Based on my testing of 12 embroidery print-on-demand companies, Fourthwall is my top pick among the best print on demand companies for custom embroidery in 2026 because it bundles the storefront, checkout and embroidered fulfillment for $0 a month, with a 0% platform fee on physical products, so a new embroidery brand starts with no fixed costs at all.

Below, I’ll walk you through base prices, digitization fees, thread limits and what you actually keep on a $28 hat with each supplier. If you’re still setting up the store itself, start with my step-by-step guide to launching an embroidery store.

Some links in this post are affiliate links. Bootstrapping Ecommerce may earn a commission at no cost to you, and it never changes my rankings.

Key Takeaways🔍

• Fourthwall is my top-rated pick for bootstrappers: store, checkout and embroidered merch for $0 a month, with a 0% platform fee on physical products
• Printful is the quality pick, with its own facilities, 3D puff on hats and unlimited-color embroidery on 50+ products
• Embroidered hat bases run from $11.57 (Printify) to $18.89 (Fourthwall), so Printify is the cheapest place to start
• None of the five lets you upload your own DST stitch file, so digitization is a real cost: from free (Printify) to $11 per design (Apliiq)
• Most cap a design at 6 thread colors from a 15-color palette; Printful’s unlimited-color option is the exception
• Choose Printify if you want the fattest margin, since free digitization and the lowest hat bases leave about $10.40 on a $28 dad hat

I score embroidery suppliers on six weighted categories: pricing (30%), product and embroidery features (25%), value for money (15%), ease of use (15%), help and support (10%) and reputation (5%).

I set up an embroidered dad hat and hoodie with each of my top picks, then worked out what you keep after base price, shipping and card fees. You can read more about how I test below.

• #1 Fourthwall: Best overall for embroidery
• #2 Printful: Best for embroidery quality
• #3 Printify: Best for embroidery margins
• #4 Gelato: Best for selling internationally
• #5 Apliiq: Best for premium branded pieces

Embroidery Print-on-Demand Comparison Table

Printify has the lowest embroidered bases and the only free digitization, while Printful is the only one of the five that advertises 3D puff and unlimited-color thread:

	Fourthwall	Printful	Printify	Gelato	Apliiq
Best for	Overall (no monthly costs)	Embroidery quality	Margins	Selling internationally	Premium branded pieces
Embroidered hat from	$13.79 to $18.89	$11.95 beanie, $14.95 dad hat	$11.57	Shown in your dashboard	Blank + $10 per embroidery
Embroidered hoodie from	$27.29 (Cotton Heritage premium)	$28.95 (Gildan 18500)	$23.20 (Gildan 18500)	Shown in your dashboard	Blank ($25+) + $10
Digitization fee	Not published	$2.95 to $6.50 one-time, waived at 25+ items	Free	$3.95 text, $6.50 image; hats digitized separately	$11 one-time or $49.99/mo unlimited
Thread colors	Not published	6 of 15 (unlimited on 50+ products)	6 of 15	6 of 15	Not published
Max design area	Not published	Standard placement; large designs priced by stitch count	4 x 4 in chest, 10 x 6 in large area	15,000 stitches chest, 20,000 large chest, 10,000 hats	Up to 13.5 in
Own DST upload	Not published	No	No	No	Not advertised ($11 digitization)
Production time	7 to 10 days US delivery	2 to 5 business days	5 to 10 business days by provider	3 to 7 days	2 to 5 days basic, 7 to 10 branded
Monthly plan	$0, 0% platform fee	$0 or Growth $24.99	$0 or Premium $39 ($299/yr)	$0 or Gelato+ $29.99/mo ($19.99/mo yearly)	$0; VIP saves 20%
Sample discount	Not published	20% off (25% on Growth)	Not published	Not published	Not published

How Much Do You Keep on a $28 Hat and a $52 Hoodie?

These numbers assume you offer free shipping and pay 2.9% + $0.30 in card fees. Hat shipping runs about $4.99 at Printful, $3.99 at Printify and $5 at Fourthwall, and hoodies about $5 to $6. One-time digitization and store plans are left out, and the Printify dad hat uses about $12.50, a little above its $11.57 starting price.

