We may not know who invented the hat, but we can admit they did an outstanding job. From health benefits like protecting your hair from sun damage to aesthetic benefits like finishing off any stylish outfit, hats have become a wardrobe essential.
While there are plenty of hat design options available today, the most popular choice is the custom embroidered hat.
Embroidered hats are worn on formal and casual occasions, thanks to their benefits and versatility, which include:
As you’ll find out, much consideration goes into creating high-quality embroidered hats. So making uninformed choices in your ordering phase may cost you in the end.
These four expert tips will help you know the best features to look out for when buying any embroidered hat.
Headwear comes in all shapes and sizes. Everyone has at least one type of hat they love wearing, but not all designs are fit for embroidery.
Jupmode offers the best hat options that work great with custom embroidery.
The table below shows three of these designs.
Type Of Hat
Image
Brief Description
Dad Cap
Cuffed Beanie
Snapback
Most baseball caps fall into two key categories; structured and unstructured.
A structured cap has a stiff lining known as buckram in its crown, which holds its shape and gives it a rigid structure. It has a more polished, crisp look that looks good when worn as part of a corporate uniform. It's also a popular accessory in sports.
On the other hand, an unstructured cap looks the same all around and its crown lacks additional support. It will slightly collapse if you take it off your head and place it on a desk. It tends to have a low profile and gives a more casual look.
Climate is another major determinant of the best hat design for you. If you live in warmer areas, choose a hat with moisture-wicking fabric or a back mesh or like a trucker hat. While for colder climates call for beanie hats.
Patches are your best bet if you’re aiming for a sleek, professional look. All kinds of businesses have embraced them, from coffee shops to construction companies.
Custom patches can be a powerful branding tool for your company when added to your hat, as they make your brand stand out and give it a distinct identity.
Below are other benefits of custom hat patches to your business and personal brand:
Jupmode offers both woven and embroidered patches, which are added to your hat using an embroidery machine.
Note: The minimum number of patches you can order from us is 50. Because the sewing file is the same regardless of the apparel or accessory we’re adding it to, you can include other merchandise in your order, such as keychains and our famous embroidered crew sweatshirts.
Check out the entire collection of our woven and embroidered patch apparel and accessories here for ideas.
When ordering embroidered hats for your business, your logo’s size and placement are some of the most important aspects to consider. How your logo looks once embroidered on the hat matters more than it appears on paper.
For the best engagement with your customers, choose a bold and legible logo that makes your hat striking and recognizable.
Ensure that its details are still visible at the size you’ve chosen. Ideally, baseball hats have their logos at about 2” tall 2” wide. But this can go as high as 2.25” or as low as 0.5”, depending on the logo’s placement.
The most common place to add a logo on a hat is directly on the front of the hat.
But adding your logo to different locations within the hat also gives your brand exposure from multiple angles. Just ensure not to overdo it (2–3 are enough) because it may make your hat look cluttered and unprofessional.
The table below shows some appropriate locations for your custom embroidered logos and their preferred sizes on 6 panel hats.
Logo Location On Hat
Brief Description
Size
Center front
Camp Ohio Patch Hat
2.25” tall 4.5” wide
Front left or right panel
Souk Trucker Hat
2.25” tall 2.75” wide
Sides of hat
Michigan Felt Hat
1” tall 2” wide for tag or flag
At least 3” space allowance for texts
Be creative in choosing your text or logo placement locations. Ensure the message you want to be conveyed flows well, is visible to all, and easy to understand.
With digital design, there are myriad options when it comes to color. But your embroidery’s thread color can make or break your design.
Well-designed logos have one thing in common—simplicity. This means keeping your color palette at a minimum. We recommend sticking to three colors (or less) when creating your logo.
However, if you want a logo made using your brand’s signature colors, that’s also totally fine. We’ll help you select only the hat colors that complement your brand’s colors for embroidery.
If you aim to improve your brand’s visibility, pick thread colors that strongly contrast with your hat’s color. This creates an eye-catching, striking look draws people's eyes your way, giving your brand the exposure it desires.
