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Embroidered Apparel for Service and Trade Businesses: What Gets Stitched, What Gets Printed

June 17, 2026 7 min read By Brandon Holt
Quick Answer
Table of Contents
  1. What is actually embroidered
  2. Why everything else is printed
  3. Building your first shop
  4. What to stock first
  5. Setting retail pricing
  6. Frequently Asked Questions

A plumbing company owner searching for "embroidered apparel" usually means one thing: put my logo on stuff my crew wears. The word embroidery gets used loosely for anything decorated with a company logo, printed or stitched. At Bear Grips Pro Shops the two methods are not interchangeable, and knowing which is which before you build your shop saves a confused first order. Only hats carry an embroidery option in the 63-product catalog. Every tee, polo, hoodie, quarter-zip, short, and jogger is printed. Neither method costs extra to set up, and both ship with no minimum order. Here is exactly what gets stitched, what gets printed, and how a service or trade business should stock its first shop.

What Actually Gets Embroidered

Three hat styles in the catalog are built for embroidery:

Two other hat styles in the catalog are printed rather than stitched: the Richardson Classic Rope Hat ($29.86 VIP) and the Otto Cap Premium 5-Panel Baseball Hat ($29.86 VIP). Both look sharp with a printed front-panel logo and cost the same as the embroidered styles.

Why Every Other Piece Is Printed, Not Stitched

Tees, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts, and leggings all use printing, not embroidery, across the whole catalog. Printing handles gradients, photo-quality art, full-back graphics, and unlimited color counts on soft cotton and performance fabric better than a needle can. Embroidery on a stretchy tank top or moisture-wicking tee also tends to pucker the fabric and add stiffness exactly where a garment needs to move. Hats are rigid and structured, which is why they are the one product built to take a stitched logo cleanly.

PieceDecorationVIP base
Airlume cotton athletic teePrinted$19.88
Mens performance polo, Sport-TekPrinted$34.88
Comfort soft hoodie, Bear GripsPrinted$36.88
Flat bill snapback hat, YupoongEmbroidered$29.86
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Building Your First Shop as a Service or Trade Business

Every signup gets a branded storefront and an affiliate link on day one. The three plans:

A landscaping company, an auto shop, or a general contractor with one logo and a small crew usually starts on the free plan to test demand, then upgrades to VIP once the shop is producing repeat orders.

You can visit shops.beargrips.com to open a shop and pick your first products.

What to Stock First

PieceUse caseVIP base
Airlume cotton tee, Bear GripsDaily crew wear$19.88
Mens performance polo, Sport-TekEstimates, customer visits$34.88
Comfort soft hoodie, Bear GripsCold mornings, drive time$36.88
Flat bill snapback hat, Yupoong (embroidered)Job sites, brand visibility$29.86

A four-piece starter shop covers the basics for most service businesses. Add a long sleeve for shoulder-season and a second hat style once the first four are moving.

Setting Your Retail Price

You set the retail price on every piece, and you keep the margin. The default suggestion is $10 profit per item over the VIP base price, though most businesses charge more on hoodies and polos than on tees. An embroidered hat at $29.86 VIP base sold at $39.86 retail nets $10 per hat with no inventory risk and free shipping to the buyer.

Open Your Service Business Shop

Embroidered hats, printed tees, polos, and hoodies with your logo. No minimum, free shipping, ships in about a week.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is my hoodie or polo embroidered?

No. Every hoodie, polo, tee, jogger, and short in the catalog is printed, not embroidered. Embroidery is only available on select hat styles.

Which hats are actually embroidered?

The Yupoong Classic Flat Bill Snapback, the Yupoong Cuffed Winter Hat, and the Valucap Youth Classic Baseball Hat are built for embroidery. The Richardson Rope Hat and Otto Cap 5-Panel are printed.

Is there a minimum order to open a shop?

No. Single-piece printing and embroidery work the same as a hundred-piece order. Your first customer or crew member can order one item.

Does embroidery cost extra to set up?

No separate setup or digitizing fee. The listed hat price already includes the embroidery.

Brandon Holt
Brandon HoltService Industry Operator

Brandon owns a regional contracting company and previously ran an HVAC service business. He writes about trade-business branding, crew uniforms, and the apparel decisions service operators make to win local trust.

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