No Need to Buy in Bulk – Buy Custom T-Shirts as You Need Them
It used to be that you could not order just one custom designed t-shirt. Because of the way they made t-shirts, companies could not print single shirts. The large and expensive setup required to make the t-shirts meant that t-shirt designing companies had to charge very high setup fees to make each design. This meant that it was impossible to make a cost effective single t-shirt. Each shirt would cost such a giant setup fee that it wouldn’t be worth the time, effort, and money that it would cost the company or the customer.
This meant that, if you wanted to order custom designed t-shirts, you had to be ready to order, for example, ten or more. You couldn’t just order a t-shirt designed for yourself, to ask your girlfriend to prom, or to give your dad a t-shirt for Father’s Day, because you couldn’t order just one. The setup fee would have to be spread over a larger number of t-shirts in order to be worth it.
The traditional method was called “screen printing,” and is still used on larger orders for t-shirts. But now there is another, newer technology for printing t-shirts. This new technology allows t-shirt printers to print just one t-shirt for you. The new “No Minimum Order” policy is carried by most t-shirt printers now because of this new technology. The new printing is digital, and is called “Direct to Garment” printing. It prints the design directly onto the garment. There is no setup, and the quality does not suffer. In fact, the quality is very good—the fabric is soft, not rigid or shiny like the older transfers made it feel.
You can still get screen printing and embroidery on your custom design t-shirts. You just need to still live by the minimum order rule for these techniques, since they still require the large setup fee. This means you can also still get discounts for buying in bulk (these discounts are offered by many companies). So if you’re ordering t-shirts for your soccer team or your senior class, you can get them screen printed and get a lower price. Most companies now offer both options—screen printing and direct to garment.
What this all means is that you can let loose imagining the possibilities for single t-shirts. You can create new t-shirt just for yourself, for the first day of school, or to ask someone out. You can make joke t-shirts for your friends, and customize them by putting their names on the front or back, or putting funny pictures on each person’s shirt. You can also make t-shirts for honorary guests, or for the birthday girl, or for your father on Father’s Day. The sky’s the limit now that the new direct to garment technology has opened up the option of getting just one t-shirt printed with your own original design. Have fun!
Cheap T-Shirt Printing: What to Look For
Whether you are designing one t-shirt, just for yourself or someone you love, or you are designing a t-shirt for a whole team or department or special event, chances are you are looking for a great deal, too. Designing t-shirts is a great way to have fun and be creative and support causes you believe in, but it’s also true that designing t-shirts can be a good way to get a good deal. Just like any other purchase, a little bit of research can help you get a much better deal with custom t-shirts.
When researching t-shirt printing companies, you should be looking for both low prices and high quality. There’s no point in spending any money at all if your t-shirt is going to look cheap and dull.
There are some pretty concrete things to look for in a t-shirt printing company. First, there is the quality of the t-shirt itself: the base of your creation. You should look for a company that will detail what kind of t-shirts it offers, what fabric they are made of, and what fit they are. Other details like fabric weight (light or heavy) and type of hem will also be really helpful in determining what level of quality you’ll be getting in the t-shirt itself. Look for brand name t-shirts that you already know are high quality: Hanes and Hanes Her Way are known, trusted brands; American Apparel is a newer brand that has consistently good quality, good fitting t-shirts. Anvil is another brand that is often used. In terms of fabric, you want to get 100% cotton or something close to it. The above brands will usually offer mostly 100% regular or ringspun cotton. Preshrunk is a good benefit, too—it’s best just to be sure whether or not it is preshrunk so you know what size to order. If it is not preshrunk, you should consider ordering larger sizes than you need because the shirt will shrink in the first washing.
Next, you should look at the fit. There are usually boxy, generous, athletic, and women’s fits. Double-needle hems are also a good sign—they are more durable and usually better looking. The more details you can get about the shirts, the better; it means the company is making quality a priority and has nothing to hide from you, the customer.
