Registered businesses: your first design digitised free (Simple or Medium, standard turnaround). See terms →
Raised foam embroidery

3D Puff Embroidery Digitising

3D puff digitising builds a file that stitches over craft foam so the design stands proud of the cap. It needs extra density to hide the foam and tight edges so the waste tears away cleanly. We build for 2mm or 3mm foam at a flat price per design, and some suppliers call it 3D puff digitizing; the job is the same.

Coverage matched to 2mm or 3mm foam
Tight edges for a clean tear-away
VAT invoice on every order
Upload your puff design → See all prices
Digitising since 2015
Send your logo for puff
Foam-ready files for caps, hoodies and sweatshirts
From £15 per design
Foam thickness stated with every file
No foam visible through the stitching
Waste foam tears away cleanly at the edges

Free quote, nothing to pay now. Need rush, formats or notes? Use the full form

All
Machine formats included
2mm
Foam for most lettering
3mm
Foam for big, simple shapes
Unlimited
Revisions, no time limit
4–8h
Standard delivery
At a glance

3D puff digitising specs

What it isA file planned for stitching over craft foam: heavier coverage and closed edges, not a flat file with the density turned up
GarmentsSnapbacks and structured caps most often; sweatshirts, hoodies and jackets on stable backing
2mm foamMost lettering and medium shapes; the usual choice for a cap front
3mm foamLarge, simple shapes that need more height, with extra coverage to hide the foam
Kept flatScript, serif typefaces, small text and fine detail; outlines stitched as flat satin
CapsCentre-out order on the cap frame: see cap frame sizes and sequencing
Files deliveredDST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3 or your machine's format, plus a stitch preview
What to sendArtwork, garment, finished size in mm, the foam you use and thread colours
PriceFlat rate per design; rush +50%; VAT invoice. See the price table below
How puff works

Why puff needs its own file

Foam is laid over the cap or garment and stitched through. Where the needle closes around the edge of each shape it perforates the foam, and everything outside the design is torn off, leaving the stitched shapes standing proud.

That only works when the file was planned for foam. Too little coverage and the foam peeps through; loose edges and the waste clings on in ragged bits that have to be picked off before the cap can be sold.

Puff is a popular cap upgrade for club and teamwear caps and promotional merchandise. Many business logos carry a thin strapline or small print that will not hold foam, so we raise the bold parts and keep the rest flat.

Raising every element of a logo usually ruins the fine parts. We say which elements are too fine for foam and plan a design with the bold shapes raised and the detail stitched flat.

What we build in
01
Foam-level coverage
Stitch density is set for the foam thickness so the thread hides it completely. Low coverage is the most common puff fault and there is no fixing it at the machine.
02
Closed edges
Each shape is finished with closing stitches that cut through the foam, so the offcuts come away in one go instead of shredding.
03
Raised and flat together
Straplines, script and small print are built flat and outlines as flat satin, so they stay sharp next to the raised shapes.
Suitability

What will puff, and what won't

A quick guide to how we treat each part of a logo.

ElementRaised or flatReason
Bold block letteringRaisedBroad strokes give the foam enough width and cover well
Simple icons and solid shapesRaisedOpen outlines let the edge stitching cut the foam cleanly
Script and handwritten fontsFlatNarrow joins can't hold foam and distort
Serif fontsFlatSerifs and thin strokes flatten into blobs under foam
Straplines, small print, fine detailFlatFoam hides small letterforms; see small text embroidery
Outlines and keylinesFlat satinFrames the raised shapes without needing foam

Tell us the garment when you order and we'll advise which parts of the logo to raise.

Foam

2mm or 3mm: which foam?

Choose 2mm for most lettering and medium shapes. It lifts clearly, needs less coverage and is the safer option on a typical cap front.

Choose 3mm for large, simple shapes where you want more height. It needs heavier coverage, so we build the density for it and state the thickness with the file. Swapping to thicker foam than the file was built for is a common reason foam shows at the edges.

Pricing

3D puff digitising prices

A single flat price per puff design, for caps and flat garments alike.

