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When it comes to branding your staff uniforms, team hoodies, or client giveaways – the method you pick plays a crucial role in the look, feel, durability, and cost of your branded apparel.
Screen printing offers bold, affordable, and colourful designs that work well for many use cases,
while Embroidery delivers a premium, textured, and long-lasting finish that communicates quality and professionalism.
In this article, we’ll help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of both methods – so you can choose what fits your brand, budget, and goals best, ensuring your branding makes a lasting impact.
Screen Printing - The Colourful Workhorse
Screen printing is one of the most common branding methods in South Africa.
It’s great for bold, colourful logos and works well across items like cotton T-shirts, hoodies, and shopper bags.
If your logo has gradients, multiple colours, or a bold central message, screen printing gets it across clearly.
✅ Pros:
- Bright, full-colour prints (great for multi-colour logos)
- Cost-effective for 20+ units
- Works well on T-shirts, hoodies, shopper bags
- Quick production time for bulk jobs
❌ Cons:
- Not ideal for small batches (setup costs apply)
- Can fade or crack after many washes
- Doesn’t work well for very detailed or tiny logos
💰 Cost Estimate (SA):
±R25-R45 per print (setup ±R300)
🧼 Care Tip:
Wash inside-out in cold water. Avoid bleach or tumble drying.
Screen Printing is Best For:
T-shirts for campaigns, shopper bags, team hoodies, or any bold, high-volume order.
If you’re branding for volume – like a team, a campaign, or a public giveaway – screen printing offers the best mix of cost and colour impact.
For detailed logos or small orders, it’s worth comparing such as digital printing on garments, heat press or even embroidery.
Embroidery - The Premium Texture
Embroidery adds a textured, stitched finish (as if your logo is sawn into the garment) to your branding that looks clean and professional.
It’s ideal for thicker items like polo shirts, jackets, caps, and beanies – especially when your logo is solid, simple, and strong.
Compared to Screen Printing. Embroidery gives long-lasting results, even with regular use.
✅ Pros:
- Extremely durable – lasts through many washes
- High-end look with a textured, stitched finish
- Works great on jackets, polos, caps, hoodies
- No fading or peeling
❌ Cons:
- More expensive per item than printing
- Doesn’t work well with detailed or intricate logos
- Slower turnaround on large orders
💰 Cost Estimate (SA):
±R80-R150 per logo (no setup fee)
🧼 Care Tip:
Use a gentle cycle and avoid ironing directly over the stitched area.
Embroidery is Best For:
Corporate uniforms, branded caps, executive fleece jackets, or bold single-colour logos.
Embroidery is perfect when your item will be worn often – by staff, sales teams, or outdoors. It looks smart, feels premium, and lasts long, but it’s not ideal for complex or ultra-colourful logos.
When to Choose Which? Screen Printing Vs Embroidery
Can You Combine Both Screen Printing and Embroidery?
Yes – and many South African brands do it all the time. The combination of both embroidery and screen printing is very effective in cost savings and also delivers the best professional look altogether.
The most common combo?
Embroidery on the chest or sleeve (for logos or initials)
+
Screen printing on the back (for bold messaging or big logos)
This method gives you the best of both worlds:
- Embroidery gives that clean, textured, professional finish where it matters most – like over the heart or on a cap.
- Screen printing allows for colourful, high-impact branding across large surfaces – like the full back of a T-shirt, or the front of a hoodie.
Here are Some More Examples:
- Polo shirts: Embroidered logo on the chest + campaign hashtag printed on the back
- Staff hoodies: Embroidered badge on sleeve + big team slogan on back
- Event T-shirts: Sponsor logos screen printed on the back + your main logo embroidered in front
- Caps: Embroidered front + screen-printed detail on the strap (if fabric-based)
This combo is especially useful if you’re looking for long-lasting branding up close (embroidery), while still making a visual statement from a distance (screen print).
✅ Best For: Staff uniforms, merchandise, teamwear, promotional apparel
If you’re going for a layered, professional look – combining the two methods works brilliantly. Just make sure your design files are prepped separately for each print zone.
In Conclusion - Final Recommendations
Both screen printing and embroidery have their place – it all comes down to what your brand needs right now. Here are is our final conclusions regarding this topic:
- Go with screen printing if you want bold, colourful designs for T-shirts, campaign wear, or high-volume orders. It’s cost-effective, fast, and delivers great visibility.
- Choose embroidery when you need a premium look – especially for uniforms, caps, jackets, or gear that will be worn often and needs to last.
- Do both if you want your apparel to feel balanced and professional. It’s common to embroider the front logo and screen print something bigger across the back.
The good news? You don’t need to figure it out alone.
Let us help you pick the best method based on your garment, quantity, and logo.
Deelanie Branding
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