A cap is the cheapest garment in a uniform order and often the one that gets worn the most, because it works outside the job as well as in it. It is also the fussiest thing to decorate, since the machine has to stitch onto a curved panel with a seam up the middle of it, which is why cap artwork needs a little more thought than a chest logo does.
7 garments in our core caps & headwear range, from the brands Australian trade decorators actually hold. Every one is quoted rather than priced online, because the honest number depends on your quantity, your logo and how many positions you want.
The structured workhorse embroidery cap for trades and clubs.
Confirmed on quote. See the brand catalogue below.
Trade and lifestyle trucker. Consistently the strongest seller.
Army, Black, Cobalt, Ecru, Forest Green, Ink Blue, Khaki, Petrol Blue, Shadow, Storm, Walnut, White
Streetwear and lifestyle merch.
Khaki, Walnut, Navy, Black, Forest Green
Retro foam trucker look.
Ecru, Khaki, Navy, Black, Cypress, Liberty, Walnut, White, Bone, Fire, Forest Green, Sunset
Festivals, events and summer merch.
Butter, Ecru, Bone, Orchid, Walnut, Army, Storm, Navy, Black, Hazy Pink, Khaki, Forest Green, Powder
Winter merch. The biggest colour range in the headwear range.
Ecru, Mushroom, Camel, Orchid, Pink, Mauve, Cardinal, Cobalt, Petrol Blue, Powder, Bone, Army, Pine Green, Navy, White Marle, Grey Marle, Asphalt Marle, Black
Premium winter merch.
Ecru, Eucalyptus, Walnut, Cypress, Plum, Navy, Petrol Blue, Powder, Lime, Army, Red, Coal, Grey Marle, Black
Colour ranges change with the season and not every colour is held in every size. The swatches here are taken from each manufacturer’s current range. For the full catalogue, size charts and fabric specifications, these open on the manufacturer’s own site.
Specifications are as published by each garment manufacturer. Where a field reads “confirmed on quote” we have not been able to verify it from the manufacturer and will not guess. Illustrations are indicative, not product photography.
A structured cap has a stiffened front panel, so it holds its shape off the head and gives embroidery a flat, firm surface to sit on. That is why the heavy brushed cotton cap is the workhorse for trades and clubs. A trucker has a foam or fabric front and a mesh back, which is cooler and reads as lifestyle rather than uniform. An unstructured cap is soft and slouchy and suits merch far better than it suits a staff uniform, because it does not hold a logo as crisply.
On a six panel cap there is a seam running straight up the middle of the front. Embroidery can cross it, but fine detail and small text sitting directly on that seam will distort. A logo that is symmetrical around the centre handles it well. A logo with a thin horizontal line through the middle does not. Five panel and foam front caps avoid the problem, which is one reason they suit detailed artwork better.
The front centre panel gives you roughly 90mm to 120mm of width to work with, and side panels are smaller again at around 40mm to 70mm. Height is the tighter constraint, because the panel is short. A wide landscape logo works well on a cap. A tall logo or a logo with a tagline underneath usually has to be simplified or split. We show you the mockup at actual size before anything is stitched.
A bucket hat takes decoration on the front of the crown or on the brim, and it is a merch item rather than a uniform one. Beanies are usually decorated with a flat embroidered patch or direct embroidery on the cuff, so the design has to be short and wide. Both are seasonal, both sell well as merch, and both are cheap enough to be the item you add to round out a range.
Sun protection that staff will actually wear. Usually a structured cotton cap in the business colour with a front logo.
Team caps and supporter merch. Often ordered with polos in the same colours and the same logo.
Front of house and barista caps, usually a trucker or a low profile cap, matched to the apron rather than to a corporate polo.
Truckers and bucket hats as a product rather than a giveaway. Colour choice and cap shape matter more than the logo here.
Volunteer and marshal caps. Cheap, visible and ordered in a hurry, which usually decides the cap more than anything else.
Caps handed out at open days and site visits. A quiet tonal embroidery reads better than a large contrast logo for this.
| Method | What it is | What it suits | Minimum guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidery | Thread stitched into the fabric. Your logo has to be digitised once, which is a one off cost per logo. We keep the file so reorders do not pay it again. | Polos, caps, business shirts, softshell, aprons, anything that has to read as a uniform. | Around 10 to 12 on a new logo, often 1 on a reorder. Caps usually hold 12 either way. |
| DTF transfer | Artwork printed to film, then heat pressed on. No screens means no setup, which is why complicated artwork on ten shirts is now realistic. | Small runs, full colour artwork, photographs, names and numbers, size top ups. | Effectively none. Sensible from about 10. |
| Screen printing | Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one screen per colour. Best cost per unit once the numbers climb, and the softest hand feel on a tee. | Larger runs of tees and hoodies, especially one and two colour designs. | Around 20 to 25 per design per colour. |
| Applied patch or vinyl | A woven or printed patch, or cut vinyl, heat applied. Useful when a logo has fine detail that thread cannot hold at the size you want. | Beanies, caps, small runs, and logos that will not embroider cleanly at size. | Low, confirmed per job. |
Minimums are a guide only and are confirmed on your quote. They move with the garment, the decorator and whether your logo is already on file.
