What your design looks like as an iron-on patch

Iron-on is a backing, not a construction. The face of the patch is embroidered, so the design changes exactly the way an embroidered patch does — the adhesive only affects how it goes on.

Design a patch free

AI patch design of a bald eagle in flight over a purple-to-orange gradient sunset, with fine feather detail

The same bald eagle design produced as an iron-on embroidered patch with heat-activated adhesive backing

Your designIron-on

Your design versus Iron-on comparison slider

Drag the handle to compare. Rendered for illustration — every real order is proofed and approved before production.

What comes through

Everything an embroidered patch holds — the face is identical
A clean heat-set edge, with no visible adhesive from the front

What changes

The same thread trade-offs as embroidery: stepped gradients, merged fine detail, capped colours
The back is coated, so the patch is slightly stiffer than a sew-on of the same size
Adhesive needs a fabric that tolerates an iron — it is not for leather, nylon or waterproof shells

Iron-On limits, in numbers

These are the physical floors of the process. Anything in a design below them is thickened, merged or dropped — which is the single biggest reason a produced patch differs from a preview.

Colours

Up to 10

Same thread palette as embroidered.

Smallest legible text

About 0.25"

Same floor as embroidered.

Thinnest line

About 1mm

Same floor as embroidered.

Gradients

Approximated

Stepped into bands of thread.

What this means for your designJudge an iron-on by the embroidered page — it is the same face. Pick iron-on when you want the patch applied without sewing, and sew-on when it goes somewhere that will be washed hard for years.

Common questions

Will my iron-on patch look exactly like the AI design?

Iron-on is a backing, not a construction. The face of the patch is embroidered, so the design changes exactly the way an embroidered patch does — the adhesive only affects how it goes on. Our team redraws every design for production and you approve that artwork before anything is manufactured.