BLOG & RESOURCES

PATCH BUYING ADVICE.

These are the questions that come up once you have decided to order something but not yet decided what. Which construction holds your artwork, how a backing actually attaches, what changes when a design gets smaller, how to care for a patch after it is applied. The material and guide pages cover the buying decisions; these articles go narrower, into the specific problems those pages do not have room for.

EXPLORE BY CATEGORY

Bakery van artwork and stitched result with swatches.

Manufacturing

How patches are actually made, from artwork review through stitching, molding and inspection.

1 ARTICLE

PVC Guides

Molded PVC: 2D and 3D relief, detail limits, and how it differs from silicone and rubber.

1 ARTICLE

Watering can artwork and embroidered result.

Design & Artwork

Preparing artwork that survives production, including small type, gradients and generated images.

1 ARTICLE

Bird shuttle crests on two blue jerseys.

Business & Branding

Planning patch orders as part of a brand, a program or a merchandise release.

1 ARTICLE

Materials

Choosing between the nine constructions, and what each one can and cannot hold.

1 ARTICLE

Woven Patch Guides

Fine flat thread, small lettering, and where woven beats embroidery.

1 ARTICLE

Thread reverse coated reverse and two fastener rectangles.

Backing & Attachment

How patches attach: heat, stitching, hook-and-loop, adhesive, magnets, pins and loops.

1 ARTICLE

Care

Looking after patches after they are applied, organized by construction and attachment.

1 ARTICLE

LATEST ARTICLES

MANUFACTURING

AUG 7, 20265 MIN READ

How Embroidered Patches Are Made

Six stages between a logo and a finished patch. Most of the decisions that determine how it looks are made before a single stitch goes down.

PVC PATCHES

AUG 5, 20264 MIN READ

PVC, Silicone and Rubber Terms

Three words, two materials, and a lot of confusion. What people mean when they say rubber patch, and why the distinction matters once you are ordering.

DESIGN & ARTWORK

AUG 4, 20265 MIN READ

How to Design a Custom Patch

Most patch designs go wrong in the same order. Here is the sequence that avoids it, starting with the one decision everything else depends on.

BUSINESS

AUG 3, 20264 MIN READ

Planning Patches for a Team

A group order is mostly an administration problem wearing a design problem's clothes. Here is what to settle before you send anything.

MATERIALS

AUG 2, 20264 MIN READ

Thread Choices for Patch Color

Thread comes in a fixed range of dyed colors. Understanding that one fact explains most of what happens between your brand guidelines and the finished patch.

WOVEN PATCHES

AUG 1, 20265 MIN READ

Woven vs Embroidered Patches

Both are thread. One holds small lettering, the other holds texture. The smallest element in your artwork decides between them more reliably than taste does.

BACKING OPTIONS

JUL 31, 20267 MIN READ

Choosing the Right Patch Backing

Eight ways to attach a patch, and the four questions that narrow them to one. The garment decides more than the patch does.

CARE GUIDE

JUL 30, 20265 MIN READ

How to Care for Custom Patches

The garment sets the rules and the patch adds a few. Care organized by what the patch is made of and how it is attached, rather than one instruction for everything.