Supplier	Dad hat base	Profit on $28 hat	Hoodie base	Profit on $52 hoodie
Fourthwall	$15.65	$6.24 (22%)	$27.29	$17.40 (33%)
Printful (Free)	$14.95	$6.95 (25%)	$28.95	$15.25 (29%)
Printful (Growth)	$12.65	$9.25 (33%)	$23.45	$20.75 (40%)
Printify	about $12.50	$10.40 (37%)	$23.20	$21.99 (42%)
Gelato	In your dashboard	Price it before you design	In your dashboard	Price it before you design
Apliiq	Blank + $10	Price hats at $35 or more	Blank + $10	Thin at $52

Printful’s Growth plan saves $2.30 a hat and $5.50 a hoodie, so its $24.99 fee pays for itself at about 11 hats or 5 hoodies a month. Add Printful’s $6.50 image digitization to a first batch of 10 hats and each one carries another $0.65.

1. Fourthwall: Best Overall for Embroidery

• Fourthwall pricing: embroidered hats $13.79 to $18.89, premium embroidered hoodie from $27.29; $0 plan, 0% platform fee on physical products, 2.9% + $0.30 card processing
• Standout feature: storefront, checkout and embroidered fulfillment in one account for $0 a month
• Try Fourthwall for $0 a month

Fourthwall is the best print-on-demand company for custom embroidery if you’re starting lean, because it’s the only pick here that bundles the store, checkout and embroidered fulfillment with no monthly fee. Every other supplier on this list still needs a storefront, and that subscription comes out of your margin before you sell a single hat.

The platform fee on physical products is 0%, so the only cut on top of the base price is 2.9% + $0.30 card processing. Production partners cover the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and Japan, so a buyer in Sydney or Berlin isn’t waiting on a parcel from across the world.

The trade-off is per-item margin: its $15.65 dad hat leaves about $6.24 on a $28 sale, against about $10.40 at Printify.

• ✔️ $0 plan (storefront and checkout included)
• ✔️ 0% platform fee (on physical products)
• ✔️ Partners in 6 regions (US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan)

• ✔️ No minimums (single orders and one-off samples)

• ❌ Missing specs (thread-color limit, max size, digitization policy and sample price not published)

• ❌ Thinner hat margin ($15.65 dad hat against $11.57 hats at Printify)
• ❌ Slower delivery (7 to 10 days in the US; embroidered items can take slightly longer)

What’s new with Fourthwall?

The current embroidered lineup covers dad hats, beanies and a Cotton Heritage premium hoodie, all with per-style prices on the product pages.

Why use Fourthwall for embroidery in 2026?

The store, checkout and fulfillment cost $0 a month. A Printful Growth or Printify Premium fee would eat a small creator’s first 11 to 17 orders, and here that money stays in your pocket. Compare it with Printify plus a Shopify store: if your plan costs $29 a month, Printify’s extra $4.16 per hat only covers that bill once you sell about 7 hats a month. At 5 hats a month, you keep about $31 at Fourthwall against about $23 at Printify after the plan.

My Fourthwall testing notes

I added a dad hat and the premium hoodie inside a creator store; base prices are listed per style, and the only fee on top is 2.9% + $0.30 card processing. The hoodie math works better than the hat: $27.29 leaves about $17.40 on a $52 sale. My negative is the missing spec sheet: Fourthwall doesn’t publish its thread-color limit, max size or digitization policy, so you design blind. Ask support before you list and order one sample before launch.

How Much Does Fourthwall Cost?

You pay per item and nothing monthly:

Item	Base price
Beanie	from $13.79
Yupoong classic dad hat	$15.65
Other hats	up to $18.89 by style
Cotton Heritage premium hoodie (embroidered)	from $27.29
Monthly plan	$0
Platform fee on physical items	0%
Card processing	2.9% + $0.30

Best for: new embroidery brands and creators who want a store with merch built in and no fixed costs. Skip if: you already pay for a store and sell enough hats that per-item margin matters more.

2. Printful: Best for Embroidery Quality

• Printful pricing: embroidered items from $11.95 (cuffed beanie), dad hat $14.95, hoodie $28.95; $0 plan or Growth at $24.99/month
• Standout feature: unlimited-color embroidery on 50+ products and 3D puff on hats
• Try Printful with no monthly fee

Printful is the best embroidery print-on-demand company I’ve tested for stitch quality because it controls the whole job: its own fulfillment centers in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU, a 3-step quality check, and digitization waived on every design once an order holds 25+ embroidered items. You get 6 thread colors from a 15-color palette, or unlimited color (anything except metallic and neon) for about $3.50 to $3.95 more.

