Peterborough-based Snuggle has brought embroidery fully in-house alongside DTG, DTF, sublimation and UV printing, highlighting growing UK demand for mixed-decoration orders handled by one production partner.
UK garment-decoration specialist Snuggle has brought embroidery fully in-house at its Peterborough operation, placing the process alongside DTG, DTF, sublimation and UV printing under one production roof.
Fresh industry coverage published on 28 August 2026 says the investment was driven directly by customer demand for mixed-decoration jobs — particularly orders that combine a small embroidered chest logo with a larger printed design elsewhere on the garment.
Commercial embroidery and garment decoration
For UK custom-clothing businesses, the important signal is bigger than one company's equipment decision. Customers increasingly expect a printer to handle different decoration methods within the same order rather than making them coordinate several specialist suppliers themselves.
Snuggle says embroidery is now a fully integrated service rather than a process that needs to be sent to a third party. The Peterborough company already operates large-scale DTG and DTF production and also offers sublimation and UV printing.
Adding embroidery means five decoration routes can now be coordinated within the same operation:
Texintel reports that Snuggle's decision was shaped by a recurring customer request: businesses wanted, for example, left-chest embroidery plus a printed back design on the same garment. Previously that could require garments to move between suppliers before the order was complete.
Bringing the processes together is intended to reduce those hand-offs.
A single decoration method is not ideal for every part of a clothing order.
A company may want an embroidered logo on polos and jackets because the stitched finish looks professional, while choosing print for staff T-shirts or a large hoodie back graphic. A sports club might want embroidered outerwear but printed performance tops. A clothing brand could combine a small stitched mark with a detailed full-colour graphic.
That creates demand for suppliers capable of choosing the right method for each garment rather than forcing the entire order through one production process.
Embroidery is particularly strong for small logos, names and badges on structured garments such as polos, hoodies, fleeces, jackets and caps. Thread creates a raised, tactile finish that is strongly associated with uniforms and premium branded clothing.
DTG and DTF offer different advantages. DTG is well suited to detailed, full-colour artwork on suitable cotton and cotton-rich garments, while DTF can work across a broader range of fabrics and is useful for mixed garment orders and larger graphic applications.
The important point is that the methods can complement each other.
A simple company uniform package might use:
A supplier that controls several processes can potentially route each part of the job to the method that fits it best.
Outsourcing is not automatically a problem. Many successful print businesses use specialist trade partners. But every extra hand-off creates another scheduling point.
Garments may need to be counted, packed, transported, received, processed, checked and returned before the next stage begins. If artwork changes or a garment is damaged, communication can pass through several businesses.
An integrated workflow can reduce that movement. Snuggle says consolidating its services gives it tighter control over quality and turnaround while reducing unnecessary transit between suppliers.
For customers working to an event, staff-launch or merchandise deadline, fewer hand-offs can make production easier to coordinate.
Snuggle is not positioning the change as a craft-scale embroidery add-on. The company operates a 40,000 sq ft facility in Peterborough and says it has capacity for around 15,000 DTG prints per day and 10,000 A4 transfers per day, alongside trade embroidery services.
Its own print-on-demand operation supports brands and resellers with printing, packing and direct fulfilment. That means embroidery is being added into an environment already designed around significant digital production volume.
Earlier in 2026, Snuggle also reported processing and dispatching 31,000 units in a single peak-season day across its wider operation. The figure illustrates why workflow integration matters: at that scale, moving garments unnecessarily between production partners can become a meaningful logistical bottleneck.
Recent equipment and software developments point toward the same broad trend: printers are trying to cover more applications with fewer disconnected workflows.
Hybrid DTG/DTF equipment is bringing multiple print methods onto one platform. DTF systems are integrating printing, powdering and curing. Supplier-catalogue software is connecting garment sourcing with quoting and ecommerce. Embroidery machines are becoming more automated and connected.
Snuggle's move addresses the problem at business level rather than machine level: put more decoration capabilities inside the same production operation.