How It’s Done: Screen Printing T-Shirts
Silk screen printing is one of the most used and the oldest form of making t-shirts. There are stories and pictures dating back to the 900s about how its origins. It’s considered an art form in Asia and has evolved into America’s classic way to make t-shirts. The basic process of silk screening involves paint or ink being forced through a mesh screen with a stencil with a tool called a squeegee. Silk screening traditionally used screens made of woven silk stretched over a wooden frame. Now, the mesh screens are typically made of polyester. Because polyester fibers are so smooth, they have to be roughed up so the paint and ink will stick. Then, it’s stretched over a steel aluminum frame to prevent rusting. There are some artists that prefer using natural fibers for silk screening. The expense of silk makes it impractical for most. So, some use cotton to make the mesh screens.
Silk screening used to mean hand cutting a stencil and gluing it to a screen. This had to be repeated for every color involved in a design and for every change needed like a different name on different shirts. It was a time consuming process. Now, designs can be printed from a computer. A thermofax stencil is the popular choice for printers. The image is fed through a machine that burns away the image areas for the stencil. Then, it’s ready for ink and paint to pass through.
Inks and paints key to making your t-shirts look their best. It’s a real chemistry experiment for t-shirt makers to coordinate the right ink thickness and the right screen size. It all depends on the level of detail each design requires. If the ink is too thin, it will run and your image will not be clear and defined. If the ink is too thick, it will not easily press through the screen.
Squeegees are very important to the silk screening process. They are similar to the tool you use to clean your windshield at the gas station. Squeegees force the ink and paint through the stencils. Typically, they are made of rubber, plastic or polyurethane depending on what type of ink is used.
The advantage of using silk screening is you can do it on any color t-shirt and any fabric blend. You’ll want to wash your shirts gently for the design to last longer. It’s traditionally an easy and relatively inexpensive way to make large batches of professional looking matching t-shirts. That’s if you have the pros do it for you. There are silk screening kits made just for consumers to give it a try at home. You can find them at craft stores and online. Keep in mind that it’s time consuming to make the stencils and screens for every color you want to use. And, all the ink makes it a messy process. But, trying it on your own might be just the kind of project you and your family have in mind for a creative day.
If you are looking for an easier way to create a t-shirt you may want to consider designing a t-shirt using our tools and we can print it using our advanced direct-to-garment printing method.
How It’s Done: Heat Press T-Shirt Printing
You remember iron-on patches. That same low-tech method our mothers and grandmothers used to do a quick repair on our jeans is still one of the most popular ways to put images on t-shirts, but new technology is making it easier to make your own designs. Instead of making your first stop the fabric or craft store, head to the computer or office supply store. There you’ll find that t-shirt making is going high tech. New printers, transfer paper, inks, and computer programs are making designing and printing your own t-shirts at home easier than ever. Start with the right transfer paper for your printer. Check the package and be sure it’s compatible. The pros say it’s easier to transfer images to light colored shirts. If you are planning on using a dark t-shirt, there is paper specifically designed for those colors.
While you’re at the computer store, check out programs that design shirts for you! They come with images, graphics, fonts, frames and more. The programs help you pick the right image size for where you want the design to go on your shirt. You might want a larger image if it’s on the back than on the front. Or, something small if it’s a simple name or logo over the left front pocket. T-shirt design programs also have photo-editing programs if you want to put a picture on your shirt.
You can also create images on your own or use logos and print them right onto the transfer paper. Just follow the directions that come with the paper. You’ll want to check those directions for heat temperature, too. It’s important that your iron is just right to prevent cracking and to be sure the image adheres to the shirt fabric. New developments in how transfer paper is made and how it works with your printer are solving the cracking problem. But, you want your design to stick for more than one trip through the washing machine. When you wash the fabric, it’s best if you do it by hand or wash it in the gentle cycle so the image does not crack or fade.
The quality of t-shirt is important, too. It used to be that you could only use heat transfer on cotton or cotton blends. Now, new transfer papers allow you to apply heat transfer images to 100% synthetic materials. Again, be sure to check the transfer paper package to be sure which fabrics produce the best results. Heat transfer is an ideal way to make one t-shirt or a small batch of t-shirts at home. You just create the design on your computer, print onto the transfer paper and then iron. It’s easy to make small adjustments like adding a different name for each shirt, making small design changes, or moving where you want the design to be on a shirt. Just make the changes on your computer and reprint onto new transfer paper.
If it sounds like too much work you might want to consider designing your own t-shirt and having us print it using our advanced Direct-to-Garment printing.
