Custom staff uniforms and merch, without a minimum order
Branded staff clothing is the cheapest signage you will ever buy — it walks around the room all day. This is what to choose, what survives being washed twice a week, and how to order a handful rather than a pallet.
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Start with the apron
If you are only doing one thing, do aprons. They are seen from the front, they are worn by whoever is facing the customer, and they cover whatever people turned up in — which quietly solves the uniform problem without you having to enforce one.
A bib apron with a cross-back strap is worth the small extra cost over a neck-loop style: neck straps are the reason people take aprons off during a long shift, and an apron in the back room is not doing any of this.
What to put people in, by role
Different jobs want different things, and buying one item for everybody is how you end up with a box of unworn size Ls.
| Role | Works well | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Front of house | Bib apron over their own black | Covers everything, costs least, looks deliberate |
| Baristas | Short apron or bib, dark | Coffee marks everything; dark hides the working day |
| Kitchen | Heavy bib apron | Takes heat, oil and a hot wash without giving up |
| Outdoor / market stalls | Tee or hoodie | Visible at a distance, and staff keep wearing them off shift |
| Retail counter | Tee or cap | Reads as staff instantly without being a uniform |
Printing that survives a commercial wash
Hospitality clothing gets washed hot and often, which is a harder life than most printed clothing has. The method matters more than the artwork.
- Keep the design simple and reasonably small. Large solid blocks of print are the first thing to crack after repeated hot washes.
- Dark garments hide wear, marks and the day itself. They are also more forgiving of a print that has softened over time.
- Cotton-heavy fabrics take a print better than slick polyester, and they are more pleasant in a hot kitchen.
- Wash inside out and skip the tumble dryer where you can. This is the single biggest difference to how long a print lasts, and it costs nothing.
- Order one first and wash it a few times before you order twenty. Always.
Getting the artwork right
Most disappointing merch is a resolution problem rather than a printing problem. A logo pulled off your own website is usually a few hundred pixels wide, which looks fine on a phone and soft and fuzzy on a chest.
Use the largest, cleanest version you have — ideally the original vector file from whoever designed it. A one-colour version of your logo often prints better on fabric than the full-colour one, and on a dark garment it is frequently the only version that works.
Why print-to-order suits a venue
The traditional problem with branded clothing is the minimum order: fifty units to get a sensible price, which for most venues means a box in the office with forty-one still in it two years later.
Printing to order removes that. You buy the sizes you need, add one when somebody starts, and change the design when you rebrand without writing off a pallet. It costs a little more per unit and it saves the entire cost of the ones you never used.
Get it printed
Aprons, tees, caps, hoodies and mugs, printed to order with your own artwork or bought ready-made. Printed and shipped from a regional print partner — Australian, US, UK or Canadian, depending on the item — with no minimum order and no account needed to buy.
Questions
- What is the best staff uniform for a cafe?
- A branded bib apron worn over the staff's own dark clothing. It is the cheapest option, it covers whatever they arrived in, and it reads as deliberate rather than as a uniform policy you have to enforce.
- Will a printed apron survive commercial washing?
- Yes, if the print is reasonably sized and you wash it inside out and avoid the tumble dryer where possible. Large solid blocks of print on light polyester are what tends to crack. Order one and wash it several times before committing to a full set.
- Is there a minimum order for custom merch?
- Not here — items are printed when they are ordered, so you can buy one apron or twenty. That is the main practical advantage over traditional screen printing, which usually wants fifty of something before the price makes sense.
- What file should I supply for my logo?
- The largest, cleanest version you have, ideally the original vector file. A logo copied from your website is usually too low-resolution and will look soft when printed at chest size. A one-colour version often prints better on fabric than the full-colour one.