However, that control costs you: Printful’s dad hat starts at $14.95, while Printify’s embroidered hats start at $11.57, a $3.38 gap on every sale.

• ✔️ Own facilities (US, Canada, UK and EU, 3-step quality check)
• ✔️ 3D puff on hats (line thickness 0.2 to 0.5 in)
• ✔️ Unlimited-color embroidery (50+ products)

• ✔️ Fast production (2 to 5 business days)

• ❌ Highest hat base of the big two ($14.95 dad hat on the free plan)

• ❌ No DST upload (PNG or PDF only, and the digitized file can’t leave Printful)
• ❌ Digitization fees ($2.95 to $6.50 per design, charged again if you change size or placement)

What’s new with Printful?

Printful raised some shipping rates on February 26, 2026. The named items were stickers, postcards, phone cases and knitwear, not hats, but knitwear can include beanies, so run your bestseller through the shipping calculator before you set a retail price. The Growth plan also turns free once your store passes $12,000 a year in sales.

Why use Printful for embroidery in 2026?

Printful suits sellers who’d rather give up a few dollars than eat refunds. On a $28 dad hat with free shipping you keep about $6.95 on the free plan and $9.25 on Growth. Hats ship in their own package even in mixed orders, so budget a separate parcel when a buyer adds a hoodie.

My Printful testing notes

When I set up the dad hat, the design rules called for text at least 0.25 in tall and lines at least 0.05 in thick. The digitization fees are fixed per design type: $6.50 for an image, $3.95 for text only and $2.95 for a secondary hat placement.

The free plan allows 1 sample order a month (up to 3 items) at 20% off, and Growth waives digitization on samples. The catch: the hoodie version of my logo was a different size, which Printful counts as a new design with a new fee. Users also report white backing showing through on some apparel, so check the front of your sample in daylight before you list.

How Much Does Printful Cost?

Growth cuts embroidered bases by roughly 15% to 20%:

Item	Free plan	Growth ($24.99/mo)
Cuffed beanie	from $11.95	from $10.15
Dad hat (Yupoong 6245CM)	from $14.95	from $12.65
Snapback	from $16.19	from $13.69
Polo (Sport-Tek)	from $22.50	from $18.45
Hoodie (Gildan 18500)	from $28.95	from $23.45
Extra placement	$2.95	$2.95
Digitization	$2.95 to $6.50 one-time	Free on samples

Best for: sellers who want consistent stitching, puff hats or multicolor logos. Skip if: you sell fewer than 11 hats a month and every dollar of margin counts.

3. Printify: Best for Embroidery Margins

• Printify pricing: embroidered hats from $11.57, hoodies from $23.20; $0 plan or Premium at $39/month ($299/year)
• Standout feature: free digitization within 36 hours and a 10 x 6 in large area on select hoodies and jackets
• Try Printify on the free plan

Printify is the margin pick because digitization costs nothing, its embroidered hats and hoodies have the lowest bases of the big names, and you can choose from 120+ embroidery-ready items. On a $28 dad hat, my margin math leaves about $10.40 after shipping and card fees, the best result of any supplier I tested.

That said, Printify is a marketplace of print providers, so stitch quality depends on who fulfills your order. The classic dad cap alone has 3 providers, while Printful runs every order through its own facilities.

• ✔️ Free digitization (up to 36 hours)
• ✔️ Lowest hat base (from $11.57)
• ✔️ Large embroidery area (10 x 6 in on select items)

• ✔️ Wide range (120+ embroidery items)

• ❌ Provider roulette (users report lackluster hat and beanie embroidery from some providers)

• ❌ No stitch file upload (DST, PES and EXP all rejected)
• ❌ Slower production (5 to 10 business days by provider)

What’s new with Printify?

Premium rose from $29 to $39 a month on February 17, 2026, a 34% jump. Annual billing at $299 works out to about $25 a month, and Premium still gets you up to about 20% off the catalog and up to 10 stores.

Why use Printify for embroidery in 2026?

Embroidered hats out-margin printed tees, and Printify’s free digitization means your first sale isn’t paying off a setup fee. Premium breaks even at about 16 to 17 orders a month on monthly billing, or 10 to 11 on the annual plan, so stay on the free plan until you’re past that. Run the same math on hoodies: $23.20 at Printify against $28.95 at Printful is $5.75 more in your pocket on every $52 sale.

