Embroidered Quarter Zips: A Buyer's Guide for Company Logo Programs

An embroidered quarter zip is the one layer your team will actually wear. It clears the bar for a client meeting, holds up on a job site, and looks like something a person bought rather than something a company issued. That is why quarter zips have quietly become the most-requested piece in corporate logo programs — more than jackets, and often more than polos.

If you are pricing custom quarter zip pullovers for the first time, the decisions are simpler than they look: pick a fabric weight, pick a price tier, and get the embroidery set up correctly. Below is how we walk buyers through it, based on nearly 50 years of decorating apparel in-house here in Houston.

Why an embroidered quarter zip works better than most logo apparel

A quarter zip solves the layering problem that hoodies and jackets can't. It is dressy enough for a showroom, warm enough for a walk-in cooler, and casual enough that staff keep it at their desk year-round instead of leaving it in a locker.

It also decorates well. The zip placket stops a few inches below the collar, which leaves a wide, flat left-chest panel with no pocket or seam to work around. Compare that to a full-zip jacket, where a center zipper splits the chest and forces your logo off to one side at a smaller size. On a quarter zip, a left-chest mark sits square and stays visible when someone is standing behind a counter.

The practical upside for a logo program: one style covers a wide range of roles. Sales teams, front-desk staff, plant supervisors, and event volunteers can all wear the same piece without anyone feeling over- or under-dressed.

Fleece or performance? Choosing the right custom quarter zip fabric

The fabric choice comes down to how the garment will be used, not how it looks on a product page. There are two families worth knowing.

Cotton-blend fleece (8–8.5 oz) is the durable, warm option. It is what you want for outdoor crews, schools, volunteer groups, and anyone who needs a real mid-layer that survives constant washing. Look for the words “pill-resistant” — a fleece that fuzzes after ten wash cycles makes your logo look tired even when the stitching is perfect.

Performance polyester (4–4.6 oz) is lighter, stretchier, wrinkle-resistant, and quick-drying. This is the layer for people who live out of a carry-on: regional managers, golf outings, client-gift programs, and anyone who needs a piece that comes out of a bag ready to wear.

A useful rule: if the garment will be worn over a uniform shirt in cold conditions, go fleece. If it will be worn as the outer layer at events and meetings, go performance.

Five custom quarter zip pullovers worth considering

Here are five styles we stock and decorate, spanning roughly $22 to $110 per piece so you can match the garment to the budget rather than the other way around.

Budget workhorse: Jerzees NuBlend 1/4-Zip 995M

The Jerzees NuBlend 1/4-Zip Cadet Collar Sweatshirt (995M) starts at $21.69 and is the value pick for large groups. It is an 8-ounce 50/50 cotton/poly pill-resistant fleece with a zip-through cadet collar and a covered aluminum zipper — that covered zipper is the detail that matters, because it leaves a broad, uninterrupted chest panel for either a left-chest logo or larger printed artwork. S through 3XL in 13 colors.

Office standard: Port & Company Fan Favorite PC850Q

The Port & Company Fan Favorite Fleece 1/4-Zip (PC850Q) is $26.30 and the best all-around office piece on this list. The 8.5-ounce ring spun cotton/poly face is smooth rather than napped, which means fine logo detail and small type hold their shape instead of sinking into the pile. A dyed-to-match YKK zipper and locker patch keep it from reading like giveaway apparel. The size run is the widest here — XS through 4XL — which matters more than buyers expect when a program includes both front-desk and warehouse staff.

Premium and performance: TravisMathew Coto TM1MY397

The TravisMathew Coto Performance 1/4-Zip (TM1MY397) is $84 and the piece companies choose when they hand out one nice thing a year. It is 4.1-ounce 100% polyester with 4-way stretch, wrinkle-resistant and quick-drying, in six colors, S through 3XL. Sales organizations, golf outings, and real estate teams buy it because the brand name does some of the work — recipients keep it.

Women's tournament piece: TravisMathew Crestview TM1WW003

Event gifts for women are too often sized off a men's run. The TravisMathew Women's Crestview 1/4-Zip (TM1WW003) is a genuine women's cut at $85 — 4.6-ounce poly/cotton/spandex with real stretch through the shoulders, S through 2XL, in five colors including Dream Blue and Stone Pink for events that want something other than corporate navy.

