Faux Embroidery is a specialised Colourflex® Transfer process that recreates the look and feel of traditional embroidery — without the limitations of needle and thread. Your supplied artwork is digitally “stitched” using advanced digitisation techniques that add texture, depth, and a realistic embroidered appearance.
Because Faux Embroidery is printed rather than sewn, it allows for unlimited colours, smooth gradients, and crisp artwork that conventional embroidery can’t easily achieve. It produces a soft-touch matte finish that flexes beautifully with the fabric, making it a popular choice for bags, apparel, uniforms, and textile accessories.
The result? A durable, tactile branding method that gives you the embroidered look you love, with the efficiency and versatility of a transfer process.
How Faux Embroidery Works
The Faux Embroidery process begins by digitising your artwork to mimic the layered stitch patterns seen in traditional embroidery. This “stitched” design is then printed using Colourflex® Transfer technology with eco-friendly water-based inks. Once applied using heat and pressure, the transfer bonds to the textile surface and delivers a textured, embroidery-like effect without needles, stitch count limitations, or thread colour restrictions.
Advantages of Faux Embroidery
- Durable, flexible branding for apparel — machine washable with a soft-touch matte finish
- Eco-friendly water-based inks
- Efficient self-weeding technology
- Only one setup charge required regardless of the number of print colours
- Can be shipped straight after being printed
- Can be applied to a wider range of fabrics and branding positions
- Superior results on small prints compared to traditional embroidery
Limitations of Faux Embroidery
- Pantone colour matching is not available — artwork is matched to the closest simulated thread colour, and 3D shading may influence the final colour appearance
- Not suitable for fine detail — bold, larger artwork produces the most realistic embroidered effect
- As design size decreases, stitch clarity and detail resolution may reduce
- Metallic colours are not available
Artwork Requirements for Faux Embroidery
To ensure the best possible result, please follow these artwork guidelines:
- Vector files or high-resolution JPEG/bitmap files can be supplied
- Low-resolution bitmap files may affect output quality
Font Requirements
To maintain clarity and legibility:
- Sans Serif Fonts: Minimum height 4.5mm, 1.3mm stroke thickness, 1mm letter spacing
- Serif/Script Fonts: Minimum height 5.5mm, 1.3mm stroke thickness, 1mm letter spacing
Artwork or text falling outside these specifications may need adjustments to achieve optimal quality.
Examples of Products Suitable for Faux Embroidery
Below are some of the products that can be branded using Faux Embroidery. The featured images may not always display this specific method (as many items can be decorated in multiple ways), but these product types are well-suited to Faux Embroidery branding.