My Printify testing notes

Printify sets hard size limits per placement: 4 x 4 in on the chest, 2 x 3 in on a sleeve, 4 x 2.25 in on a cap front and 5 x 1.75 in on a beanie. I could pick 6 colors from 15, with no custom color codes, and lowercase text had to stay at 0.25 in or taller (0.3 in for capitals). Files needed at least 1200 x 1200 px at 300 dpi.

Hat color choice varies a lot by style: 36 for the trucker, 15 for the snapback and 10 for the dad cap. My one warning is provider roulette: order the same hat from two providers before you list. Printify’s embroidery quality standards treat wrinkled stitches as a defect, so you can claim a reprint.

How Much Does Printify Cost?

Digitization stays free on both plans:

Plan or item	Free	Premium
Monthly fee	$0	$39 ($299/yr)
Embroidered hats	from $11.57	about 20% less
Sweatshirt (Gildan 18000)	from $19.61	about 20% less
Hoodie (Gildan 18500)	from $23.20	about 20% less
Digitization	Free	Free

Printify vs Printful: Printify leaves you about $3.45 more per $28 hat and charges nothing for digitization. Printful wins on consistency, puff and unlimited color.

4. Gelato: Best for Selling Internationally

• Gelato pricing: embroidered items priced in your dashboard; $0 plan or Gelato+ at $29.99/month ($19.99/month billed yearly); digitization $3.95 text, $6.50 image
• Standout feature: 100+ production partners in 32 countries, with no minimums
• Try Gelato on the free plan

Why pay to ship a hat from the US to a buyer in Manchester? Gelato is the best pick for international sellers because it stitches close to your buyer, digitizes designs within 24 hours and publishes hard stitch limits most rivals keep quiet.

However, Gelato does flat embroidery only (satin and tatami), with no 3D puff and no combining embroidery with DTG print. Printful offers puff on hats, so a raised-logo cap needs a different supplier.

• ✔️ Local production (100+ partners in 32 countries)
• ✔️ Fast digitization (within 24 hours)
• ✔️ Clear stitch caps (published per placement)

• ✔️ Solid hat range (dad, baseball, snapback, trucker, bucket and beanie)

• ❌ Hat prices hidden (not shown on product pages)

• ❌ Double digitization (hats and apparel digitized separately)
• ❌ Fee resets (new fee if you change thread color or move the design; non-refundable once digitization starts)

What’s new with Gelato?

Gelato retired its Gold plan and replaced it with Gelato+, at $29.99 a month, or $19.99 a month billed yearly. Prices vary a little by market, so check yours in the dashboard before you upgrade.

Why use Gelato for embroidery in 2026?

When a UK or Australian buyer orders a hat stitched in-country, shipping is shorter and cheaper than a parcel from a US-only supplier, and on a $28 hat that shipping gap is most of your margin. Hoodies get left chest, sleeve and wordmark placements, which covers the classic small-logo merch look, and there’s no minimum order, so you can test one design in one market first.

My Gelato testing notes

Gelato gives you 6 colors from 15 and caps stitches at 15,000 for chest and sleeve, 20,000 for a large chest and 10,000 for hats. Hat files are kept separate from apparel files.

That separation is the fee trap: putting the same logo on a hat and a hoodie means paying digitization twice, or $13 for an image design that would cost $0 at Printify. Lock your thread colors before you submit, too, because once a design reaches Digitization status the fee is non-refundable and any color change starts a new one. Gelato also doesn’t show embroidered hat prices on its product pages, so open the hat in your dashboard and price it before you design.

How Much Does Gelato Cost?

Your base price depends on the country that produces the order:

Item	Price
Free plan	$0
Gelato+	$29.99/mo or $19.99/mo yearly
Digitization, text only	$3.95
Digitization, image	$6.50
Hat digitization	Charged separately from apparel
Embroidered product bases	Shown in your dashboard by country

If most of your buyers live outside the US, start with Gelato and price one hat in your dashboard first.

