Sorry I took so long to post in this thread.
Mike is right. All lettering should be AT LEAST 1/4" high.
The more stitches you have, the higher the cost.
and also the 'thinness' of the thread and the thinner with a greater stitch count is the most attractive
Like most promotional items, the higher the quantity purchased, the less costly the item is per each.
one of my best friends in life is an expert in this stuff, if you need i can 'probably' find out a way to buy directly from a schiffli embroidery maker from new jersey [the place of most of this type of work] the cost for a full machine {full machine if i remember correctly is 11 yards and if the ground is a 50 inch width you can do the math of how much one machine will cost}], meaning the smaller the item the most amount of patches you will get per machine load] but for this, you can not get individual names, but it can have an appliqued area for us to write our az names
The way it goes genereally speaking is I would send a design to one of my "Patch" factories that is recommended by one of my peers in the business for a pricing request. I would ask for multiple column quantity pricing, for example 250, 500, 1000 or more.
please trust me here, but we would need at least 1 machine [11 yards x say for example 50 inches] at least full of patches to get a price that would be good for us and also for azb so sending a patch at a time they can still make money for themselves which they deserve, no question.
There are many different factories out there, each with their own style and capability. Quality runs from poor to excellent just like in any industry.
sorry but, it is not 'generally' the maker that is bad, it is the schiffli pattern maker that is bad - the machines just do what the patterns dictate.
If you select a design, I will obtain pricing for you and produce the job if you so decide.
Just let me know how I can help.
I've looked at some of the designs and we've got some talent on AZB. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Since Mike would be the one who would probably purchase the most patches I would think he would have to be the one who makes the final decision about which design to use.
i think it would be best not to put this all on mike and jerry, just mho. i think many of us are so proud of this site, that many of us should contribute to a fund, say $50 or if possible $100 to get this started. and besides if we do it as a community it will just have that much more meaning, for what i personally consider the best site i have ever been part of on the internet, as i am sure many would agree. if azb makes some money, great we can get some $ back. but if not, life will go on just the same.
Also, I do not have the time nor the means to ship out individual patches. If Mike or someone else can handle that I would be happy to help produce the order.
I would only want one person to be responsible for the bill as multiple billing is for the birds on a small order like this.
So the first thing to remember is the designs have to be SOLID COLORS, no gradient screens. You can specify the PMS colors which could be roughly approximated using the standard thread for the industry.
you can have gradients, but with 'variegated' thread, that is not a problem. but not every patch will have the same color in exactly the same place. but 'variegated' thread costs a bit more, but is not prohibitive.
I'll subscribe to this thread so that I stay in the loop if you need me.
you better!!!!
Ask any questions and I will try to help.
Best Regards,
JoeyA