Front-of-house uniform: TravisMathew Coveside 1/2-Zip TM1LD007

For clubhouses, boutique hotels, med spas, and any team whose uniform has to look like personal wardrobe, the TravisMathew Women's Coveside 1/2-Zip (TM1LD007) at $110 is the one staff wear on days off — which is the honest test of a uniform program. Plush 6.5-ounce knit, high-low hem, S through 2XL.

You can compare all of these side by side in our Custom 1/4 Zips collection.

How embroidery actually works on a quarter zip

Left chest is the standard placement, and it is standard for a reason: it avoids the placket entirely and reads correctly whether someone is seated, standing, or on camera. Some programs add a small right-sleeve or back-yoke mark as a secondary hit.

The technical part is matching backing and stitch density to the fabric weight. A heavy 8.5-ounce fleece can carry a dense stitch-out with no trouble. A 4.1-ounce performance polyester cannot — push the density too high and the logo puckers and the stretch is lost. This is where an experienced decorator earns their keep, and it is why we show every job on a free digital mockup with exact size, placement, and thread colors before anything runs.

Flat embroidery suits nearly every quarter zip. 3D puff is available but tends to overwhelm lightweight performance fabrics. If your artwork is a photographic image or a complex gradient, DTF printing is the better method — and styles with a covered zipper, like the 995M, give you the flat chest panel to make that work.

What a custom quarter zip program costs and how to order

Plan on roughly $22 to $110 per piece for the garment depending on tier, plus embroidery. There is no minimum on apparel — a single piece is a real order, which is what makes it practical to order one of each size as a fit set before a full rollout, or to outfit one new hire mid-quarter. (Caps are the one exception in our catalog: headwear orders start at 12 pieces.)

The process is straightforward. Send your logo in any usable format, and we return a free digital mockup for approval. Nothing goes to production until you sign off. Standard turnaround is 7–10 business days from approved proof, most orders ship free ground, and rush is available when the date is tight.

One detail worth knowing: once your logo is digitized, we archive that file. Every reorder stitches from the same file — same size, same stitch path, same thread codes — with no setup to repeat. That is what keeps a polo, a hoodie, and a quarter zip looking like they belong to the same program two years later.

Frequently asked questions about custom quarter zips

What is the minimum order for an embroidered quarter zip?

There is no minimum on apparel. You can order a single custom quarter zip pullover, or several hundred, at the same setup. Headwear is the only category with a minimum — cap orders start at 12 pieces.

How much does a custom quarter zip cost?

Garment cost runs roughly $22 to $110 per piece before decoration. Cotton-blend fleece styles like the Jerzees 995M and Port & Company PC850Q sit at the low end; premium performance brands like TravisMathew sit at the top. Embroidery is priced on stitch count, and the mockup we send confirms it before you commit.

Where should the logo go on a quarter zip pullover?

Left chest is the standard and the safest choice — it avoids the zipper placket and stays visible in every posture. A quarter zip actually offers a wider, flatter chest field than a full-zip jacket, so your logo can run at a legible size rather than being squeezed beside a center zipper.

Is embroidery or printing better on a quarter zip?

Embroidery is the better choice for most corporate logos: it is durable, holds up to repeated washing, and reads as higher quality on fleece and performance knits. Printing (DTF) is the better choice when your artwork uses photographic detail or gradients that thread cannot reproduce, or when you want a large chest or back graphic.

How long does a custom quarter zip order take?

Standard production is 7–10 business days from the moment you approve the digital mockup. Rush production is available on request — tell us your in-hands date before you order and we will confirm whether we can hit it.

Getting started

The right custom quarter zip is mostly a question of where it will be worn: heavy fleece for crews and cold conditions, lightweight performance for travel and events, and a genuine women's cut when the program includes one. Everything else — placement, thread colors, sizing — we work out with you on the mockup.

Browse the Custom 1/4 Zips collection to compare styles, or look at the full Custom Branded Outerwear range if you are building a layered program with jackets, vests, and hoodies. Send us your logo and we will return a free mockup so you can see exactly how it will look before you order a single piece.