That can be particularly attractive to resellers and agencies that would rather manage one production relationship than coordinate separate DTG, DTF and embroidery suppliers.
DTF has expanded quickly because it is flexible, supports detailed colour artwork and works across many garment types. That does not remove the demand for embroidery.
For many businesses, a stitched chest logo still communicates a different look from a printed transfer. Embroidery can feel more integrated into a polo, fleece or jacket and remains a familiar choice for workwear, hospitality, schools, clubs and corporate clothing.
The market is therefore not simply moving from embroidery to print or from DTG to DTF. It is becoming multi-process.
Customers increasingly expect the supplier to understand the strengths and limitations of each method and recommend the right one for the job.
A logo designed for print may need adjustment before embroidery. Very small text, gradients and fine lines do not always translate cleanly into thread.
Dense embroidery can add stiffness to lightweight fabric. Large printed graphics may behave differently on heavy hoodies than on T-shirts. Choose the garment and decoration together.
A small left-chest embroidery and a large back print is a common combination because each technique is being used where it works naturally.
Thread colours and printed colours are produced differently. Brands with strict colour requirements should discuss realistic matching rather than assuming the two processes will look identical under every light.
Workwear that undergoes frequent or specialist laundering should be specified around the real use case. The garment, thread and print all need to suit the required care routine.
Workwear orders frequently contain several garment types. A customer might need polos, hoodies, softshell jackets, hi-vis clothing and T-shirts carrying the same identity.
Using one decoration method across all of them can create compromises. Embroidery may suit the polo and jacket while print is better for a large back graphic or detailed T-shirt design.
A multi-technique supplier can keep the brand consistent while changing the production method behind the scenes.
That can also simplify repeat ordering. Instead of a business remembering which supplier handled each part of the uniform, one production partner can retain the approved artwork and decoration specifications.
Snuggle's development also shows how the meaning of print on demand is broadening.
The original POD model centred heavily on digitally printed T-shirts and hoodies. Modern fulfilment providers increasingly want to offer embroidered garments, printed transfers, mugs, accessories and other products through the same ordering infrastructure.
For ecommerce brands, that means a store can potentially offer several decoration styles without the brand owning each production technology itself.
The challenge is maintaining consistency. Adding more processes only improves the customer experience if artwork approval, garment selection, quality control and fulfilment remain coordinated.
A small decorator should not interpret the news as a requirement to buy every type of equipment.
Bringing a process in-house makes sense only when order volume, margin, space, staff skills, maintenance and customer demand justify it. A reliable specialist trade partner may remain the better option for occasional work.
The useful lesson is to understand where outsourcing creates friction.
If customers repeatedly ask for the same service and jobs are delayed because garments have to move between suppliers, bringing that capability in-house may eventually make commercial sense. If demand is irregular, outsourcing can preserve cash and floor space.
For customers, the production technology should remain secondary to the result.
A business ordering branded clothing should be able to explain the garment, artwork, quantity, placement and intended use. The printer should then recommend a suitable production method.
That may mean embroidery for a simple chest logo, DTG for a detailed cotton T-shirt, DTF for a mixed-fabric requirement, or a combination of techniques across the same order.
The Snuggle development reinforces a useful principle for the UK custom-clothing market: customers increasingly want one coordinated solution even when the finished order requires several different production technologies.
Snuggle's decision to bring embroidery fully in-house places the process alongside DTG, DTF, sublimation and UV printing at its Peterborough operation. The company says customer demand for combined embroidery-and-print jobs helped drive the investment, while consolidation is intended to improve control over turnaround and quality.
For the wider UK market, the story reflects a move toward multi-technique garment decoration. Embroidery is not replacing print, and print is not replacing embroidery. The competitive advantage is increasingly the ability to choose and coordinate the right method for each product without making the customer manage the complexity.
For brands, workwear buyers, clubs and merchandise sellers, that should ultimately mean more flexible orders and fewer compromises between a premium stitched logo and a detailed printed design.
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