DesignPriceNotes
3D puff file£15For 2mm or 3mm foam, with raised and flat parts planned
Flat cap file (no foam)£12When a logo is better stitched flat: see cap digitising
Rush (2–4 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design
Super rush (1–2 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design

Flat rate per design, not per 1,000 stitches. Every price includes all machine formats, a stitch simulation preview and unlimited revisions with no time limit, with a VAT invoice on every order. Standard delivery is 4–8 hours, 24/7.

Get a price for this design → See the full price list
Common problems

A flat file on foam vs a puff build

You can see each of these faults on the first cap off the machine.

What goes wrong
Foam peeping through. Coverage set for flat embroidery, not foam.
Foam clinging to the outline. Edges too open to cut the foam.
Unreadable straplines. Small print raised when it should have stayed flat.
Needle and thread breaks. Density pushed too high to compensate.
Logo drifts on the cap. No centre-out order for the frame.
How we build it
Foam fully hidden. Coverage built for the thickness you run.
Offcuts tear away cleanly. Closing stitches perforate every edge.
Small print stays flat. Only the bold shapes are raised.
Density kept in balance. Coverage without overloading the machine.
Centre-out on caps. Sequenced for the cap frame.
What to send

What we need for a puff design

  • Artwork: AI, EPS, PDF or SVG is ideal; a JPG or photo is fine
  • Garment: snapback, structured cap, sweatshirt, hoodie or jacket
  • Finished size in millimetres, or the cap frame you use
  • Foam: 2mm or 3mm, or ask us which suits the logo
  • Parts to raise, if you already know
  • Thread colours and the file format your machine uses
Upload your puff design →
How it works

How a puff file is made

1
Upload the logo
Say whether it's for caps or flat garments and which foam you use.
2
We digitise for foam
Bold shapes planned as raised, detail as flat, with coverage and edges built for the foam.
3
Approve and stitch
Check the stitch preview, request any changes, then run it. Your VAT invoice comes with the order.
FAQs

3D puff digitising questions

Use 2mm for most lettering and medium shapes, and 3mm for large, simple shapes where you want more height. 3mm needs heavier stitch coverage, so we build the file for the thickness you choose and state it with the file.
Bold block lettering and simple icons raise well. Script, serif fonts, straplines, small print and fine detail don't hold foam, and outlines look best as flat satin. We tell you which parts should stay flat before you run the job.
Yes. Puff isn't limited to caps, but soft or stretchy fabric needs stable backing under the foam. Files for flat garments are built without cap sequencing, so tell us what you are embroidering.
The closing stitches weren't tight enough to cut through the foam, so the waste stayed attached. A heat gun can shrink small bits out of sight, but it doesn't fix the file; the design needs rebuilding with proper edge closure.
The coverage is too light for the foam, or the foam is thicker than the file was built for. Puff needs much denser stitching than flat embroidery, and that can't be adjusted at the machine, so the file has to be rebuilt.
Yes, and it often gives the best finish. The bold shapes are raised over foam, while outlines, small print and fine detail are stitched flat so they stay sharp. Let us know how you run puff jobs and we plan the file to suit.
A 3D puff file has one flat price per design, for caps or flat garments, with every machine format, a stitch preview, unlimited revisions and a VAT invoice; see the price table on this page or the UK price list. Rush (2–4 hours) and super rush (1–2 hours) add 50%.
Related puff and cap pages

Ready to raise your logo?

Upload the artwork, tell us the garment and foam, and we'll send a puff file with a stitch preview, at a flat price per design.

Coverage and edges built for your foam
Every machine format included
VAT invoice on every order

New registered business? Your first design is free: one Simple or Medium design at standard turnaround. How the free first design works

1
Standard: 4–8 hours
Flat price per design, 24/7
2
Rush: 2–4 hours
+50% on the base price
3
Super rush: 1–2 hours
+50% on the base price
Upload your puff design →

VAT invoice from Zorixo Ventures Ltd · VAT GB 506 4612 12

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