Embroidery Invoice Template: Stitch Count Pricing Guide

Quick answer: An embroidery invoice template bills a customer for embroidered garments or items. It lists the blank items by style and size, an embroidery charge per piece based on stitch count and location, one-time digitizing fees, extras such as 3D puff, names or a small-order fee, sales tax, any deposit paid and the balance due.

Embroidery shops sell durable, premium decoration: logos on polos, caps, jackets and bags. Pricing is driven by stitch count rather than ink colors, and every new design needs digitizing before it can sew. Customers who are used to screen printing quotes often do not understand that. A clear embroidery invoice explains the price, records the design file and thread colors for reorders, and protects you when an expensive customer-supplied jacket is involved. This guide shows how to build one, with a worked example and a checklist.

What is an embroidery invoice?

An embroidery invoice is a bill from an embroidery business or decorator to a customer for embroidered products or embroidery services. It typically covers three types of charge:

• Items: polos, caps, jackets, bags or towels supplied by the shop.
• Embroidery: a per-piece charge for each location, based on stitch count, placement and special techniques.
• Setup: digitizing each design, edits to existing files and sew-out samples.

For small jobs, one invoice at pickup is fine. For larger corporate or team orders, shops usually send a deposit invoice at approval and a final invoice on delivery. Our guide to deposit invoices explains how to bill and credit that first payment.

What should an embroidery invoice include?

Section	What to include
Business details	Name, logo, address, phone, email, sales tax permit number if required
Invoice details	Invoice number, job number, issue date, due date, customer PO
Customer	Name, company, billing and delivery addresses
Design	Design name, stitch count, size, thread colors (thread brand and color numbers), approved sew-out or proof
Items	Brand, style number, color, size breakdown, quantity, unit price
Embroidery lines	Location (left chest, cap front, full back), stitch count, quantity, rate per piece
One-time charges	Digitizing per design and version, edits, sample sew-out
Extras	3D puff, metallic thread, names, patches, small-order fee, rush fee
Totals and terms	Subtotal, tax, total, deposit, balance, file ownership and customer-supplied goods policy

Thread color numbers and stitch counts on the invoice are valuable later: when the customer reorders 18 months from now, you can match the job exactly without guessing.

How is embroidery priced? Stitch count explained

Stitch count is the number of individual stitches the machine sews to create a design. A typical left chest logo might be somewhere around 5,000 to 10,000 stitches, while a full back design can run well over 50,000. More stitches mean more machine time, more thread and more chance of a thread break, so price per piece rises with stitch count.

Common pricing methods:

• Rate per 1,000 stitches with a minimum per piece, often lower for larger quantities.
• Stitch count bands (for example, up to 5,000; 5,001 to 8,000; 8,001 to 12,000) with a price per band and quantity tier.
• Flat per-location price for standard left chest logos, with extra for large designs.

The grid below is illustrative, showing how a shop might price embroidery only (garments excluded). Set your own rates from machine time, labor, thread, backing and overhead.

Stitch count	6 to 23 pieces	24 to 47 pieces	48 to 143 pieces	144+ pieces
Up to 5,000	$6.00	$5.00	$4.25	$3.50
5,001 to 8,000	$7.75	$6.75	$5.75	$4.75
8,001 to 12,000	$9.50	$8.25	$7.00	$6.00
Each extra 1,000	$0.90	$0.80	$0.70	$0.60

Typical extras include 3D puff (raised foam, popular on caps), metallic or specialty threads, appliqué, patches, and a charge per name for personalization. Caps take longer to hoop and sew than flat items, so many shops price them separately.

What does digitizing cost and how do you bill it?

Digitizing is the skilled process of turning artwork into a machine file. A good digitizer chooses fill and satin stitches, underlay, density and pull compensation so the design looks sharp on a particular fabric. A design digitized for a flat polo may need a separate version for a curved cap front or for 3D puff.

Shops typically bill digitizing as a one-time line per design version, sometimes priced by stitch count or complexity. Small text-only designs are inexpensive; detailed logos with fine lettering cost more. Many shops waive or reduce the fee on large orders, or charge a small edit fee to change text on an existing file (for example, a new year on an event logo). State clearly on the quote and invoice whether the customer receives the stitch file, because some shops treat it as their own work product.

Embroidery invoice example with real numbers

A landscaping company orders 24 polos and 24 caps with its logo, plus employee names on the polos. Prices are illustrative, and the example applies a 6% sales tax.

