How to Design Quality T-Shirts for an Event

Custom t-shirts are essential for family gatherings, casual events, non-profit organizations, and other group occasions. Finding a quality shirt for a good price can be difficult, and creating a design everyone will find appealing and wearable can be a daunting task. When working with professionals, designing custom t-shirts may seem expensive and difficult, but here are a few tips to smooth out the process and save some money.

Design Choices

The most important part of making a custom t-shirt is the design. Making something tasteful that gets the message across is essential if you want a successful shirt design that employees, family, or friends will want to wear. Create something innovative while keeping it wearable. You want to make something that people will want to wear even outside of the event.

When choosing graphics or wording, ensure important parts will not be obscured by the curves of the body. Keep wording concise if possible, and use a graphic that catches the eye. Consider sizing of all of the elements and ensure there are not too many elements that would make the shirt appear too busy. Ask yourself, “Would I wear it?”

Sizing and Colors

Another important aspect of the design is the color. Choose a color that the crowd will feel comfortable in. For instance, if staining may be an issue, don’t choose white. If it’s going to be worn outside in the summertime, black isn’t the best idea. Including the group in the decision about coloring is a great option, as it can help keep everyone happy with the decision.

Sizing is another potential issue. When ordering shirts, be sure to include both sides of the spectrum so that nobody is left out. Get a handful of extra smalls and a few of each of the plus sizes to ensure everyone gets a shirt that makes them feel comfortable. If possible, obtain sizes ahead of time to ensure everyone gets the size they need. If there are a lot of women in the group, consider buying women’s styles for a better fit.

Budgets

There are a few ways to trim costs when buying custom t-shirts. One option is to limit the graphics on the shirts. Adding graphics to the back of shirts, getting the graphics in color, and using a large area for graphics can drive the price of custom shirts up astronomically. Limiting it to a simple graphic and text on the front center of the t-shirt can cut costs in half.

Again, consider obtaining needed sizes ahead of time and just buying a couple extra to remove wasted costs from buying too many shirts. If this isn’t an option, check out bulk sizing rates. Ordering in bulk saves money by driving the cost per shirt down. Also, consider that women’s shirts generally cost a little more than men’s. While this is only a couple dollars at most, buying solely men’s designs can save money in the big picture. This is a trade-off, but it can save money if it is a concern.

Where to Print

Ordering custom shirts online has trade-offs but can be worth it. Consider issues of quality and sizing when ordering t-shirts online. Does the company support reviews? What do the reviews say about the quality of the shirts? Does the company offer a sizing chart for their shirts? How does their sizing compare to average sizing? Make sure to take all of these things into consideration when purchasing custom shirts online.

Buying online can save a lot of money compared to t-shirt shops in person, but the decision has pros and cons. Brick and mortar shops have professionals that can help design shirts while online shops might not have that. For this reason, however, buying custom shirts on the internet is generally a cheaper option. It’s up to you as the coordinator for designing and having your shirts printed to weigh options and pick the custom printer that is the best fit for you and your group.