20 Best shirts for embroidery: A complete guide

Colors: Five options

Sizes: S-4XL

Design placement: Left chest, left sleeve top

See all products

Make custom embroidered t-shirts with Printful

With Printful, you don’t need to buy t-shirts, threads, or even sewing tools – everything’s handled in-house, from digitization to stitching. 

It’s your one-stop shop for t-shirt embroidery. Simply pick a shirt and customize, and we’ll transform your ideas into durable, professional-quality apparel that’s ready to wear or sell.

Sign up and pick your shirts

Register for free, then browse the embroidery section in our Catalog. You’ll find tees, long-sleeve shirts, polos, and more for kids, adults, and unisex options. Filter by price, size, brand, and other criteria.

Customize embroidered designs

Open Printful’s Design Maker and upload your artwork – it’s where the best t-shirts come to life. Adjust the placement, preview your designs, and fine-tune colors. We’ll handle the technical side, digitizing your file for the best embroidery results.

Order for yourself or sell online

Order your custom embroidery apparel to wear, gift, or use as promotional items, or connect your shop to Etsy, Shopify, or other sales channels to start selling. There are no order minimums, so you can test new designs one shirt at a time.

Custom embroidery options with Printful

Embroidery at Printful blends craftsmanship with automation. 

We digitize your custom designs so every stitch lands perfectly, transforming your artwork into textured thread. You only need to pay a one-time digitization fee for each design, and you can reuse it for future orders for the same type of embroidery and product type. 

It’s the simplest way to create high-quality, embroidered t-shirts without owning any fabric, threads, or equipment. Simply upload your file, select a shirt, and we’ll take care of the rest.

With Printful, you have two embroidery options.

Standard embroidery

Standard embroidery (also called classic embroidery) uses traditional needle-and-thread craftsmanship to embroider your designs directly into the fabric. It produces that timeless, textured finish you’d expect from premium apparel – meant for logos, t-shirts, polos, and caps. 

You can choose from 15 thread colors, with up to six colors per design. This gives your garments a polished, professional finish that lasts wash after wash.

If you’re going for classic looks, clear lines, and solid shapes, this is your best match. 

Pro tip: Check out other product categories that support embroidery, such as hoodies, hats, jackets, blankets, aprons, and more.

Unlimited-color embroidery

Full-color embroidery is where creativity has no limit. This technique uses a single white, recycled polyester thread that’s dyed mid-stitch – no thread swaps, no hoop resets, no limits on your color choices. 

It’s ideal for complex embroidered designs, multi-shade gradients, or modern branding with depth. 

This option adds just $3.75 per design and delivers a truly premium look without traditional machine restrictions.

Pro tip: Explore our embroidery guide to see examples, setup tips, fabric weight recommendations, and file requirements that’ll help your next custom project shine. 

Conclusion

The best t-shirts for embroidery combine premium fabric, ideal garment weight, and professional finishes – and Printful has them all. From setup to shipping, we take care of every step, so you can focus on design and creativity. 

Start exploring our custom embroidery options today and turn your shirts into long-lasting pieces of wearable art.