Invoice EMB-2026-0742 | Job: GreenLine Crew Uniforms | Thread: Madeira-style greens 1751 and 1769, white | Sew-out approved October 9, 2026 | Issued: October 23, 2026 | Due: on delivery

Description	Qty	Unit price	Amount
Digitizing, left chest logo (7,500 stitches, 3.5 in wide)	1	$45.00	$45.00
Digitizing, cap front version with 3D puff	1	$55.00	$55.00
Performance polo, hunter green (S 2, M 8, L 8, XL 6)	24	$16.50	$396.00
Structured cap, khaki, adjustable	24	$9.75	$234.00
Left chest embroidery, 7,500 stitches (24 to 47 tier)	24	$6.75	$162.00
Cap front embroidery, 6,000 stitches with 3D puff	24	$7.25	$174.00
Name personalization, right chest, 1 line (list attached)	24	$5.00	$120.00
Subtotal			$1,186.00
Sales tax, 6%			$71.16
Total			$1,257.16
Less 50% deposit paid October 9, 2026			-$628.58
Balance due on delivery			$628.58

On a reorder, the $100 of digitizing drops off, so 24 more polos and caps would cost $1,086.00 before tax. Showing that on the original invoice is a quiet way to encourage repeat business. You can set up the same layout in the free invoice generator and save it for the next order.

Embroidery vs screen printing: how the invoices differ

Customers often ask for quotes in both methods. The table below shows how the two invoices are built, which helps you explain price differences quickly.

Item	Embroidery invoice	Screen printing invoice
Setup charge	Digitizing per design version	Screen fee per color per location
Main price driver	Stitch count and placement	Ink colors and quantity
Number of colors	Usually little effect on price	Each color adds a screen and a pass
Small orders	Often economical	Expensive per piece because of screens
Typical products	Polos, caps, jackets, bags, towels	T-shirts, hoodies, totes
Reorders	Stored stitch file, no digitizing	Screens kept for a limited period

If a customer wants both, for example printed event tees and embroidered staff polos, put each on its own section of one invoice with a heading, or send two invoices under the same job number so the totals stay easy to read.

How should you invoice customer-supplied garments?

Many embroidery requests come in as a bag of jackets, bags or uniforms the customer already owns. These jobs carry risk: a needle break or puckered fabric on a $150 jacket costs more than the embroidery charge. To protect your shop:

1. Count and inspect on intake. Note brand, color, size and any existing marks on a work order the customer signs.
2. Use a handling fee. Add a per-piece line, such as "Customer-supplied item handling", to cover the extra care and risk.
3. State the risk policy. Many shops limit liability for customer goods to the embroidery charge, or require a test sew-out on a spare item.
4. Bill only embroidery, not goods. The invoice should show no garment lines, just embroidery per location and the handling fee.

Use a clear quote or estimate that repeats these terms before you take the items, and keep the same job number on the work order and invoice. A sensible invoice numbering system such as EMB-2026-0742 links them together. Publishing your minimums, digitizing fees and handling charges in a price list also cuts down on back-and-forth.

Is embroidery subject to sales tax?

In most US states with a sales tax, embroidered items sold by the shop are taxable tangible goods. Points to check for your state:

• Whether digitizing and setup charges are taxable when they are part of a taxable sale (often they are).
• Whether embroidery on customer-supplied garments is taxable fabrication labor.
• Whether the customer has a valid resale certificate (for example, a promotional products distributor) or an exemption certificate.
• Which local rate applies: usually the delivery address for shipped orders in destination-based states.

Your state revenue department has the final rules, and the IRS small business and self-employed center covers the federal income tax side of running a shop. This is general information, not tax advice.

How to create an embroidery invoice step by step

1. Get the design approved. Record the sew-out or proof approval date, stitch count, size and thread colors.
2. List items by size and color, with brand and style numbers.
3. Add an embroidery line per location with stitch count, tier and price per piece.
4. Add digitizing as a one-time line per design version.
5. Add extras: names, 3D puff, specialty thread, patches, small-order or rush fees.
6. Apply tax or note the exemption certificate on file.
7. Credit any deposit and show the balance with a due date.
8. Add terms on customer-supplied goods, file ownership, spelling approvals and pickup time limits.

Common embroidery invoicing mistakes

• Quoting without a stitch count. A logo that looks simple can sew at twice the stitches you guessed. Estimate before quoting.
• Using a flat design on caps. Cap versions often need separate digitizing; bill it.
• Not recording thread colors. Reorders then risk mismatched greens and blues.
• Accepting customer garments without a waiver. One damaged premium jacket can wipe out the job's profit.
• Personalization without approved spellings. Get the name list approved in writing and attach it.
• Ignoring minimums. Set a minimum or a small-order fee so one-off pieces still pay for setup.

Embroidery invoice checklist

• Invoice and job numbers, dates, PO
• Design name, stitch count, size and thread colors
• Items by style, color and size
• Embroidery per location and tier
• Digitizing and edit fees
• Extras and personalization
• Tax or exemption reference
• Deposit and balance due
• Terms for customer goods and file ownership

Many decorators offer both techniques. Our screen printing invoice template covers per-print pricing by colors, and if you also do repairs or hemming on garments, see the alterations and tailoring invoice template.

A good embroidery invoice template makes stitch count pricing understandable, records the details you need for reorders and credits deposits cleanly. Create yours now with our free invoice generator: it is free, needs no sign-up, and builds a PDF in your browser that you can download and send to your customer.