Custom Clothing Printing in Colchester and North Essex
By The Velocity Wear Team
For custom clothing printing in Colchester, Velocity Wear is an online supplier producing printed and embroidered apparel from a 20-piece minimum with mixed sizes, delivered across Colchester, Ipswich-adjacent North Essex and the wider county on a tracked service.
Students, Services and Trades
The University of Essex drives a substantial term-dated demand — society and course hoodies, sports club kit and freshers merch, all with wide size spreads and immovable deadlines. Alongside it, the town's garrison-related services economy and North Essex's trade and construction businesses order embroidered workwear on a rolling basis. The two never compete for the same specification but they do compete for the same production calendar in September.
Student Orders Fail on Collection, Not Production
The recurring problem with society orders is gathering sizes, names and money from a large group who respond slowly.
- Set a single hard deadline with a stated consequence rather than an open collection period.
- Collect sizes with an actual size guide available, and say explicitly whether to size up — hoodies are frequently worn oversized.
- Name lists on the back are printed, not embroidered, and every spelling needs checking against a confirmed list before approval.
- Order a small buffer for late joiners, because there is always someone who missed the deadline.
Trade Workwear
For construction, groundworks and trade businesses across North Essex, the specification is durability: embroidered polos and fleeces in poly-cotton blends, softshells for outdoor work where wind resistance matters, and hi-vis printed rather than embroidered with branding kept clear of reflective banding. Record the specification so new starters' kit matches — on a site, near-matching workwear is more conspicuous than none.
“"The printing takes a fortnight. Getting forty people to send their size takes longer."”
Method and Cost
Screen printing is the economical choice for society and event runs at volume with a limited colour palette. DTF handles detailed or full-colour artwork on shorter runs without screen setup charges. Embroidery is the standard for anything worn as uniform. Bulk discounts reach up to around 40% as quantities rise, so consolidating — across societies, or across a business's departments — materially lowers the per-piece cost.
Lead Times and Artwork
Production starts at artwork approval rather than order placement. Screen printing and embroidery typically run around 10–15 working days from approval, sublimation and complex jobs nearer 15–20, plus 2–5 working days tracked delivery across Essex. Supply vector artwork, confirm exact colours, simplify fine detail for stitch, and preview placement and scale in the free Design Studio before approving.