👕 Services

Custom Branded Apparel — Bulk T-Shirts & Polos

Branded apparel is the most-worn, most-photographed, and most-scrutinized piece of corporate merch a company buys — a stiff, off-center logo on a thin blank undermines the brand faster than not printing at all. Sterling Merch produces custom apparel at any volume, on premium blanks, with the decoration method matched to the design and the fabric, and a physical sample approved before your order goes to full production.

Choosing the right decoration method

Embroidery, screen printing, and sublimation aren't interchangeable — each suits a different design, fabric, and budget, and picking the wrong one is the single most common reason a company's apparel order looks worse than the mockup. Embroidery gives a raised, premium texture that holds up to hundreds of washes, and is the default choice for polos, outerwear, and caps — but it struggles with very fine detail or large-area artwork. Screen printing is the standard for T-shirts and hoodies with bold, simple logos at volume — cost-effective at scale, though each additional color adds setup cost. Sublimation dyes the fabric itself rather than sitting on top of it, so it's the right call for full-color, all-over designs and performance/athletic fabrics, but it only works on polyester or poly-blend garments.

What you get on every apparel order

  • A pre-production sample — physically produced and shipped to you — before any full run, so what you approve is what your team receives.
  • Access to premium blanks from established apparel brands, not unbranded overseas stock.
  • One dedicated account manager who understands your brand guidelines once and applies them to every reorder.
  • Tiered bulk pricing that improves automatically with volume — no negotiation required.
  • A size-collection link so each employee submits their own size directly, eliminating guesswork and returns.

Apparel programs we produce

Garment typeBest decoration methodTypical use case
Polos & button-downsEmbroideryClient-facing teams, uniforms, executive gifting
T-shirts & hoodiesScreen print (or embroidery for small logos)Company-wide swag, event giveaways, onboarding kits
Performance & athletic wearSublimationField teams, sports sponsorships, wellness programs
Outerwear & jacketsEmbroideryExecutive gifting, field/outdoor teams

Sizing, quality, and reorders

Apparel is also where most enterprise programs get burned on sizing — either wrong distributions ordered upfront, or a scramble to reorder specific sizes after the fact. We solve this two ways: our size-distribution tool helps estimate a realistic breakdown before you order, and our employee collection link lets each person confirm their own size directly, so what you order matches what your team actually needs. Because we work with the same vetted US vendor network on every order, reorders match your original run in color and fabric — no surprise batch variation six months later.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum order quantity for branded apparel?

We run programs from small executive orders to 20,000+ unit event drops. There is no hard minimum, but per-unit pricing improves meaningfully above 50–100 units — ask your account manager for volume-specific pricing.

Can I see a physical sample before ordering in bulk?

Yes — a pre-production sample is standard on any order above 25 units, and available on request for smaller runs. We do not run full production until you approve it.

Do you offer both embroidery and screen printing?

Yes, plus sublimation for all-over and performance-fabric designs. Your account manager will recommend the right method for your specific artwork and garment — see the comparison above.

Ready to talk through your branded apparel program?

Share your requirements and your dedicated account manager will respond within 48 hours.

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