5. Apliiq: Best for Premium Branded Pieces

• Apliiq pricing: blank + $10 per embroidery (up to 15,000 stitches, +$0.40 per extra 1,000); $11 one-time digitization or $49.99/month unlimited
• Standout feature: sewn labels, lining and branded shipping
• Visit Apliiq to browse blanks

Apliiq is the pick for private-label streetwear because its Los Angeles shop adds sewn-in labels, stitches designs up to 13.5 in and plugs into Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy and Wix.

However, the $10 embroidery charge sits on top of the blank, so a $28 hat barely breaks even once you absorb shipping. Price Apliiq hats at about $35 or more. Hoodies stack the same way: a heavyweight blank starts around $25, so you’re at $35 before shipping, against $23.20 for an embroidered hoodie at Printify.

• ✔️ Private-label extras (sewn labels, lining, branded packaging)
• ✔️ Large designs (up to 13.5 in)
• ✔️ Cheap add-ons (hat patch $8, beanie hat hit $7)

• ✔️ VIP membership (20% off dropship orders)

• ❌ Stacked fees ($10 per embroidery plus $11 digitization)

• ❌ Slow branded orders (7 to 10 business days, plus 3 to 5 for US delivery)
• ❌ Replacement friction (one user was asked for a photo of the customer wearing a crooked hat)

What’s new with Apliiq?

Apliiq now sells a $49.99/month Unlimited Digitization plan. It doesn’t cover personalized one-off products, and fees you paid before upgrading aren’t refunded.

Why use Apliiq for embroidery in 2026?

A sewn label and a large back embroidery justify a $35+ hat in a way a plain dad cap can’t. Buyers paying that much expect a finished product, and Apliiq’s labels and branded shipping deliver that without you touching inventory.

My Apliiq testing notes

I compared pay-as-you-go digitization with the $49.99 plan: at $11 a design, the plan breaks even at about 5 new designs a month (5 x $11 = $55). Stitch count matters here: a 20,000-stitch back design costs $12 instead of $10, because every 1,000 stitches over 15,000 adds $0.40. US shipping starts at $5.49. The negative is timing: basic orders take 2 to 5 days, but branded orders need 7 to 10 before they ship. Embroidered patches also need a 50-patch subscription. Users report crooked embroidery on some drop-shipped hats, so check placement on your sample and photograph it for your records.

How Much Does Apliiq Cost?

Every charge stacks on the blank price:

Charge	Price
Embroidery up to 15,000 stitches	$10 each
Each extra 1,000 stitches	$0.40
Digitization	$11 one-time
Unlimited Digitization plan	$49.99/mo
Hat patch	$8
Beanie hat hit	$7
VIP membership	20% off dropship orders
US shipping	from $5.49

The verdict: pick Apliiq only if your brand sells hats at $35+ and the label is part of the product.

How Do I Choose a Print-on-Demand Company for Embroidery?

Pick the item before the supplier, because a hat and a hoodie can point you to different companies. Decide your item mix (hats or hoodies), where your buyers live and the retail price you can charge, then compare. If you’re not selling through Fourthwall, add your storefront plan, such as Shopify, to your monthly costs before you compare margins.

Ask each supplier these 6 questions:

• Can I upload my own artwork, or only text?
• What does digitization cost, and do I pay again for a hat version?
• How many thread colors can my logo use?
• What’s the base price plus shipping on my best-selling item?
• Can I order a discounted sample first?
• How long from order to my customer’s door?

Then run a sample loop before you list:

• Order one sample per colorway
• Wash it once and check for puckering
• Compare the thread with the nearest of the 15 palette colors
• Re-order from a second Printify provider if the first one is weak

What About Tapstitch, Merchize, and Other Embroidery Suppliers?

• Tapstitch: text-only embroidery with preset fonts, no artwork upload yet and no embroidered hats listed; stitch tiers start at $3.02 (under 7,000 stitches), so it fits wordmark hoodies only
• Merchize: a low $3 to $5.50 embroidery add-on, but it produces mainly in Vietnam (with US and GB warehouse options) and orders take 7 to 15 business days to reach US buyers
• Gooten: 15 embroidery colors on US-made caps and beanies, but no public prices, so ask for a quote
• CustomCat: US production in about 3 days, but embroidery prices and digitization terms aren’t published; ask for a quote
• Teelaunch: no embroidered hats or hoodies in its catalog right now
• Inkthreadable: a fit for UK sellers, though its digitizing fee isn’t published

How I Test and Rank Embroidery POD Companies

I tested 12 embroidery print-on-demand companies. Where the designer allowed it, I set up an embroidered dad hat and hoodie, then recorded base price, digitization fee, thread limits, max area, stitch caps, production time and plan cost, and worked the margin at $28 and $52 retail. Prices are current as of October 2026.

