Best Embroidery Machine For A T-Shirt Business

T-shirt businesses are incredibly popular ventures for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. By creating new and fresh designs, you can ensure that your business succeeds. And you don’t need an extensive list of skills or equipment to start your business, either! All you need is the best embroidery machine on the market.

What are the Best Embroidery Machines for a T-shirt Business?

The best embroidery machines for a t-shirt business include the Brother SE1900, Singer Futura XL580, Brother SE600, Janome Memory Craft 500E, and the EverSewn Sparrow X Next-Generation embroidery machines. These machines all have advanced features and are beginner-friendly. 

Embroidery is a fun and easy way to transfer your customized designs onto t-shirts, and the quality of an embroidered t-shirt versus a printed t-shirt is unmatched. So, if you’re interested in getting your t-shirt business off the ground, we’ve listed our top picks for the best embroidery machines for your small business. 

1. Brother SE1900 Sewing And Embroidery Machine

The Brother SE1900 is a two-in-one sewing and embroidery machine that may just become one of your biggest assets as a small business owner. One of the many things we love about it is that Brother is a well-known and trendy brand among embroidery enthusiasts. And for a good reason!

Brother has the top-notch quality and is worth investing in if you want a machine that will last for a long time. 

With over 138 built-in designs and 11 embroidery fonts, this handy machine is excellent for beginners. If you aren’t familiar with how to embroider on a t-shirt, you can always practice with one of the existing designs and a scrap piece of fabric. 

It’s also simple for business owners who aren’t familiar with design. All you need to do is pick an existing design and let your machine do the rest!

But, if you want to create your own designs or have bought a couple of pre-made designs that you love, don’t worry! The SE1900 has a built-in USB port, making it quick and easy to upload your customized designs. 

Before you start embroidering on your t-shirt, you can also get a preview of your design on the 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen. You can also use this screen to edit any of your designs effortlessly. 

The editing tool is easy to use and allows you to change the color of your designs, adjust the lettering, and even rotate, flip, or resize the design. 

The embroidery field is also large enough for bigger designs and measures 5 x 7 inches. The SE1900 comes with an embroidery hoop and seven different sewing feet, so you don’t have to worry about buying any other embroidery accessories. 

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, threading the needle of your embroidery machine can be a time-consuming task. We all know it can be a huge hassle sometimes! But, with the Brother SE1900, you can rest easy. This device is designed with an automatic threader, which means that the machine pushes the thread through the needle of the device with a simple one-touch lever. 

This makes it even easier to thread your needle and quickly change color when your design calls for it. 

You can also make any design come to life with 240 different types of stitches. Plus, at 22 pounds, this machine is lightweight enough to be portable and storable.

Pros:

• Good for beginners
• 138 built-in designs
• 11 embroidery fonts
• 240 stitch types
• Built-in USB port for custom design uploads
• Automatic threader
• Lightweight, portable, and storable
• Easy to edit designs
• Includes embroidery hoop and seven sewing feet

Cons:

• It can be a bit too pricey for a start-up business

2. Singer Futura XL580 Sewing And Embroidery Machine

The Singer XL580 is truly an incredibly versatile machine. Singer is also another brand-name giant in the sewing industry, so you can always expect a high-quality and durable machine. 

The XL580 has 250 built-in designs, five font types, and 215 stitches programmed into the machine, so you can get to work as soon as you take your new embroidery machine out of its box!

Not only is the XL580 an embroidery machine, but it is also made to work as a sewing and quilting machine. Talk about value for money! 

The embroidery surface includes an LED option to help illuminate your work area and prevent eye strain. As an entrepreneur or small t-shirt business owner, you’ll know that there is no such thing as office hours. So whether you’re fulfilling an order during the day or in the middle of a sleepless night, you’ll be able to see your design perfectly. 

Like the Brother SE1900, the XL580 also includes an automatic threader and built-in USB port for uploading your custom designs. The Singer also includes an extra-large sewing space, an electronic thread trimmer and bobbin winder, and an endless hoop for longer, more intricate designs. 

The machine includes Hyperfont and AutoPunch software to make designing and uploading your designs more efficient. Similarly, the XL580 can read a range of different file formats. These include formats such as SEW, FHE, CHE, XXX, JEF, and PSW. 

Pros:

• 250 built-in designs
• Five embroidery fonts
• 215 stitch types
• LED options for work surface
• 3-in-1 machine
• Includes endless hoop for more design freedom 
• XL embroidery surface
• Electronic thread trimmer
• Automatic threader
• Built-in USB 

Cons:

• No LED display screen 
• No built-in editing options

3. Brother SE600 Sewing And Embroidery Machine

While we have already mentioned the SE600’S big brother – the SE1900 – this smaller machine is much more budget and beginner-friendly. 

If you’re new to the world of t-shirt embroidery, you may be reluctant to spend over a thousand dollars on an embroidery machine. And we hear you! While these machines are beneficial and long-lasting, not everyone can afford an expensive machine to start off with. 

Cue the Brother SE600. At under a thousand dollars, this baby is super affordable! 

And just because it is less expensive and slightly smaller than the SE1900, this handy little machine shouldn’t be under-estimated! 

