Embroidery or screen printing: which should you choose for your company logo?
It is often assumed that beyond a certain quantity, embroidery becomes cost-effective. Our published price ranges say otherwise: in one colour, screen printing stays cheaper at 50 pieces just as at 500. What tips the choice towards embroidery lies in the logo, the product and the size of the artwork. The amounts, the limits recorded on our product pages, and how to decide.
At a glance
For a one-colour logo, screen printing costs less than embroidery at 50, 100, 250 and 500 pieces alike, even when comparing the most expensive screen printing with the cheapest embroidery. At 100 pieces, the branding comes to €1.10 to €2.82 per piece in screen printing, against €3.61 to €3.86 in embroidery, set-up costs included. Taken from our published price ranges on 14 September 2026, selling prices excl. VAT, one artwork, one placement.
The tipping point is therefore not a quantity. It comes down to three things: the number of colours in the logo, the product that carries it and the size of the artwork. What follows puts a figure on each.
How much does an embroidered logo cost, and a screen-printed one?
At 100 pieces, the branding of a one-colour logo comes to €1.10 to €2.82 per piece in screen printing, and €3.61 to €3.86 in embroidery, with set-up costs spread over the quantity. Selling prices excl. VAT, for one artwork on one placement.
Set-up costs are payable once per artwork and per order: €45.50 to €51.80 in screen printing, €65.80 in embroidery. On 100 pieces, comparing the low end of the price range with the low end and the high end with the high end, embroidery therefore costs €104 to €250 more than screen printing, for the branding alone. The price of the product comes on top, and it is the same in both cases.
The cost of branding, quantity by quantity
| Quantity | Screen printing, 1 colour | Embroidery | 3D embroidery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 pieces | €1.96 to €3.89 | €5.07 to €5.32 | €7.42 to €9.27 |
| 100 pieces | €1.10 to €2.82 | €3.61 to €3.86 | €5.86 to €7.46 |
| 250 pieces | €0.68 to €2.06 | €2.41 to €2.66 | €5.06 to €6.46 |
| 500 pieces | €0.54 to €1.75 | €2.18 to €2.38 | €4.53 to €6.08 |
On every row, the upper end for screen printing stays below the lower end for embroidery. In our price ranges, which go up to the 500-piece tier, there is no quantity from which the two cross.
Why doesn’t the gap close as the quantity grows?
Because embroidery costs more on every piece, not only at the start. At 500 pieces, the price per piece excluding set-up costs runs from €0.45 to €1.65 in screen printing, and from €2.05 to €2.25 in embroidery.
Set-up costs, for their part, are diluted in both cases. But what remains, once they are diluted, is that difference per piece, and it multiplies with the quantity: comparing low end with low end and high end with high end, the extra cost of embroidery goes from €71.50 to €155.30 on 50 pieces to €314 to €820.30 on 500 pieces.
So where is the threshold?
The threshold is counted in colours, not in pieces. In screen printing, each additional colour adds its own set-up costs; our published embroidery price range, on the other hand, does not vary with the number of colours.
| Quantity | Screen printing catches up with embroidery from |
|---|---|
| 50 pieces | 3 to 5 colours |
| 100 pieces | 4 to 7 colours |
| 250 pieces | 4 to 11 colours |
| 500 pieces | 8 to 20 colours |
This estimate is a ceiling: when what each colour costs per piece is counted as well, the real threshold arrives at this level at most, often earlier. It also runs into a practical limit: on our textile product pages, screen printing accepts five colours at most. Beyond that, another technique is needed: embroidery, up to twelve colours, or another option offered on the product page.
Does the product decide for you?
Often, yes, and first of all on caps, bucket hats and beanies. Among the 26 of our 34 hats whose product page details the techniques, 21 offer embroidery and none offers screen printing; the other options are transfer, badge and label.
On clothing, the two techniques coexist: among the 37 of our 80 clothing items whose product page details the techniques, 25 offer screen printing, 19 embroidery, and 11 both. When a product page details nothing, it says so with “Marking to be agreed together”, and the technique is settled with the quote.
What logo size, and how many colours?
| Technique | Colours max | Most common chest area | Largest area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | 5 | 100 × 100 mm | 270 × 300 mm, on the back |
| Embroidery | 12 | 80 × 80 mm | 180 × 180 mm, on the front |
| 3D embroidery | 10 | 80 × 75 mm | 80 × 75 mm |
The division of roles can be read in this table. Embroidery serves the compact logo on the chest, with up to twelve thread colours. Screen printing serves the large artwork, up to the full back, with five colours at most.
How much does 3D embroidery cost?
1.6 to 1.9 times flat embroidery, at 100 pieces and comparing low end with low end and high end with high end: €5.86 to €7.46 per piece, set-up costs included, against €3.61 to €3.86. The raised effect is reserved for a small area: 80 × 75 mm on the clothing items that offer it.
On our product pages, it is offered on 11 clothing items and 7 hats.
How to choose, in practice
- One- or two-colour logo on a T-shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie: screen printing costs less, at any quantity.
- Cap, bucket hat or beanie: embroidery, because screen printing is not offered on them on our product pages.
- Large artwork on the back: screen printing, which covers up to 270 × 300 mm where embroidery stops at 180 × 180 mm.
- Logo in many colours, in a small quantity: the two come closer; compare them on the quote.
- Raised effect wanted: 3D embroidery, allowing 1.6 to 1.9 times the price of flat embroidery.
How to check these figures yourself
Each product page that details its branding options shows, below the choice of technique, its branding price range and its set-up costs, as well as the area size and the number of colours accepted. The amounts in this article are a record of them as of 14 September 2026.
Compare, for example, the techniques offered on caps and on sweatshirts. For the full budget, product included, see how much 100 custom T-shirts cost.
Frequently asked questions
Does embroidery always cost more than screen printing?
For a one-colour logo, yes, at every quantity in our price ranges, even when comparing the most expensive screen printing with the cheapest embroidery. With many colours in a small quantity, the gap narrows.
Can a cap be screen printed?
Among our caps, bucket hats and beanies whose product page details the techniques, none offers screen printing. They offer embroidery, transfer or badge.
How many colours can embroidery use?
Up to twelve on our textile product pages, ten in 3D embroidery. Screen printing accepts five at most.
Are set-up costs paid on every piece?
No. They are payable once per artwork and per order, then spread over the quantity.
Are these prices guaranteed?
No. They are orders of magnitude taken on a given date. The quote, sent within 24 to 48 hours on business days, is the only firm amount.
The amounts in this article are selling prices excluding VAT, taken from our published branding price ranges on 14 September 2026, and given as orders of magnitude. They do not constitute an offer. Only a named quote commits to a price.