How It’s Done: Embroidered T-Shirts
Choosing the right design for a custom t-shirt can be tricky, especially in the office. It may seem impossible to choose a design that both the CEO and your co-workers will approve of but the answer is simple: embroidery.
Embroidery takes the idea of a custom t-shirt to the next level. One step beyond the age-old tradition of silk-screening, embroidery still allows the customer to choose his or her own design but the result is a much cleaner and up-scale product.
The embroidery process may seem simple to the average customer, but if you choose to design your own shirt, you will soon realize that this procedure is a bit more complicated. Embroidery is commonly seen as a three step process: artwork, conversion and production.
The artwork stage is where the image for the t-shirt is created. The customer presents his or her desired image to the artist creating the shirts and he or she works with the client to create a final design for the shirts. Some original designs may need to be slightly altered in size or style to fulfill the needs of both the client and the t-shirt artist.
Once the design has been finalized, the conversion stage of the embroidery process begins. Conversion is a complicated process that requires the two-dimensional image to be converted into a three-dimensional, thread-based design. Nowadays, most custom t-shirt companies go about this digitally, using specific computer programs to convert the paper image into a digital file that programs the sewing machine directly. The stitch type, size, and color are all recorded digitally. Once the new, three-dimensional design is programmed into the machine, the final stage of the process can begin: production.
Production may seem like the easiest stage of the process but, in truth, it can be extremely complicated for the machine operator. While the image was digitized during the “conversion” step, the operator still needs to program the machine with the correct sewing speed and sequence of stitches. The operator then loads the appropriate colors and amount of thread needed for the design. Finally, each t-shirt is individually loaded onto the machine, embroidered, and removed.
Although the production phase of the embroidery process is commonly seen as the last step, it is always necessary to examine each garment for quality and consistency. Loose threads and excess backing material must be trimmed and the inspector looks for uniformity in each design. Once the t-shirts have passed this quality inspection, they are ready to be packaged for delivery or pick-up by the client.
The entire embroidery process can seem a bit daunting at first but a polished, professional product is well-worth the effort. An expert, classic embroidered t-shirt is the perfect solution for corporate garments, professional uniforms or any other situation that requires a more refined appearance.
Recent T-Shirt Technology Means No More Minimum Orders
Up until recently, custom t-shirt printing companies required all orders to have a certain minimum number of t-shirts. You couldn’t order, say, just one t-shirt for yourself saying, “Today’s My Birthday.” You would have to order ten t-shirts, or maybe twelve. This would severely cut down on the number of occasions for which you could design your own t-shirt in a cost effective way, without wasting. For instance, you would have to have a group of ten people who wanted t-shirts to even consider making an order.
This minimum order rule was necessary for t-shirt printing companies because of the way they made custom t-shirts. The method is called “screen printing,” and involves something like a better version of the iron-on printing you can do at home. The design is actually attached to the shirt. Because screen printing requires an expensive setup before the printing even begins, the t-shirt companies have to charge high setup fees in addition to whatever they charge for the actual t-shirts and the service.
So, it is impossible for the t-shirt printing companies to make a profit if they went through the expensive setup for just one t-shirt. It is also a much too expensive proposition for the client, to pay a large setup fee for one t-shirt. It makes much more sense to order fifteen t-shirts with one design, so that the one setup fee will be divided amongst all fifteen of the shirts. Then, if you have people contributing to shirts, they will each pay a small portion of the setup fee instead of you paying the entire thing just for your one “Today’s My Birthday” t-shirt.
Now, however, new technology allows t-shirt companies to inexpensively print one design on just one t-shirt. Thus we have the new “No Minimum Order” promise from companies. The new technology is digital printing. It prints the design directly onto the garment, which is why it is sometimes called “Direct To Garment” printing. This type of printing requires no setup, and is very high quality. The design is directly on the fabric, so it feels very soft—not rigid or shiny like the old iron-on type of transfer.
In addition to the new digital technology, many t-shirt printing companies still offer screen printing and embroidery—they just require a minimum order for those types of printing. So you can still do bulk ordering and get the discounts that many companies offer with large quantities—but you also have the option of ordering just one t-shirt with one design.
