You can get shirts made through four main routes: a print-on-demand service, a local screen printer or embroiderer, blank shirts that are decorated and relabelled for you, or a cut-and-sew manufacturer that makes the shirt itself to your specification. The right one depends on three things: how many shirts you need per design, how much of the shirt you want to control (fabric, fit, label, or just the print), and how soon you need them.
The four routes compared
| Route | Order size | What you control | Speed | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print-on-demand | From single pieces; each order printed when it is sold | The design only; the blank shirt is chosen from the service’s catalogue | Fast to start; each order is printed and shipped separately | Higher cost per shirt, limited choice of blanks, print quality varies |
| Local printer or embroiderer on stock blanks | Small to medium runs | Design, placement, colours, choice of blank from wholesale ranges | Usually days to a few weeks | Setup charges for screens or digitising, minimums per colour or design |
| Blank shirts with your own label | Small to medium runs | Above, plus a custom neck label, hang tags and packing | A little longer than decorating alone | Relabelling has legal requirements (below) |
| Cut-and-sew manufacturer | Larger runs, with minimums per style and colour | Fabric, weight, colour, fit, size range, trims, label and decoration | Longest: development, samples, bulk production and shipping | Minimums, sampling time and cost, landed cost if made overseas |
The table is a general guide. Minimums and lead times vary widely between suppliers, so ask each one for its terms in writing.
Which route fits your situation
- Testing designs, or selling online with no stock: print-on-demand keeps risk low, at a higher unit cost.
- Events, teams, staff and merchandise: a local decorator on good-quality blanks is usually the quickest and simplest choice.
- A clothing brand that wants its own look on a standard shirt: blank shirts with your own neck label and packaging (see stock, blank and custom tracks for tees).
- A brand that needs its own fabric, colour or fit: a cut-and-sew manufacturer (see choosing a T-shirt manufacturer).
“Shirts” can also mean woven button-up shirts. Those are made by woven shirt factories or by made-to-measure tailors, not by T-shirt factories, so look for suppliers that specialise in woven shirting.
Steps to get shirts made
- Decide the shirt type: tee, long sleeve, tank, polo or woven shirt, and the fabric and weight you want.
- Work out quantities per design, per colour and per size. Many minimums apply per colour, not per order (see minimums per colour).
- Fix your budget per finished shirt and the date you need them in hand.
- Choose the route from the table above, and ask two or three suppliers for quotes on the same specification.
- Choose the decoration method for your design and fabric (see embroidery or screen print).
- Approve a sample or a decorated test piece before the full run.
- Check the shirts on arrival: count, sizes, print position and a wash test on one or two pieces.
Labels: what changes when the shirt carries your name
If you sell shirts in the U.S. under your own brand, the label rules apply to you. Under the FTC’s Textile Act rules (16 CFR Part 303), the label must show the fibre content, the country of origin and the identity of the business responsible (name or RN number), and the Care Labeling Rule (16 CFR Part 423) requires care instructions. If you remove the original neck label from a blank and replace it with yours, your new label has to carry the required information (see relabelling blank tees).
Getting shirts made by Knitwear Base
We are a cut-and-sew knitwear manufacturer: we make custom T-shirts and other knit tops to your fabric, fit and label, with samples before bulk production. See our T-shirt manufacturing page, what to include in a tech pack for a basic tee, and send your quantities through our contact page. If you mainly need decoration on ready-made shirts, a local decorator or a supplier of custom decorated shirts may suit you better; see where to get custom shirts made.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to get shirts made?
For a handful of shirts, print-on-demand or a local decorator. For larger quantities, decorating good blanks or ordering from a cut-and-sew factory usually lowers the cost per shirt, but you pay for stock up front.
How long does it take?
Decorating stock blanks can take days to a few weeks. Making shirts from scratch takes longer because of fabric, sampling, production and shipping; ask the supplier for a dated schedule.
Sources and further reading
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 303, Rules under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 423, Care Labeling of Textile Wearing Apparel
- FTC, Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts
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.
