You can get custom shirts made by a screen printer, a digital print shop (DTG or DTF), an embroiderer, an online print service, or a garment factory that makes the shirt and decorates it in one order. The best place for your order is the one that does the decoration method your design needs well, at your quantity. So decide the method first, then choose the supplier.
This guide is about decorated custom shirts: logos, prints, names and numbers. If you are still deciding whether to use print-on-demand, a local decorator, relabelled blanks or a cut-and-sew factory, start with where can I get shirts made.
Step 1: Choose the decoration method
| Method | Best for | Limits to know | Who usually offers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | Simple designs with a few solid colours, medium to large runs | One screen per colour, so setup cost rises with colours; fine gradients need special techniques | Screen print shops, many garment factories |
| Direct-to-garment (DTG) | Full-colour designs and photos in small quantities | Works best on cotton; durability depends on pretreatment and curing (see DTG prints fading) | Digital print shops, print-on-demand services |
| Direct-to-film (DTF) and other heat transfers | Full-colour logos on mixed fabrics, short runs, names and numbers | A film layer sits on the fabric; feel and wash life vary by product and pressing | Digital print shops, decorators |
| Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) | Names, numbers and simple single-colour shapes | Can peel if pressing time, heat or pressure is wrong (see vinyl peeling) | Local decorators, team-wear shops |
| Sublimation | All-over or bright prints on white or light polyester | Does not work properly on cotton or dark fabrics (see sublimation or screen print) | Sportswear and team-wear suppliers |
| Embroidery | Small logos, text and a premium look on polos, caps, heavier tees | Fine detail and small text are limited by stitch size; can pucker light jersey (see embroidered text) | Embroiderers, many garment factories |
Rule of thumb: many identical shirts with a few flat colours point to screen printing; few shirts with many colours point to DTG or DTF; a small logo that should look premium points to embroidery. For a cost and durability comparison see embroidery or screen print, and for ink choice see water-based or plastisol ink.
Step 2: Choose the shirt to decorate
The blank shirt matters as much as the print. Ask for the brand and style, fibre content, fabric weight and the size chart. Order a sample in your main size, because the same nominal size can fit very differently between brands. If you want your own fabric, colour or fit, the shirt has to be made for you, which means a factory and higher minimums.
Step 3: Prepare artwork the supplier can use
- Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG or vector PDF) for logos and text. Screen printers and embroiderers work best from vector art.
- High-resolution images for photographic or full-colour prints. Many shops ask for around 300 pixels per inch at the actual print size; ask your supplier for its own minimum.
- Colour references: give Pantone or other named references for brand colours, and accept that colours on fabric will not match a screen exactly (see specifying print colours).
- Size and placement: print width in cm or inches and its distance from the collar or centre front, for every size if it changes.
- Rights: only send logos, characters, fonts and photos you have the right to use. Printers often refuse artwork that looks like someone else’s trademark.
Step 4: Get a quote that shows every cost
Ask each supplier to quote the same specification and to list: price per shirt by quantity break, setup charges (screens, digitising, films), extra cost per colour or location, sample cost, delivery cost and lead time. Setup charges can make a small order much more expensive per shirt than the headline price (see setup fees for screens and digitising).
Step 5: Approve a proof, then a sample
- Check the digital proof: spelling, colours, size, placement, and which shirt colour it is printed on.
- For larger or repeat orders, ask for a physical sample or strike-off on the real shirt before the full run.
- Wash the sample once or twice the way your customers will, and check cracking, fading, peeling and shrinkage.
- Approve in writing and keep the approved sample. If bulk does not match it, the approved sample is your reference (see bulk colour off from the strike-off).
Step 6: Check the order when it arrives
- Count shirts by size and colour against the order.
- Check print position on several sizes; set a placement tolerance for future orders (see logo placement tolerance).
- Look for smudges, missing ink, puckered embroidery and press marks.
- Report problems quickly, with photos, while the supplier can still reprint.
Rules that apply to some custom shirts
Children’s shirts (U.S.): the CPSC treats products designed mainly for children 12 and under as children’s products. Its clothing guidance says paint and similar surface coatings, including screen printing, must not contain more than 90 ppm lead; accessible components such as heat transfer vinyl fall under the 100 ppm total lead limit. Children’s products also need third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab, a Children’s Product Certificate and permanent tracking labels (see tracking labels for kids’ tees).
Shirts sold under your brand: if you replace the original neck label with your own, your label must carry the fibre content, country of origin and your business identity, and the shirt needs care instructions (see relabelling blank tees). Shirts given away as staff or event wear are a different case; check the rules for your situation.
Custom shirts made and decorated by Knitwear Base
We are a knitwear manufacturer, so we suit orders where the shirt itself is made to your fabric, colour, fit and label, with screen printing or embroidery added in the same production run. We show you a sample before bulk. See our T-shirt manufacturing page and artwork files, placement and wash durability for printed tees, and send your design and quantities through our contact page. For a few dozen shirts on stock blanks, a local decorator is usually faster and cheaper.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to get custom shirts made?
For a handful of shirts, DTG, DTF or vinyl from a local shop or an online service. For larger runs of a simple design, screen printing usually gives the lowest cost per shirt once setup is spread over the quantity.
Which decoration lasts longest?
Well-cured screen printing and embroidery are generally the most durable on cotton tees, but results depend on the ink, curing, fabric and washing. Ask for a washed sample rather than relying on a general claim.
Sources and further reading
- CPSC, Clothing (FAQ): flammability, lead, tracking labels and certificates
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 303, Rules under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 423, Care Labeling of Textile Wearing Apparel
Rules and standards are summarised from their official pages for general guidance; this is not legal advice. Check the current version and the requirements of your own market before you rely on them.