So, think of all the possibilities there are for single t-shirt designs! You can get personalized t-shirts for each person in your club, or for yourself or your loved ones. You could ask someone out on a t-shirt, or propose marriage, or say congratulations. You could also make custom t-shirts for special occasions like weddings or birthdays with different messages on each one. Personalize your t-shirts by putting different people’s pictures on the front, or different names on the back, or messages to each other on the front or back. Use your imagination!
Are Iron-On T-Shirt Transfers Trying to Make a Comeback in Fashion?
Apparently iron-on t-shirt transfers are not just a thing of the past. There is a growing demand for old school iron-on t-shirt transfers. While I have no idea why, people would want the old Mork and Mindy iron-on t-shirt transfer peeling off at the corner or a My Little Pony picture-T crinkled and cracking from the dryer but they do.
In years past, countless youngsters have come home with an iron-on decals or stickers and begged their mothers to help them transfer the image to one of their t-shirts. Such t-shirt transfers were readily available and could be purchased in a variety of locations.
The iron-on t-shirt transfers gave people the opportunity to customize their t-shirts with characters and logos. One advantage to these iron-on t-shirt transfers was they were fairly easy to apply and were often much less expensive than purchasing a t-shirt with the design already in place on the t-shirt. However, although simple, the application process was not completely foolproof. There were many possible mistakes to be made, and there was a significant possibility that the t-shirt would end up ruined by the peeling, wrinkling or poor placement of the transfer.
I have been wondering recently if people want t-shirt transfers because they are just unaware how far we have come in Direct-to-garment printing technology. It used to be that T-shirt transfers were the only way to create your own t-shirt but now you can use a variety of tools to design your own shirt. If it is the peeling, wrinkling and misplacement of your graphic then you might want to stick with the iron-on transfers but if its just the ability to create your own custom t-shirt there are much easier ways and we can help.
Alternatives to Heat Transfers for Custom T-Shirts
When creating a custom t-shirt for yourself or your group–be it a youth group, volleyball team, school club, corporate event or family reunion–there are many options to mull over. There are four obvious choices–embroidery, silk screening, heat transfers and Direct-to-Garment (DTG)–each come with their own rules and regulations but in the end we believe Direct to Garment is the way to go and is how we do the majority of our printing.
Embroidery is a classic option that uses minimalist principals to create a clean end product but you can’t just get one single t-shirt unless you pay a premium. Silk screening has the same issue but is an increasingly versatile method that employs fabric stencils and special ink and different screens can be used to create a layered, multi-colored image. Then there is heat transferring, which moves the image from the paper to the cloth using special transfer paper and an iron or heated transferring machine.
Heat transfers allow a direct reassignment of an image from the page to the fabric and unlike embroidery and silk-screening where the image must be examined and often altered by the t-shirt artist in order to match the abilities of the equipment at hand, heat transfers offer a direct design approach for the customer. In general there are two types of heat transfers: professional and at-home. Whether you choose to complete your shirts yourself or to have them professionally done, the process is very much the same. First, an image must be created. This is most often done on a computer. Programs such as Printshop or Photoshop can make creating an at-home transfer design easy. These programs allow the customer to combine text and images — including photos–in their design. If you choose to have transfers done professionally, the t-shirt artist will use comparable programs to help you create a unique design. Once the design is created, the design must be printed it on special t-shirt transfer paper and ironed onto the shirt.
The problems with heat transfer are that it’s not a very good print compared to other options. Many times you can see a film on the shirt around the graphic. Heat transfers can look cheap and homemade.
The last alternative is (and best choice) is Direct to Garment (DTG) printing instead of the heat press, embroidery or screen printing. Direct to Garment technology has really improved making it possible to just print one t-shirt and get a high quality and professional look. Silk screening is a great option if you need to print hundreds of shirts but if you want to create a custom t-shirt for a reasonable cost, little waiting time, and a professional appearance we strongly recommend that you choose a service with Direct to Garment printing.