The SE600 comes with 80 built-in design templates and six embroidery fonts. It also has 103 built-in stitches. Although this may seem like a limited range compared to the SE1900, they are more than you’ll need to get started. 

The SE600 also has a built-in USB, so you can always purchase or design more templates and fonts and quickly and easily upload them to your machine. It also has an automatic needle threader, so you won’t have to spend ages on rethreading when you swap out your colors. 

This machine comes with an embroidery hoop, embroidery arm, and seven sewing feet, so you won’t have to worry about additional purchases when you buy the SE600. Much like its premium counterpart, the SE600 also had built-in editing features, so it’s great for beginners! 

The preview screen is a 3.2-inch LED display, so you can adjust and correct your designs before putting them onto your t-shirt. 

The SE600 has a 4 x 4-inch embroidery space, so this machine is better for smaller projects or designs. While it is big enough for most t-shirt designs, you may have to purchase a bigger machine if you wish to scale your business. 

Despite its small size limitations, this is a great starting machine for any small t-shirt business to get off the ground. 

Pros:

• Affordable
• Lightweight
• Beginner-friendly
• 103 stitch types
• 80 built-in designs
• Six embroidery fonts
• LED display screen
• Editing functionality 
• Accessories included
• Built-in USB port 

Cons:

• 4” x 4” embroidery space

4. Janome Memory Craft 500E Embroidery Machine

The Janome 500E is a fantastic stand-alone embroidery machine. So, if you’re looking for a device that is dedicated solely to embroidery, this is one of the best!

One of our favorite features of the 500E – and the big selling point of this machine – is that you can digitize your designs on the embroidery machine itself. This can save you a reasonable amount of time that may otherwise be spent fussing over a design on your computer. And, as any small business owner knows: Time is money. 

Another great advantage to this machine is its speed. This machine is both quick and quiet and gives off some of the most intricate stitches in the shortest amount of time that we have seen. 

Not only is this machine incredibly detailed, but it also has one of the largest embroidery spaces among its competitors. The biggest space on the 500E is a whopping 7.9 x 11 inches. So, no matter how big your design is, you can make it happen! This is fantastic for creating designs that cover the entire back of a t-shirt. 

Although this machine is relatively affordable, you will need to purchase its accessories separately. 

While this may be a slight drawback, it’s important to note that the accessories are all long-lasting and durable, so they will not have to be replaced all that often. It’s also totally worth it to have a machine that has functionality solely dedicated to embroidery!

The 500E also includes an automatic thread cutter and needle threader, so it is much easier for beginners to get started with this machine. The editing options are also incredibly versatile and include options like size alteration, rotating, flipping, zooming, copy and paste, arcing, combining images, single color sewing, and corner layout. 

Pros:

• Good for beginners
• Dedicated embroidery-only machine
• Editing capabilities
• Automatic thread cutter
• Automatic needle threader
• Quick and quiet
• Large embroidery space
• Durable
• Versatile

Cons:

• It can be expensive for start-up businesses 
• Accessories not included

5. EverSewn Sparrow X Next-Generation Sewing And Embroidery Machine

If you want to invest in one of the most technologically savvy embroidery machines on the market, the EverSewn Sparrow X is the machine for you. This amazing machine can be controlled remotely from any smartphone or device, so you can monitor your projects wherever and whenever! 

But, before we get into the fantastic wireless capabilities the Sparrow X has to offer, let’s take a look at a couple of the other great features this machine has to offer. The Sparrow X has 100 built-in designs, as well as 120 stitch types, and comes with two hoop sizes. 

Additionally, the Sparrow X has an excellent embroidery space, measuring 4.75 x 7 inches. That means that you will be able to achieve most mid-sized t-shirt designs without any hassle. 

The machine is also great for beginners and comes with a built-in thread cutter. This thread-away technology automatically trims any jump stitches from your design, which means that your design is perfect as soon as you take it off the machine. 

Because there is no more time wasted on removing pesky jump stitches once your design has finished, this machine is excellent for saving time. 

Now, let’s get into the other innovative features of this device!

With the EverSewn Pro application, you can control and monitor the device, no matter where you are. You can also customize your designs using the free editing tools on the app. 

Instead of a built-in USB to upload your new designs, the Sparrow X lets you upload your customized designs straight from the app! 

By being able to use a phone or tablet to create new designs and with an easy-to-use app with some incredible features, the Sparrow X is one of the top machines that a small business owner can buy. As an additional bonus, the EverSewn Pro app is free! So no more paying an excessive amount of money on design or editing software!

Pros:

• Good for beginners
• Good embroidery space
• 100 designs
• 120 stitches
• Two hoop sizes included
• Easy to use application
• Easy to connect to the device using a smartphone or tablet
• Built-in thread cutter

Cons:

• No fonts included
• Smart capabilities may not work for everyone

Conclusion

So, there you have it. Those are our top picks for the best embroidery machines for an at-home or small t-shirt business. We based all of our choices on the machines that had the best capabilities and their ability to be beginner-friendly. 

No matter what your skillset is, these machines will help you on your way to making your business a huge success. By investing in one of these embroidery machines, you can use it to grow your business without having to upgrade your machine.