The image below is an example of hats with strongly contrasting embroidery thread colors.
But if you’d like a more subtle embroidery, choose thread colors that are a shade darker or lighter than your hat’s color. The tone-on-tone design gives a sharp, classy, and harmonious look, subtly conveying that a single tone can still make a statement.
Embroidered hats are timeless accessories worn in formal and casual settings. But because of the embroidery process, it’s crucial to know what the main features to look out for before making a purchase.
Factors such as your logo’s size and placement, the color of your hat and logo, and knowing the best hats for embroidery largely determine the overall quality of your hat.
Jupmode’s embroidered hats are unisex and come in lots of design options. Their versatility makes them a wardrobe staple even in the corporate world, where they blend well with other branded work uniforms.
When gifted to your customers or worn as uniforms by your employees, our custom embroidered hats will build your reputation and freely advertise your brand to the ends of the earth. Even better, custom embroidered hats are more cost-effective when ordered in bulk than other apparel choices.
So, if you’d like to order some embroidered hats to promote your brand or use them as gift sets for loved ones, reach out to us.
"...What an impressive turnaround on our order... They turned out perfectly and we were all pleased with the entire experience..."
- Don C
Our team of experts is also ready to answer all your embroidery-related questions. All you need to do is email us at info@jupmode.com or leave a comment below.
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1977
Aden
Amaro
Brooklyn
Clarendon
Brannan
Earlybird
Gingham
Hudson
Inkwell
Lofi
Maven
Reyes
Stinson
Toaster
Inverter
Walden
Valencia
Xpro2
The short answer is no one knows, or likely even cares. The long answer is the first drawing of a man in a straw hat was discovered in an Egyptian tomb dated to 1300BC.
Since we are living in 2019, a better question might be where did the modern baseball/golf cap come from? Well, in 1860 a amateur baseball team the Brooklyn Excelsiors wore caps
that resemble modern baseball hats. Their version featured a rounded top design and long visor with the telltale button on top.
Over time, the design of baseball hats has been improved to provide greater utility, comfort, and appearance. By 1954 New Era was producing colorful and comfortable hats for professional baseball teams.
Soon thereafter, decorators began producing embroidered hats for uniforms and as promotional items, although the embroidery machines of the time were very crude.
In the 80's fashion became more important to music artists as music video's became popular. Fans could now see how their favorite musicians dressed and the music industry began setting fashion
trends. Baseball hats were popular with musicians in the rap and hip-hop genre. As a result, baseball hats made the transition from sports to everyday use.
Hat picture from the Egyptian tomb of Nebamun 1300BC from the collection of the British Museum
The Brooklyn Excelsiors were an amateur baseball team credited for using baseball hats as part of their uniform
Baseball hat from 1890's Harvard University baseball club
Originally, baseball hats were "fitted" meaning they came sized to match the exact diameter of your head. Typically there are 14 sizes of baseball hats to fit heads from 20 to 25 inches in diameter.
By the early 70's adjustable fit baseball hats came into production. Adjustable baseball hats allow for a more precise and comfortable fit and the retailer did not need to carry 14 sizes! Adjustable hats are
very important as promotional products and uniforms since you can buy a single size and provide a perfect fit for everyone.
There are three common varieties of hats that are decorated with an embroidered logo:
Adjustable baseball hats are sold as "One size fits all" OSFA and use an adjustable strap in the back to set the size. Generally OSFA hats can accommodate 21 5/8 to 23 7/8 head circumference. A small number of people have heads that are outside this size range.
Hats are made from a variety of natural and synthetic fibers. Here are some of the most common modern materials used in hat construction:
This is probably the most common material used. Cotton can also be blended with polyester to produce fabrics with different performance characteristics.
Popular in golf hats wicking fabrics are designed to evaporate moisture quickly so you keep cool and dry.
Mesh is a typically made from polyester and woven with large holes to provide maximum ventilation
Fleece is a lightweight, warm, and soft fabric invented in 1979 in nearby Malden Mills, MA. It holds less than 1% of its weight in water so it retains its insulating qualities when wet.