How It’s Done: Dye Sublimation for Custom T-Shirts
How dye sublimation printing works is different than more traditional t-shirt printing like silk screening and heat transfer. In dye-sublimation printing, colors are not laid down as individual dots, like inkjet printers. Instead, there is a cellophane ribbon of color. Sublimation is what happens with dry ice when H2O goes right from a solid to a gas, skipping the liquid phase. That’s what happens with the ink. Heat causes the dyes to vaporize and stick in the fabric or on glossy surfaces and then they dry. So, the dye is actually in the fabric instead of sitting on top of it like the other printing types. This means there is no cracking or peeling over time. If you wash your t-shirt gently, the colors should have staying power without fading, too.
Because of the color spectrum used in dye sublimation, the end result is colors that look more like they do in nature. Instead of just the primary colors and their combinations to choose from, you get hues and shades giving your pictures a real life look and definition right on your t-shirts.
It’s important that you choose the right t-shirt. Light colored shirts produce the best result. Here’s why. With dye sublimation, the colors are embedded right into the fabric. The makers of dye sublimation printers explain it this way: if you add a dark red or green to black, you still have black.
The flip side of using a light colored shirt is that its colors will mesh with the colors of the image you print on it. For example, if you use a yellow shirt, the colors in the photo or logo will have some yellow, too.
There are some special transfer papers you can get to use dye sublimation with darker t-shirts. The quality of the t-shirt is important, too. It needs to be at least 50% polyester. The more polyester, the better quality and more vivid your image will print.
When using this printing method, you can simply scan a photo into a computer. Then add text or names and make adjustments. Then, you print. There are printers that you actually put the t-shirt through and print directly on the shirt. The other option is that you print on dye sublimation transfer paper and then heat press or iron the image into your shirt.
Because most of the work is done on the computer, it’s easy to make changes when using dye sublimation. This means if you are ordering shirts from a professional printer there are no screen set up charges and usually no minimum orders required. The cost of dye sublimation printers is dropping. If you’re doing it at home, just be sure to get the appropriate transfer paper, a polyester t-shirt and follow the instructions to get the right temperature for your iron. You’ll be putting clear photo-quality images on your t-shirts in a snap.
Print on Demand T-Shirts - One at a Time!
Everybody knows that uniforms are a great way to look like a team. From businesses to softball teams, professional, custom clothing can make anyone look and feel like a tightly knit group. But what about those times when you want to express your individuality? Most professional t-shirt companies have strict minimums when ordering a custom design. If buying 20 or 30 shirts is not an option for you, not to worry, consider a company that prints “On Demand.”
Print on Demand means you won’t end up with a huge box of t-shirts sitting in your garage, just waiting for your next garage sale. You order just the number of t-shirts that you need–so no money, or garage space, goes to waste.
With Print on Demand services there is no minimum, making the possibilities for personal expression endless. Some companies who offer this service have a prepared selection of designs–from inspirational messages to elaborate images–for their customers to choose from. Print on Demand services are also useful for the small business owner who may only need five or six shirts printed today but will require more in the future. Many companies can keep your design on record and re-print t-shirts when needed.
Print on Demand services are slightly more expensive than their silk-screened and bulk-ordered cousins, but the ability to have your shits printed in the size and quantity you require is well worth the price.
Here is a story from one of our customers:
“I first discovered On Demand t-shirts when I began promoting my own knitting shop. I knew I wanted to generate interest in the store but was unsure how to go about it. My partner and I were scheduled to have a booth–selling our yarn and promoting our store–at many local holiday fairs. We had business cards and maps to our store printed up but wanted to get maximum exposure. My partner had the idea to create t shirts with our logo and name. She suggested we make them at home with iron-on transfers. I was a bit hesitant to use a transfer because I know they are easily ruined by washing or excess heat so I began doing research.
I soon found Fibers that would print our shirts On Demand for a slightly higher price per shirt than placing a bulk silk-screened order. We only needed three or four shirts and since we were just starting our business, every penny counted. I placed the order and received the expertly made and professional looking shirts a few weeks later. We wore our shirts to our holiday fairs and as make-shirt uniforms once the store opened. When we were finally able to hire two new employees, we had no trouble printing shirts up in their sizes!
Not only did our shirts help generate business and (clothe our employees!), they served as great “Thank You” gifts to everyone who had supported us along the way. My parents and sisters all received one for their unending love and patronage and my partner often dressed her young son and daughter in them–free advertising at play-group!”