Each category carries a weight that reflects what a bootstrapper pays and keeps:

• Pricing (30%): I compare base prices, digitization, shipping and plan fees.
• Product and embroidery features (25%): I check thread colors, max area, 3D puff, labels and product range.
• Value for money (15%): I measure what you keep per item and how fast a paid plan pays back.
• Ease of use (15%): I test designer limits, file rules and how clearly fees show before you order.
• Help and support (10%): I look at reprint and replacement policies and sample discounts.
• Reputation (5%): I track what sellers run into after their first orders, such as uneven quality and delays.

Fourthwall came out on top because pricing and value for money carry 45% of the score, and a $0 store with a 0% platform fee keeps a new brand’s fixed costs at zero. Printful edged Printify on features: puff, unlimited color and its own facilities outweighed a $3.38 hat gap.

Final Verdict: Which Embroidery Print-on-Demand Company Do I Recommend?

Fourthwall is my pick for most bootstrappers. A $0 store, a 0% platform fee on physical products and partners in 6 regions mean your embroidery brand has no fixed costs until it sells, and below about 7 hats a month it leaves more in your pocket than Printify plus a $29 store.

If you already run a store, the choice comes down to quality or margin. Printful’s own facilities, puff on hats and unlimited color give you the fewest surprises once orders ship. Printify’s free digitization leaves you about $10.40 on a $28 hat, $3.45 more than Printful’s free plan, and the gap widens on hoodies: $21.99 at Printify against $15.25 at Printful on a $52 sale.

Gelato fits non-US audiences, and Apliiq fits branded pieces priced at $35 and up. Whichever you choose, order one sample before you list (Printful gives 20% off). I’ll update this page as prices change.

Bogdan Tudorancea, Editor at Bootstrapping Ecommerce

FAQs

Can I upload my own DST embroidery file?

No. Printful and Printify digitize everything themselves from a PNG or PDF, because their machines need files built for their own setup. Gelato and Apliiq also digitize your art for you, and Fourthwall doesn’t publish a policy. Expect to pay for that step: $3.95 to $6.50 at Gelato and $11 per design at Apliiq.

How much does embroidery digitization cost?

It’s free at Printify. Printful charges $2.95 to $6.50 per design, waived when one order holds 25+ embroidered items. Gelato charges $3.95 for text and $6.50 for images, and charges again for a hat version. Apliiq charges $11 per design or $49.99 a month for unlimited digitization.

Can I make money on a $28 embroidered hat?

Yes. With free shipping absorbed and card fees paid, you keep about $10.40 at Printify, $6.95 on Printful’s free plan and $9.25 on Printful Growth. Fourthwall leaves about $6.24. Apliiq’s $10 embroidery charge makes $28 too low, so price its hats at $35 or more.

Is Printify Premium worth $39 a month for embroidery?

Only if you sell more than about 16 to 17 embroidered orders a month on monthly billing. On the $299 annual plan, the break-even drops to about 10 to 11 orders. Below that, the free plan keeps more money in your pocket, and digitization is free on both plans. The math assumes a $12 base, so cheaper hats push the break-even higher.

How many thread colors can I use in print-on-demand embroidery?

You get 6 per design from a 15-color palette at Printful, Printify and Gelato. Printful’s unlimited-color option lifts that limit on 50+ products for about $3.50 to $3.95 more, though metallic and neon threads are excluded. Fourthwall and Apliiq don’t publish a limit, so ask support first.

How long does print-on-demand embroidery take?

Printful takes 2 to 5 business days to produce and about 5 to 8 to reach the door. Printify takes 5 to 10 business days depending on the provider, and Gelato 3 to 7 days. Fourthwall delivers in 7 to 10 days in the US, and Apliiq’s branded orders take 7 to 10 days plus shipping.

Is there a minimum order for embroidered print on demand?

No. Printful, Printify, Gelato and Fourthwall all fulfill single orders, and Apliiq has no minimum on hats. The exception is Apliiq’s embroidered patches, which need a 50-patch subscription. Order a single sample first, then list the product once the stitching passes your check. At Printful, that sample costs 20% less on the free plan.