The most popular fiber used to make hats. Its less expensive than wool, more stain resistant, and easier to clean. Acrylic does not breathe well so it could make you sweat during strenuous activities. It's best feature is that it holds dye well and will still look great after repeated washings.
Natural animal fibers commonly made from sheep. Fibers from goats and alpaca are also used to make hats. Wool's ability to retain heat even when weight is unmatched. You do need to wash it in cold water and line dry wool to prevent shrinkage.
Baseball hats are constructed from panels of fabric. A typical baseball hat is made from six panels stitched together. This configuration leaves a vertical seam on the wearers forehead and any logo embroidered on the front. Some companies produce a 5 panel hats which eliminate this seam. Many embroidered golf hats use a five panel construction.
The hat bill keeps the sun out of your eyes and rain off your face. It is constructed by stitching fabric over a plastic form. There are two kinds of bills flat and curved depending the shape of the plastic form used.
The crown is the 5-6 panels stitched together to make the top part of the hat. Crowns are typically structured and unstructured. A structured crown is one that has been specially reinforced with buckram fabric or plastic inside the panels to help keep the crown's shape. An unstructured crown has no reinforcing material as a result the hat does not hold its shape. Crowns come in three different profiles or heights, short, medium, and tall. The larger the profile the easier it will be to stitch your embroidered logo. If you have a very large logo its best to select a tall profile hat.
There is typically one eyelet stitched into each panel. Eyelets are generally used to provide ventilation and as a stylish feature. Hats made from performance wicking fabric or mesh may omit the eyelets.
Embroidery Nerd Alert!
The button on top of a baseball hat is used to cover and attach the points of the hat panels. It is made from metal or a plastic form covered in cloth
.
The term Squatchee (or Squatcho) was popularized in 1983 by American baseball sportscasters Bob Brenly and Mike Krukow who both played for the San Francisco Giants. Mike Krukow saw
the term squatcho used in a book book (Sniglets) written by comedian Rich Hall while standing in the supermarket checkout line.
The words Squatcho and Squatchee were used interchangeably in broadcasts when referring to the little button on the top of your baseball hat. Yes you just wasted
30 seconds of your life reading about the little button on top of your hat!
The closure is the strap at the back of the hat to adjust the hat size to your head. Skip down to the section on closures on this page for more details
Beanie style hats may have a cuff where the hat is folded onto itself. The purpose of the cuff is to provide greater warmth for your ears by using a two layers of knit fabric rather than one.
The word Pompom is first used in 1875, it is derived from the French word pompon, which referred to what we would think of as a modern pompom. There does not
seem to be any practical use for a pompom. Some speculate it was used as a method to hide poor workmanship as the peak of the hat can be tricky to knit. Others say it was
just used for decoration and point a statue of the Viking god Freyr who had a helmet with a pompom on it. And yes you have wasted another 30 seconds of your life...
To give a stylish look to baseball color accents are used. For high visibility hats accents are typically made from retroreflective material so they can be seen in the dark. Many kinds
of accents are used in baseball hats:
Panels - Different colored panels are used or even panels with stripes
Brim - The brim is sewn with two contrasting colors of fabric
Thread - Contrasting colors of thread are used to stitch the hat together providing a subtle accent
Logo's - Brand name hats like Nike or Carhartt will apply a small logo as a brand mark on the hat
Embroidery - When possible, we try to match the accents colors to a customer's logo embroidery
There are three methods used to adjust the size of OSFA baseball hats. The first is a leather or cloth strap with a metal or plastic buckle. The next method uses a plastic strap with snaps spaced 1/8 inch apart some people call this fastener a "strapback". The last method uses hook and loop material to provide infinite adjustability.
