How to Order Custom Patches Without Getting It Wrong
Patch orders go wrong in predictable ways: a design too detailed for the size, a backing that fails in the wash, colours that don't match last year's run. All six decisions below get made whether you make them consciously or leave them to the supplier.
1. Patch type
This follows from your artwork more than your preference.
- Embroidered — bold shapes, solid colour, chunky text. The classic look.
- Woven — fine detail and small text. Holds type to ~2mm where embroidery stops at ~5mm.
- Chenille — big plush varsity letters. Nothing subtle.
- Leather — premium, single-tone, ideal on hats.
- PVC — waterproof rubber for outdoor and tactical gear.
Quick test: scale your design to its finished width and find the thinnest element. Under 1mm or text under 5mm means embroidery won't hold it — go woven.
2. Size
Two things trip people up. First, suppliers quote patch size as the average of width and height — a 4×2 inch patch is sold as a 3 inch patch. Second, width sets your detail ceiling, so it must be decided before anything else.
Common widths: cap front 2–2.75", left chest 3–3.5", sleeve 2.5–3", jacket back 8–12". Full breakdown in the patch sizes chart.
3. Border
Merrowed is the traditional wrapped edge — thick, durable, limited to simple shapes like circles, squares and shields. It also eats about 3mm all round, which matters on a small patch.
Laser or hot-cut follows any outline, including your logo's actual silhouette, with a thinner finished edge. Choose this if your mark isn't a simple geometric shape.
4. Backing
The decision most likely to cause a complaint later:
- Sew-on — most durable, works on every fabric, correct for uniforms and anything washed hard
- Iron-on — convenient, but cotton only, and the bond degrades with hot washing
- Velcro — for badges that need swapping
- Adhesive — display and events only, not clothing you keep
See backing options for the trade-offs.
5. Colours
Send Pantone references if you have them. Thread is matched to a physical chart, so most brand colours land very close and a few sit between available threads — a decent supplier tells you which.
Then ask for the thread numbers and keep them. This is the single best thing you can do for future orders. It's how next year's batch matches this year's instead of being nearly right.
6. Quantity
Per-unit price drops sharply with volume, but the shape differs by type. PVC needs a mould, so small runs carry most of that tooling cost. Embroidered and woven scale more gently. If you're near a price break, ordering slightly more can cost less in total — ask where the breaks fall.
What to send in your first message
- Artwork — vector ideally, or a large sharp PNG/JPG
- Finished width in inches
- Patch type, or a description of the look you want
- Border style
- Backing
- Quantity
- Pantone references, if any
- Your actual deadline
Send all eight and you'll usually get a quote and a proof the same day. Send just "how much for patches?" and you'll get three rounds of questions first.
The mistakes worth avoiding
Approving a proof carelessly. The proof is your last chance. Check spelling, size, colours and border. Errors you approve are yours.
Ordering iron-on for workwear. It will peel. Sew it.
Keeping a tagline that won't hold. A clean logo beats a complete but unreadable one.
Not recording thread numbers. Costs nothing now, saves a mismatch later.
Leaving no time. Production plus shipping is realistically a couple of weeks. Say your date up front — we'd rather decline a deadline than miss one.
Send us your artwork and specs and you'll get pricing plus a free proof before committing to anything.