Which Artwork Do You Want To Customized For Your Caps

Hats never really go out of style, but they’re enjoying an especially big moment right now. You can customize every style from trucker hats with custom patches to embroidered beanies to baseball caps emblazoned with slogans, team names, numbers and graphics. And when you order in bulk, they can come in a huge assortment of styles, sizes and different colors.

Today, hats aren’t just about keeping your head warm or shielding your face from the sun’s harmful rays. While they are still worn for such utilitarian purposes, they have also become a means for showing off your fashion sense or making a statement.

If you’re thinking about customizing hats for a living, you might already have some understanding of at least one customization technique. Keep in mind, though, there are a lot of different techniques to choose from, and some will likely fit your unique needs, skills and talents better than others. Consider a few of the most popular options:

Patches

Hats with patches are really popular right now, and there’s no shortage of awesome designs to choose from. You can even have them custom made to create unique hats featuring your own artwork, slogans, designs and more.

If you decide to go this route, you’ll need to sew the patch onto the hat. Even if the patches have an iron-on backing, stitching them on is a more secure option. After all, you don’t want to sell a hat only to have your customer return a week later saying the patch fell off! You don’t need a fancy sewing machine to stitch your patches on, especially when you are just starting out. You can easily sew a patch onto a hat by hand–even if you don’t have amazing sewing skills.

Screen Printing

While it’s most commonly used to decorate t-shirts and sweatshirts, screen printing works for hats, too. Keep in mind, though, the process is pretty tricky unless you have the right equipment. Most screen printing equipment is designed for products that lay flat–like shirts. If you’d like to sell screen printed headwear, you’re going to need to invest in specialized accessories.

Hats with five panels–known as trucker hats–are your best bet for this project. The seam that runs down the front center of a six-panel hat gets in the way and can get caught on the screen. Some customizers combine patches and screen printing to create some pretty impressive designs. The artwork is screen printed onto a patch which then can be placed anywhere on the hat. Since the patch is flat, there’s no need for any special equipment.

CHOOSE YOUR TYPE OF EMBROIDERY

There are two types of embroidery: flat embroidery and 3D puff embroidery. Flat embroidery is used when the thread is not built up on the fabric, and instead lies flat. This is generally preferred for more intricate designs and can be used for simple designs, too. 3D puff embroidery is embroidery that is raised from the fabric. This is best for simple designs or text with only one or two colors, and is commonly seen for sports logos. Understanding the way you want the embroidery to look can help determine the design of your hat.

GO FOR SIMPLICITY

A simple, minimalist design is best for hats. Small, highly detailed designs can appear cluttered and the elements you want to feature can lose their focus. By sticking to the basics for the hat graphics, you can achieve nice clean lines and an image that pops. When working up the design, here are a few best practices to follow:

Use bold designs

Use thick lines (0.05″ to 0.5″ for flat embroidery, .2″ to 0.5″ for 3D puff embroidery)

For 3D puff embroidery keep a space of at least 1/2 inch between multiple objects

USE A BASIC COLOR SCHEME

If you’re planning on using multiple colors, it’s important to keep it as simple as you can. There is a limit to the number of thread colors that can be used on a hat, usually it’s two colors for 3D puff embroidery, four colors for flat embroidery, or six for a combination of the two. The threads themselves are another reason to keep design lines nice and thick. If the design is too thin the embroidery can look “stringy” or thin and take away from the style of the hat.

PLAN YOUR PLACEMENT

Most hat designs are balanced, meaning that they are aligned in the center of the hat with equal amounts of content (text or imagery) on either side. This is a good rule of thumb, but it’s not the only way to go. If you have a more artistic design or want the logo or text to be off to the side intentionally, that can also turn out well. Try sketching the design on a hat or ask the printer to provide a mock up to make sure that the placement is exactly where you envisioned it.

Keep in mind that there are other options for customizing hats, too. With the right equipment, you can embroider custom designs and logos on them. You could also decorate them by hand using paint or get creative and try other techniques. These are just a few of the most common options for those who are interested in starting a custom hat business.