Can you add our logo?

“Can you add our logo?” is the question that transforms a stock product into a branded product, and in Chinese manufacturing, the answer is almost always yes. The real conversation is not about whether, but about how. Logo application comes in multiple forms, each with different costs, quality levels, and production implications: 丝印 (sī yìn, screen printing) — the most common, works on fabric, plastic, metal, affordable but wears over time. 刺绣 (cì xiù, embroidery) — for textiles, higher perceived quality, more expensive, requires digitizing the logo file. 压印 (yā yìn, embossing/debossing) — for leather, paper, thick materials, premium look, requires a metal die. 激光 (jī guāng, laser engraving) — for metal, wood, hard surfaces, permanent, precise. 转印 (zhuǎn yìn, heat transfer) — for complex multi-color logos on fabric, good for small runs.

The cost structure for logo customization has two parts: the one-time setup fee and the per-unit application fee. The setup fee is for creating the tool — the printing screen, the embroidery digitizing file, the embossing die. This is a genuine cost the factory incurs, and it’s normal to pay it. The per-unit fee is for the labor and material of applying the logo to each item, typically ¥0.5-5 per unit depending on method and complexity. A factory that says “no setup fee” is either building the cost into the unit price or doing such simple logo application that no setup tool is needed (e.g., single-color screen printing on a flat surface with an existing screen).

The practical workflow: send your logo as a vector file (AI, EPS, or high-resolution PDF — never a JPEG for production), specify the desired application method (or ask the factory to recommend based on the product material), confirm position and size with a reference image, and clarify: 做之前发效果图给我确认 (before production, send a mockup for my confirmation). A logo applied in the wrong position, wrong size, or wrong color is a factory’s mistake only if you gave them specific instructions. Without specific instructions, it’s a communication failure, and the factory will offer to redo it at your cost.