Custom Snapback Hats are hugely popular due to their versatility and, due to the fact that you don’t need to manufacture different size hats, they are relatively inexpensive to buy and customize. The following is a guide to the different products available and the different ways of customizing them including sourcing and adding of personalized logos.

Getting started with custom snapback hats

In order to get started with customizing your own, branded snapback hats, you’ll need the following:

  • A logo.

This is your brand identifier and usually consists of an image or graphic and the name of your company / organization.  In terms of customizing snapback hats, the logo should be kept as simple as possible in order to be easily recognizable when displayed on a hat.

  • A snapback hat supplier

This is the company from which you will be buying plain snapback hats ready to be customized.

  • A patch or badge supplier

This is the company from which you will be buying the patch or badge which will be printed with your logo and which, will, ultimately, be attached to the blank snapback hats.

  • Sewing materials

Depending on the kind of badge or patch you have chosen for your logo, you will need either glue or sewing materials in order to attach the logo to the blank snapback hat.

  • A dedicated manufacturer

Alternatively, you can source a dedicated manufacturer who will create a bespoke hat for you including customization, allowing you to choose the fabric, features and customization details.

Reasons for creating custom snapback hats

There are a number of reasons for creating custom snapback hats with your logo.  Some of these include:

  • For fun or social purposes.

Many people enjoy creating personalized or customized hats for events such as hen parties, sports events and other events where a number of people want to be identified as a group or team within a larger social arena.

  • Establishing a fashion brand.

When starting out as a fashion designer or retailer, many people like to use custom snapback hats as a way of making the brand known quickly and effectively, thus efficiently increasing the brand’s profile. Custom snapback hats can be sent to potential customers, suppliers and sponsors as promotional gifts.  Custom snapback hats can also be created to be sold to customers either online or through a traditional store or stall.

  • Custom snapback hats have a dual purpose when used as employee uniforms

Not only do they help to keep keep employee’s hair tidy and away from their face but, staff wearing them are easily identified by customers looking for assistance.

  • Custom snapback hats are an extremely effective promotional tool for many companies.

Cheap to produce, these hats can be sent to potential customers and suppliers as gifts and, every time that person quickly pops on the hat to go to the shops or the bar, hundreds of people are seeing the logo.

Ways of customising your snapback hats- Custom snapback hats made easy

  • By hand.

Although time-consuming, customizing snapback hats can be a fun activity if undertaken by a group.  This is not, however, idea for those looking for a professional result as, working by hand means that hats are unlikely to be identical and work may be sloppy depending on the expertise (or lack of) of the worker.

  • Use pre-bought hats and custom embroidered patches.

This is a great option for those looking to buy a low volume of hats as there tends to be a low minimum order quantity.  For this, you’ll need to buy your plain snapback hats from your supplier to begin with.  You’ll then need to order your customized, embroidered patches which, again, usually have the benefit of a low minimum order quantity.  Once you have the hats and the patches, you can iron or glue the patches onto the hats.  Although this may not produce the most professional result, it’s a good option for those looking for a quick, low cost way of producing custom snapback hats.

  • Whole hat customization.

A more expensive but more professional option is to entrust the entire process to a factory.  Using this method, you have the benefit of not only designing your custom patch or badge but, also, you get to choose custom colours, fabrics and features such as buttons and visors for your hats making a truly unique item.   Most factories have a minimum order quantity of 50 pieces on items such as custom snapback hats and so this does mean a great initial financial outlay but will result in a much more professional finish – very important for those looking to use the hats or professional or company promotion.

How to customize snapback hat by a professional factory?

For the time being, we’re going to concentrate on the third option – whole hat customization by a professional factory.  The following is a step by step guide to creating an attractive and professional, 100% customized, snapback hat.

Get your snapback hat Logo ready

Before going any further, you need to make sure that you have your logo ready as this is one of the first things that your hat manufacturer will request.

First, you need to decide where on the hat the logo will be placed as, this can affect the size and design that you choose.  A logo can be placed at either side of the hat, at the back or, most commonly, on the visor.

You can design the logo yourself but, unless you have a talent for graphic design, it’s best to use a professional designer for your logo.  Make a mockup of how you would like your logo to look, including colour and size of text and then send this to your chosen designer.

Your designer will then produce a selection of logos to your spec for you to choose from.  Once you’re happy with your logo design, your designer will supply it to you in high-resolution for use on all of your stationery and promotional materials.

