So you’ve gone with hats as your apparel of choice for the next trade show or business gathering. Maybe you wore matching branded hoodies with your team at the last event, or gave away printed promotional t-shirts at the last job fair. Whatever the case may be, congrats on opting for a fun, unique option that’s well-loved by many.
But here’s the tricky part: How much is this going to cost?
Maybe you haven’t looked too far into style, features or imprint methods. That’s okay — that’s how you ended up here, and we’re happy to have you! Here at Integra, we’ve helped countless customers build out their perfect hat with a careful eye on how each attribute would affect budget.
To that end, by the time you lay eyes on the last couple of words in this blog post, you should have a firm grasp of how and why hat type, quantity, fabric, features, colors, print style and lead time will drive your price, including in what direction and, on average, by how much.
The ultimate goal? Getting you and your team or prospects in the swaggiest hats ever at a price point you can feel great about.
1. Different Promotional Hat Styles (Minor Effect on Cost)
While a ton of hats can be customized and decorated, ranging from visors and top hats to beanies and bucket hats, the most popular type is traditionally referred to as a ‘baseball cap.’ Some consider ‘trucker hat’ its own category, but to keep things simple and get you the information you’re most likely to be seeking, we’re going to focus on baseball caps as a main category, with trucker hats as a subcategory that usually has a mesh backing.
The style-based characteristics you’d be choosing based on that breakdown, then, include:
- Brand: If you want your blank hats to come from a well-known hat brand, you may find yourself paying a few extra dollars per hat, depending on the brand you go with. Most companies and individuals alike choose generic brands that don’t boost price but still deliver on quality and comfort.
- Shape: First, do you want the typical baseball hat fitted style that molds to the shape of your head? That design is called ‘unstructured.’ The other option, which has surged in popularity over the years, are often called ‘trucker hats,’ as mentioned. Otherwise known as ‘structured’ caps, these hats maintain their shape and sit either low, medium or high in profile.
- Bill: The options are surprisingly vast when it comes to baseball cap bills. Ever heard of a feature called a ‘sandwich bill,’ where three colors are featured on the thin edge at the front of the bill? What about straight versus curved bills? Even the stitching can be changed out depending on whether you want contrast stitching that stands out, or a color match that lets each stitch hide.
- Closure: Again, enough options to satisfy any hat lover’s preference. You’ll choose from Velcro, buckles, buttons, snaps and one size fits all/most.
- Backing material: Many people differentiate baseball caps from trucker hats based on whether there’s mesh or fabric in the back. Baseball caps usually have fabric that matches the front, whereas trucker hats tend to rock the mesh. Mesh fabric keeps wearers cooler throughout the day, so this one’s a no-brainer if you’re planning to be in the sun a lot.
- Added effects: Do you want your hats to look worn, like you’ve been wearing them out on the open road for years? Try going with a distressed style that’s reminiscent of a pair of torn jeans. Or if you’re more into the faded look, you can get an enzyme washed fabric instead. Some styles even come with tea-stained mesh!
None of these selections will alter your price per hat significantly, but they may drive prices up or down by as little as a few cents or as much as a few dollars. Still, you’ll get the most bang for your buck by choosing customizations in this category based on what you think the intended wearers will love the most.
2. Fabric Options for Promo Hats (Major Effect on Cost)
As with any piece of apparel, the fabric each hat is primarily made of will have a huge effect on overall price. Some of the most popular fabric options include:
- Cotton: Just like with the cost of custom printed shirts, 100% cotton is the way to go to save on each individual hat. Cotton is widely accepted as a comfortable, quality material that most people have no qualms with, so it’s a fine option that will keep your people happy and your wallet happier.
- Polyester: Polyester tends to cost significantly more than cotton alone. Each individual hat can get up to 50% pricier than its cotton counterpart. For instance, a blank hat that would cost $8 made of cotton might cost closer to $12 as 100% polyester. That said, polyester is a cool, moisture-wicking fabric that’s well-loved for more active and water-based events and occasions, such as marathons, bowling leagues and boating.