Pro's
» Infinite adjustability
» Metal buckles look great
Con's
» When worn out the strap can slip causing the hat size to grow larger and you lose your hat in the wind
» The end of the strap needs to be tucked into the hat for some styles which is a pain
» Leather straps can shrink after repeated wet/dry cycles
» For larger heads the strap cannot be tucked into the hat and looks goofy with the tail of the strap flapping around
Pro's
» Holds adjustment very well over time
» very rugged
Con's
» Smaller head sizes you may have a small "tail" that will not tuck in anyplace
» Repeated adjusting can degrade the hook and loop material
Pro's
» Easy to adjust
» Adjustments are rock solid
» Inexpensive
» Can be color matched to hat
Con's
» Cheap looking...but hey its a hat after all
» Plastic degrades in sunlight and can snaps can break in cold weather
» For larger head sizes you can only use 1 or 2 snaps which can lead to breakage
The most popular decoration method for hats is embroidery. Specialized industrial sewing machines are used that can produce one to fifteen hats at a time. These machines can lay
down over 1000 stitches per minute which is so fast you barely see the needle moving. Since hats are curved the hat has to be rotated at the same time it is stitched. Producing
consistent high quality embroidered logo's on hats requires top notch machinery. Corporate Casuals uses machinery made by Barudan
which is considered the best in the industry. We recently purchased two new Barudan machines specifically for running hats.
The most popular thread used for machine embroidered logo's is made from a material called Rayon. It has bright
colors and the most attractive sheen. Polyester thread is also used by some embroidery shops because it breaks less in production and is cheaper generally but we feel that
Rayon provides the best look and color for embroidered logos. The exclusive thread provider for Corporate Casuals is Madeira USA we stock
their classic 40 weight Rayon colors.
Logo Size
The front of a baseball hat is limited to a logo 2.25 inches tall. We try to limit the logo width to 4 inches but we do stitch 5 inch wide logo's when appropriate.
The side of a baseball hat can accommodate a 1.25 inch square logo on either the right or left side. Depending on the hat construction we can sometimes go a bit larger.
Baseball hats with strap closure we apply a 3 inch by 1 inch logo. The logo is typically arched over the opening on adjustable hats. Flexfit hats allow for larger size logo's and the logo does not need to be arched.
Beanies that have a cuff are limited to 2.25 inch tall logo's. We try to limit the logo width to 4 inches but can go a bit larger if needed.
Beanie hats without a cuff provide the most decoration space of all hat styles. We can embroider a 3 inch tall by 4 inch wide logo with room to spare.
Visors provide very little room for decoration. We can stitch a 1 inch tall by 4 inch wide logo.
The selection of colors for the hat and logo is the most important decision you will make. If you are working with a logo that has brand colors then generally you will have
access to the brands PMS colors (Pantone Matching System). We match embroidery thread to PMS color at no charge.
If your goal is maximum visibility to potential customers then you want to use thread colors that contrast strongly with the color of the hat. Some customers prefer a subdued look and opt
for a "Tone on Tone" design where the hat color and logo color are a shade off. Embroidery is a unique decoration method, in that even non-contrasting logo's can still look great. The
threads we use reflect light in a unique way and the three dimensional nature of embroidery allows your logo to be seen easily. We also offer what we call color-on-color where we match the hat color exactly which gives the logo more of an engraved look.
For dark hats you would use a light colored thread and dark hats a light colored thread. The trick part is when the color of the hat is mid toned like red or green. Depending on
the shade you might want a light or dark colored thread.
Our online proofing system can help you to decide what thread color to use. All the logo's shown on this page were rendered using our proofing system.
For "Tone on Tone" designs we recommend the thread color be one shade lighter or darker then the color of the hat. A really nice look for accented hats is to have the logo color match the accent colors.
Embroidery is a great decoration process but it does have some limitations you need to consider:
Very small text is not easily reproduced with embroidery since we use a zig zag or satin stitch to make the letters (see embroidery 101). Its best to keep all text 1/4 inch or taller for best results.
The best looking embroidered logo's have solid colors and limited small details. Customers with small complex logo's may need to simplify the logo to look good. Don't worry, we're happy to help with this.
Outlined text must be 3/4 inch or taller. Very fine lines generally do not come out well.
The top part of this logo is off center. Stitching it on a hat really makes it stand out. Symmetrical logos look best on hats.