shirts or seasonal promo wear? Screen printing handles that just fine.
The Mistake We See Most Often
The most common wrong call isn't picking the wrong method. It's picking the right method for the wrong fabric.
We see this a lot with polos. There are some really nice, thin-material polos on the market right now. Customers assume polo means embroidery, but when the fabric is too thin, the stitching pulls at the shirt. It puckers. It looks off. On those thinner polos, we actually recommend screen printing — it sits clean without distorting the fabric.
Same thing the other direction. You don't want to screen print varsity jackets or heavy leather outerwear. Thick materials don't take ink the same way. Embroidery was built for that.
The takeaway: don't just match the method to the product category. Match it to the specific fabric. If you're not sure, bring the garment by our Oakland Park shop and we'll show you the difference in person.
It's Not About Your Industry
Here's something most comparison guides get wrong: they'll tell you construction companies should always screen print and corporate offices should always embroider. Too simple.
Our construction customers order tons of hi-vis dri-fit long sleeve shirts. Those get screen printed — not because it's construction, but because dri-fit material is too thin for embroidery. Those same companies also order hats and heavy jackets, and those get embroidered.
We embroider 90% of the polos we produce, whether they're going to a yacht club, a law firm, or a restaurant group on Las Olas. The industry doesn't change the physics of the fabric.
Why Not Both?
One of our oil industry clients figured this out early. They order hats, polos, and t-shirts from us on a regular rotation. We embroider the hats and polos — the professional, client-facing pieces built to last. We screen print the t-shirts — everyday workwear that's comfortable, affordable, and easy to reorder.
Using both methods on one order isn't complicated. We do this all the time. It just means each garment gets the method that actually makes sense for it.
If you've got a mix — office polos plus warehouse tees, or hats plus event shirts — tell us about the full order and we'll sort out the right method for each piece.
How to Decide
Go with screen printing if:
- You're ordering t-shirts, hoodies, or dri-fit shirts
- You need 100+ pieces and want the lowest per-unit cost
- Your design has up to 8 colors
- The fabric is thin and you want a smooth, flat finish
Go with embroidery if:
- You're ordering polos, hats, jackets, or uniforms
- Durability matters more than upfront cost
- You want that premium, textured look
- Your design has lots of colors (thread changes cost less than extra screens)
And if neither fits perfectly? DTF printing handles photographic and full-color artwork that's tricky for both screen printing and embroidery. We do that in-house too.
Not sure which method is right for your project? Tell us what you're ordering, how many pieces, and what the design looks like. We'll recommend the best approach — and if it makes sense to mix methods, we'll set that up with pricing for each.