- Cotton/polyester blend: Looking for a great mix between a comfy, cozy hat material and one that keeps your head cool? Try a cotton hat with a polyester mesh backing, or keep the whole hat uniform but made of a 50/50 blend. Your employees will thank you for such a nice hat, and your company wallet will thank you for keeping it in the medium range.
3. Embroidery Selections on Hats (Medium Effect on Cost)
Hands down the most common type of hat decorating is embroidery, but you can also have designs digitally printed onto your hat, or even made into a patch and then sewn or ironed on. Each of these methods might come with a small change to price, but since roughly 90 percent of hat orders are decorated with embroidery, we’re going to focus on the two major cost drivers within this decoration type:
- Number of stitches: Embroidered designs cost more per stitch after the base number and cost are met. For instance, a decorator might charge a flat rate for up to 10,000 stitches. After that number is met, you’ll pay more per 1,000 extra stitches in the design.
- Extra features: For instance, puff embroidery offers designs with 3D aesthetics. Your decorator will put foam in each piece and embroider up around that foam to make your logo or image look as though it’s popping off the hat. Very cool, but as you can imagine, very stitch-intensive and therefore may drive your cost up.
4. Amount of Time Before You Need Your Custom Hats (Major Effect on Cost)
When do you need your printed hats?
Are you planning an event a month in advance, or do you need your order to show up much sooner than that?
One of the benefits of working with a print broker rather than directly with a decorator for promotional apparel like hats is that we’re connected to printers and decorators across the country. As a result, tight timelines aren’t usually a detriment to our process.
However, you should absolutely remember that the less time you give for your job to be planned, decorated and delivered, the more you’re probably going to pay. Rush jobs always cost more to ship first class, but if it’s your only option for getting your apparel before your event, you may be stuck paying a premium just to get them on time.
5. Number of Spots Decorated on Your Custom Hats (Major Effect on Cost)
In most cases, each pass through a machine for extra decorations will up the cost of each individual hat by 30 to 40 percent of the original price. The amount of time the hats spend on the embroidery or other decoration machine is a leading factor in price. It makes sense, then, that each new pass through the machine substantially affects the project’s bottom line.
Let’s say for the sake of example that the base cost of a custom printed hat with all of your selections and one embroidered logo on the front is $15. You’re likely to pay $25 to add an embroidered image on the back of the hat. If you’d also like to customize the bill with a design, expect each hat to cost around $35. This pricing model also assumes the number of stitches is the same for each design and that the embroidery itself doesn’t come with any major price hikes.
If you’re willing to spend the money on impressions, you’ll be happy to know that the number of locations you can add patches and embroidered designs on a hat is limited only by the hat size itself. Some companies choose to add decorations on the front, each side, the back, the top and even the bill, so don’t feel restricted just because it’s a small piece of apparel.
6. Size of Your Custom Hat Order (Major Effect on Cost)
It takes time and money to design a digital stitch (DST) file, send proofs and queue up an embroidery machine. As a result, it’s significantly more lucrative for decorators to take on large orders that are worth such a steep prep time. Therefore, you can lower your overall spend per hat with these bulk orders and take advantage of the most competitive cost-per-unit options out there.
If you need 20 hats embroidered for an upcoming employee appreciation event, for instance, you’ll likely pay a premium for each hat to be on the machine for 2 to 4 minutes. Order 200 hats for a larger event, however, and your price per hat for decorating will drop steeply, sometimes by as much as several dollars per hat.
Make the Best Selections for Your Custom Promotional Cap Preferences and Budget
The selection process for custom hats can be a tedious one, and even the most seasoned hat experts would find the task a bit daunting. That said, we’re hoping you feel a bit calmer about your choices now that you’re armed with information about what to expect on the market and how your choices might affect your bottom line.
If you’re trying to decide whether to work with a print management company for your decorated promotional hat order, consider the pros and cons of the print broker model and whether or not a print broker is right for you. If you already know you want to order hats and may want to consider Integra Graphics Synergy for your hat decorating and other print needs, reach out to our team now to get your custom decorated caps underway.
And in the meantime…always remember that the world is your oyster — and oysters look great in hats!