When making a logo for items such as custom snapback hats, it’s best to keep the design simple so that it’s easily spotted and recognised; fancy text and complicated designs can look busy and can be hard to read from a distance or in passing.  The most effective logos involve text which is clear to read and a simple graphic or image.

When finding somebody to design your logo for you, you don’t need to go to an expensive design agency.  There are a number of different places for you to source low priced designers including Fiverr, Upwork and People Per Hour.

If you’re determined to design your own logo, there are a number of helpful logo generator websites such as Logocrisp as well as lots of other tools.  Although these are great for putting together some ideas, the result will be inferior to that of a professional designer so, not ideal for those looking for a more professional finish.

Should I choose branded blank custom snapback hats?

Like anything else, when choosing your blank snapback hats, you’ll find that you have a whole host to choose from, including some well known brands such as Newera, Flexfit and Nike which are, of course, more expensive than less well known brands.

If you are looking to product custom snapback hats for a social event or small gathering, there’s really no need to invest in high quality blank hats from well known brands.  There are any number of cheaper options available which will work perfectly well for your purposes.

If you are creating hats for business purposes, branded hats will be better quality and, will offer more variety, however, note that these hats will already feature the brand’s logo which may become confusing once you’ve added your own.

The Pros And Cons Of Using Branded snapback Hats

Pros

  • Using branded hats means that you are dealing with an established and respected company and, therefore, the process is likely to be quick and easy, saving you time and hassle.
  • Hats from a well known brand will tend to be well made and of good quality – which means that your clients won’t be dealing with issues such as fraying, broken straps and colour runs.
  • Hats from a well known brand will be extremely well made and will fit well and feel comfortable – your client won’t wear the hat if it’s uncomfortable, itches or is ill-fitting.

Cons

  • snapback hats from well known brands will be more expensive than lesser known brands.
  • Logo clash. snapback hats from well known brands will usually already feature that brand’s logo which may clash with your own.
  • A well known brand will usually impose a minimum order quantity on snapback hats.

Different options to customize your snapback hat

There are many different ways in which you can customize your snapback hats.  These include:

  • When it comes to your logo, you have quite a lot of visual options such as 3D embroidery, applique, matt plastic or woven as well as different print options such as screen or laser printing. When it comes to your logo patch or badge, you can choose from different fabric options such as felt, woven, rubber or leather.
  • A visor is just a visor, right?  Wrong.  As with your fabrics, there are a range of options to choose from including different fabrics as well as different styles such as curved, bottle opener and sandwich as well as printing options such as text/image print underneath the visor.
  • One of the most important aspects of a snapback hat is, of course, the closure mechanism on the back strap.  There are three main options to choose from which are the buckle, velcro and, the traditional plastic button type closures.
  • Special options. You can opt for a few special features to make your snapback hats really stand out such as different button and eyelet details, liners and woven labels.  These special options do, of course, come at an extra cost though.

Where to manufacture your custom snapback hats & Sourcing your custom snapback hats

In the modern world, soaring prices for the manufacture of goods means that, often, buying goods and services from overseas is the most cost effective and efficient option  Although in some instances, you may have to factor in extra time to allow for shipping from overseas (usually between 7 to 10 days), there are a number of benefits to sourcing your snapback hats from overseas with few downsides:

Pros

  • The price of items purchased overseas can be a lot lower than those bought domestically.
  • Online forms make purchasing quick and easy.
  • Overseas manufacturers may include many features free of charge that domestic companies charge for, such as linings and fabric choices.

Cons

  • As mentioned, you may have to wait a little longer for your hats when ordering from overseas, however, if you’re in a hurry, you can usually opt for expedited delivery which speeds up the process.
  • If you’re not happy with the product, the returns process can be frustrating and lengthy.  You can transcend this problem by speaking to the manufacturer before ordering and negotiating terms with respect to returns. Most manufacturers will also be happy to provide a sample first so you can check out the quality before placing your order.
  • It goes without saying that, when buying low cost product, you shouldn’t expect premium brand quality.  For most purposes, the quality of snapback hats manufactured from overseas will be perfectly acceptable and, you can always request a sample first.

Conclusion

Although this may seem like a lot to take in, this guide will help you to first decide what kind of hat you want, how many you want and, how you want to customize it.  Once you’ve got the hang of it, creating custom snapback hats is a really effective way of getting your message across cheaply and effectively.