Many products, one deadline
A single event order may cover totes, towels and caps at once. Each item needs its own file, and all of them need to be ready together.
Digitizing for Promotional Products
One logo, sized for every product.
Promo orders put a single client logo on very different items. We build a version for each product so a towel, a tote and a beanie all sew cleanly from the same artwork.
Who this is for
Promotional Products
This page is for promotional product distributors, event merchandise suppliers and decorators handling corporate giveaways and branded gifts. A typical request arrives with one logo, often a low-resolution file from the end client, and a list of products that each have their own size limits, fabrics and hooping methods.
What gets in the way
What makes promo work tricky.
Poor source artwork
Client logos often arrive as small JPGs pulled from a website or email signature. They need cleanup or redrawing before they can be digitized accurately.
Very different surfaces
Terry loops, thick fleece, woven canvas and ribbed knit each respond differently. A file tuned for one will sink, pucker or stiffen on another.
Tight placement areas
Bag pockets, towel hems and beanie cuffs leave limited space. The logo has to be laid out to fit, not just scaled down.
Garments & products
Promo items and what they need.
- Tote bagsCanvas and cotton handle full fills well. Size is set by the panel area and seam allowance, not just the bag dimensions.
- TowelsTerry loops swallow stitches, so we add a knockdown stitch or heavier underlay to give the logo a flat base.
- Fleece blanketsLarge corner logos on thick pile need wider satins and edge-run underlay so the design stays visible.
- Knit beaniesCuff logos are short and bold, built to tolerate rib stretch in the hoop.
- CapsThe logo is rebuilt for the crown with center-out sequencing and a layout that fits the front panel.
How we work with you
How we turn one logo into a product set.
If the client artwork is low quality, we start by cleaning it up or redrawing it as vector art. From there we create a master embroidery design and build each product version from it, with sizes matched to the placement areas you specify.
Each file is labeled with the product, finished size and stitch count, so your production team can match files to items quickly when a mixed order hits the floor.
- Artwork cleanup or vector redraw when needed
- Product-specific size and density
- Knockdown stitches for towels and pile fabrics
- Files labeled by product and size
Services promotional products use most
Explore all servicesLogo Digitizing
Brand marks simplified for thread and built as size-specific versions that sew the same every time.
Learn moreVector Art
Blurry logos redrawn by hand as clean, scalable AI, EPS, SVG and PDF files.
Learn moreCap & Hat Digitizing
Center-out sequencing and curved-surface compensation built specifically for headwear.
Learn moreEmbroidery Digitizing
Stitch files with planned underlay, density and pathing for the fabric you sew on.
Learn moreExplore more about digitizing for promotional orders
For promotional product distributors, branded merchandise suppliers and decorators handling mixed orders: supplier specs, supplier or customer files, thread matching, bags, proofs and reorders
Start from each supplier's current decoration spec
On a supplier-decorated order, the supplier's terms set the limits the logo has to fit, and they differ from supplier to supplier and product to product. Before the logo is sized, collect for each item:
- the embroidery area and position on that product;
- the number of thread colors included;
- any stitch count included in the base price, and how extra stitches are charged.
As an example of what to look for, Hit Promotional Products' embroidery information (checked October 2026) lists separate color and stitch allowances for bags, towels, blankets and caps. Terms like these are revised over time, so work from the supplier's current page or your rep rather than an older quote, and tell your digitizer which product in the order has the tightest limit.
The supplier's file or one you provide
Many suppliers will digitize the logo themselves for a setup or tape charge, and many also accept a file you supply. What they accept varies, so check before ordering files:
- Format. Hit's artwork requirements prefer Wilcom files, accept DST and ask for Tajima-format files saved with color sequencing. PCNA's FAQ accepts DST and EMB files but notes that existing files may need to be re-digitized.
- Size. Suppliers may limit how far they will enlarge or reduce a supplied file, so a file built at the finished size for each product is safer than one design resized across the order.
- Color information. Send the thread colors and sewing order with the file so the supplier sews what the client approved.
If a supplier's machines read a different format from the one you have, see embroidery file conversion.
Pantone colors and thread
Embroidery thread comes in fixed dyed colors, so a client's Pantone color may have no exact thread equivalent. Thread maker Madeira notes that an authorized Pantone match is not always available, and PCNA's FAQ says Pantone matching is not guaranteed on dark-colored items. Agree the closest thread colors with the client before production, and keep the thread brand and color numbers with the order so other suppliers and later runs can follow them.
Bags, pockets and padded flaps
On a finished bag, the usable area is often limited to what the embroidery machine can reach. SanMar's decorator guidance notes that clamping systems help embroiderers get into small pockets and sew through thick bag flaps, and that newer machines with smaller sewing arms reach pockets more easily than older ones. A logo that fits the bag's printed imprint area may still not fit what can be hooped or clamped, so ask the decorator for the sewable area on each bag style, such as the front pocket, the flap or the main panel, before the design is sized.
Three different proofs
"Proof" can mean different things on a promotional order, and they check different things:
- A virtual proof is usually the supplier's image of the logo on the product. It confirms placement, size and colors as artwork, not how the stitches will look.
- An embroidery file preview is generated from the stitch file and shows the design as stitches, with its color order.
- A sew-out is the design physically sewn on fabric or on the product, and is the only one that shows the finished texture and color of the thread.
Ask which of these each supplier and decorator provides, and at what cost. Some suppliers, Hit among them, start production only after written proof approval, so build approval time for every product into an event schedule.
Reorders and seasonal campaigns
Suppliers such as Hit and PCNA keep artwork on file only for periods set by their own policies, which differ and change. Hit's published terms also note that an exact imprint and product color cannot be guaranteed on repeat orders. Note which supplier sewed each product and from which file, so a returning campaign or a switch to another supplier starts from what the client approved. For products where embroidery is not offered, the same logo is needed as print artwork; see vector art.
Supplier names and terms are examples from their published pages, checked October 2026. We have no affiliation with these suppliers, and their terms and retention policies are their own; check the current version with the supplier.
Quoting a mixed promotional order? Send the client logo with the product list and each supplier's embroidery area or limits for a review and quote. Upload client logo
FAQ
Common questions
Can you work from a small logo pulled from a website?
Usually, yes. If the image is too blurry to trace accurately, we redraw it as vector art first. A cleaner source always leads to a cleaner embroidery file.
Can I request versions for several products at once?
Yes. List each product and the size or placement area for it, and we will build a separate file for each so they all sew properly.
Why does a towel need a different file?
Terry loops push up through stitches and hide detail. A towel file adds a knockdown layer or heavier underlay so the logo sits on top of the pile.
Can the file be built to a supplier's stitch limit?
Tell us the limit with the finished size. At review we will say whether the logo is likely to fit within it at that size, or what would need to be simplified. The final stitch count depends on the finished build, so check it against the supplier's terms before ordering.
Free quote · No payment to ask
Your artwork is ready.
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Upload the design, tell us where it needs to sew, and we'll take it from there.
