Comparing and Contrasting Woven Patches & Embroidered Patches

If an embroidered patch is a small size and has too much detail, it could look messy with hard-to-read or even illegible text. Using an embroidered patch company that boasts of the ultimate highest quality will not remedy this problem—we ourselves are one of these companies. What is meant is the highest quality embroidered patches possible.

When Should Woven Patches Be Used?

Woven patches can be used in place of embroidered patches in the vast majority of cases. Still, there are times when they are more appropriate than others. A customer will most often be recommended a woven patch when they have small patch with a large amount of detail.

Woven Patch Design Considerations

On a standard embroidered patch, lettering must be the equivalent of 10 points in a standard word processing program to be legible. For the lettering to be clean, it must be a minimum of 14 points.

Woven patches offer a bit more freedom. On a standard woven patch lettering must be the equivalent of 8 points to be legible. To be clean, it must be a minimum of 10 points. There is no drag stitching (chain stitching) between letters on woven patches of any size.

You can also say goodbye to worrying about the percentage of embroidery with woven patches. All of the threads are woven together, and are not sewn onto a twill canvas like embroidered patches; therefore, they have only one set of prices.

What is more, the pricing for woven patches is not much different from embroidered. Some companies charge more for woven, whereas some charge more for embroidery; however, the difference is usually minimal.

After learning this information, why would anyone want an embroidered patch?

• Some individuals prefer the depth and dimension created by the embroidery process over the more flat, two-dimensional look and feel of woven patches. Notice the dimensionality of the embroidered version above.
• All of the industry-standard machines that produce woven patches have an 8 color limit. Embroidery machines can do 12 colors in one run; however a second run can give the patch 24 colors (for an added charge).
• For those long-time patch collectors, woven patches will not match the rest of their collection. They will look slightly out of place in a group of patches that are all embroidered.
• Certain groups and clubs order a patch every year, usually of the same design, but with minimal changes such as the date or event location. Switching to woven would disrupt the unity and consistency of their previous sets of patches. Some motorcycle clubs give out year rockers for members to wear on their vests. These look better if they match.

In conclusion, the decision to go with an embroidered patch or a woven patch is entirely up to you. If you would like us to send you a sample of both so that you can compare the difference, feel free to call us at 1-800-679-7909.