| Position | Where it sits | Typical maximum width |
|---|---|---|
| Left chest | The default uniform position, on the wearer’s left. | 80mm to 100mm wide |
| Right chest | Second logo, a name, or an accreditation mark. | 70mm to 100mm wide |
| Centre chest | Casual and merch, hoodies especially. | 180mm to 260mm wide |
| Upper back | Across the shoulder blades. The standard place for a business name. | 200mm to 280mm wide |
| Full back | Large merch prints and club designs. | 250mm to 350mm wide |
| Sleeve | Upper arm, left or right. | 50mm to 75mm wide for embroidery |
| Cap front | Centre front panel. Height is the tighter limit, not width. | 90mm to 120mm wide |
| Cap side | Small secondary mark. | 40mm to 70mm wide |
Positions are described from the wearer’s point of view. Sizes are typical maximums and vary by garment, so the mockup you approve is always the real answer.
Pick the garments below and send them through, or just describe the job. Headcount, rough sizes, how many logo positions and your deadline are enough to start.
We price the garment, the decoration and the freight to your address as one number, and we confirm the real minimum order and lead time for your job rather than a general one.
You get a visual showing your logo in position and at actual size on the garment you chose. Nothing is stitched or pressed until you approve it.
As a guide, ten to fifteen business days from artwork approval, plus freight. The clock starts at approval, not at order, and supplier stock is the usual cause of a delay.
We do not hold garment stock or run embroidery machines at Baringa. Uniforms and merch are produced through established Australian trade decorators who hold the garment brands, do the embroidery and printing, and dispatch direct. You deal with us, we deal with them, and the job arrives without their name on it.
That is deliberate. It means we can put you on the right garment from any of the major brands rather than the one brand we happen to stock, and it means a small order is not penalised for being small. It also means we quote rather than show a live price on these pages, because the honest number depends on the garment, the quantity, the number of decoration positions and how many stitches your logo needs.
Every number on this page is a guide, and we confirm the real one on your quote. As a rough guide: embroidery from around 10 to 12 units on a new logo and often a single garment on a reorder, screen printing from around 20 to 25 per design per colour, and DTF from about 10 with no real technical minimum. Caps usually hold a minimum of around 12 even on repeats.
Lead time is typically 10 to 15 business days from the moment you approve the artwork, plus freight to you. Two things get missed. The clock starts at artwork approval and not at order placement, and garment stock availability is the single most common reason a job runs late. If you have a fixed date, say so at the start and we will only quote garments that can actually make it.
One more thing worth knowing before you order. A decorated garment cannot be returned for a size swap, because it was made for you. For any rollout beyond about fifteen people, ask us about a size set so your team can try on rather than guess.
Send a vector file, so EPS, AI or PDF with the fonts outlined. A logo pulled off your website will reproduce exactly as blurry as it looks on screen. For DTF and full colour work a high resolution PNG at the actual print size with a transparent background also works well.
Embroidery needs one extra step. Your logo has to be digitised, which is a separate file telling the machine the stitch path and the order it sews in. That is a one off cost per logo and the file is kept on record, so your reorders and your new starters do not pay it again. Fine text under about 5mm high, thin outlines and gradients are the three things that cause trouble in thread, and we will tell you before you commit rather than after.
One thing worth saying plainly. Decoration positions are described from the wearer’s point of view, so left chest means their left, which is your right when you are looking at them. Getting that straight at the start saves a whole reprint.
It depends on the cap and the quantity, and on how many stitches your logo needs. Cap embroidery is usually priced separately from garment embroidery because it runs on different machines. Send us the logo and the numbers and we will price the cap you actually want.
Caps generally hold a minimum of around twelve units even on a repeat order, which is different to garments where a reorder can often go down to one. That is a machine and setup reality rather than a supplier being difficult. Confirmed on your quote.
The front panel gives you roughly 90mm to 120mm wide, and height is the tighter limit. Wide logos work well. Tall logos, or a logo with a tagline stacked under it, usually need to be simplified or the tagline dropped. We will show you a mockup at actual size before anything is stitched.
Embroidery is the standard because it suits the curved surface and the finish lasts. Printing and applied patches are possible on some cap styles, particularly flat front and foam front truckers. Tell us the look you are after and we will tell you what the cap can take.
Yes on most styles. Side panels take small logos at roughly 40mm to 70mm wide. Back and closure areas take short text only. Each extra position is another setup, so decide them all at once rather than adding one later.
As a staff garment, rarely. As merch, yes, particularly for clubs, brands and anyone selling to people who travel. The cuff beanie carries a very wide colour range, which is what makes it work as a product.
Usually close, but not always exactly. Caps and garments come from different manufacturers, are made from different fabrics and are dyed in different batches. A navy cap and a navy polo will read as a set, but they may not be an identical navy. If exact matching matters, tell us and we will pick the pair deliberately.
Send us the headcount, the garments you like and your deadline. We will come back with a real number, including freight to your address.
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