Embroidered Polos for Small Business: A Buyer's Guide

A good company polo comes down to four choices: the fabric, the color, the logo size and the fit. Get those right and the shirt gets worn for years. Ready to see the options? custom embroidered polos with no minimum.

1. Fabric: performance or cotton

Performance polyester wicks sweat, dries fast, resists wrinkles and keeps its color through a lot of washing. It is the right pick for anyone who moves around, works outside or travels. Cotton pique feels softer and more traditional, but it wrinkles, holds sweat and can shrink a little in a hot dryer. For most small businesses, performance wins. The Adidas premium polo ($62) and the Adidas space-dyed polo ($75) are both performance fabrics.

2. Color

Navy, black, charcoal and white are the safe four. They hide wear, match most logos and look professional. A brand color works when the business already owns that color, like a landscaper in green. Before you pick, check contrast: the logo thread has to stand out from the polo. A navy logo on a black polo disappears. The full rundown is in choosing the garment color.

3. Logo size and placement

Left chest, about 3 to 3.75 inches wide, with the top of the logo 7 to 9 inches below the shoulder seam. That is smaller than people expect, and it is correct. Polos have a shorter placket area than tees, so a 4.5-inch logo looks crowded. A second spot on the sleeve or back of the neck works for a website or a short line. Details are in the left chest logo size guide.

4. Fit and sizing

Ask each person for their usual polo size. Do not order a size curve from a chart. Performance polos fit close to true size, and athletic cuts run slimmer through the body, so broad-shouldered people often size up one. Where women's cuts are available, offer them. A men's polo on a smaller frame looks like a borrowed shirt. Because every piece is made to order, every person can get their exact size.

Embroidery on performance fabric

Thin, stretchy performance fabric can pucker if the logo is very dense, like a big solid block of stitching. Logos with open areas and clean outlines stitch best. Keep text above a quarter inch tall and thread colors to six or fewer. There is no digitizing fee, so if a logo needs adjusting for stitching, that does not become a separate bill.

Care that keeps them looking new

• Wash cold, inside out
• Skip fabric softener on performance polos, it blocks the wicking
• Low heat or hang dry
• Never iron directly on the embroidery

How many per person

Three polos per person covers a typical five-day week with laundry in between. Owners and sales staff who are always in front of customers may want five. Start with three and add later. There is no minimum on reorders either.

Test one first

Order one polo in your chosen color with your logo, wash it twice, and see how it looks on a person. Then order the team. For golf and outdoor teams, see golf polos with embroidered logo. If you are deciding between polos and tees, read polo or t-shirt for work uniforms.

Is there really no minimum?

None. One piece is a real order at normal pricing, with no small-order surcharge and no setup or digitizing fee. Every piece is made to order and ships in about 5 to 9 business days, and that window is the same for one piece or a few hundred. On eligible garments, volume pricing applies automatically once you order enough of the same item, usually starting around 25 pieces.