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How to Customize T-shirts for Promotional Events

To people in the marketing field, T-shirts are amazing as walking billboards because the more people who wear them out of their houses, the more brand exposure they create. Because of their low cost per exposure, they are among the most effective promotional items. And mass production makes it more cost-effective. They also stay longer in people’s houses, as research shows, for over one year.

For these reasons, why not take advantage of T-shirts to promote your business or brand?

A nice customized T-shirt for your brand can cost $1 to $2, but more expensive ones can cost $40 or more, varying greatly according to the materials, styles, printing methods, and suppliers. So, how do you choose suitable T-shirts for your brand?

As a professional supplier of promotional items, I would advise you to take the following steps before locating a satisfactory T-shirt to give away for your brand.

#1. Choose the appropriate T-shirt style

T-shirt styles are classified into nearly 20 different types. Of course, we will only cover those that are commonly used in the promotion field.

1.1 Polo T-shirts

It’s somewhere between casual and formal modes. You can wear it to parties, golf games, and even dates. Among the various types of T-shirts, the polo shirt is perfect for displaying your silhouette and fostering a sense of being young, active, and gentle. It has even become a useful and chic addition to the wardrobe of young people.

1.2 Crew-neck T-shirt

Crew-neck T-shirts, which have a different collar than polo ones, are often referred to as short-sleeve T-shirts because they are the most popular type of T-shirt.e

Unlike the slim polo shirt, it is much looser, which reduces the sense of restraint that clothes may bring to people, and its free dressing style thus spreads its popularity throughout the ages amid the modern fast-paced life and disintegrated pressure. It is, without a doubt, the most popular T-shirt style.

1.3 V-Collar T-shirt

V-Collar T-shirts are generally believed to have first appeared in the 1960s. Though making its late debut, it was the most popular among females compared to other styles, because a V-neck makes your face seem longer and more elegant.

Interestingly, many young people think that a V-neck is a bit more modern than a round-neck. On the other hand, the old and traditional generation firmly support the round-neck one and often laugh at the V-neck and its wearer. This may give you some hints on what style to choose for your specific target audience and to make them happy.

1.4 Sleeveless T-shirt

This T-shirt is simply a favorite among athletes. Not only can it effectively dissipate heat, but it is also camera-friendly for people in good shape. Sports stars are frequently seen wearing sleeveless tops for training or even vacation. If your brand or product is related to sports and the younger generation, this style is definitely something you should consider.

To sum up, there are numerous styles of T-shirts to choose from. However, as long as you consider your audience’s age, and cultural background, as well as your brand and product characteristics, target market, and other factors in marketing, it is not a difficult task to find the right one.

#2. Select a fabric

This is probably the most important process in customizing your T-shirts because the fabric determines the touch, comfort level, and printing effect of a T-shirt. So, try to stay up to date on the material performance. There are four types of the most commonly used fabrics, pure cotton, polyester-cotton fabric, and pure polyester.

2.1 pure cotton

Cotton is called the “king of fabrics” thanks to its breathable, comfortable, sweat-absorbent, and environmentally friendly qualities.
However, its drawbacks are obvious. It is of high cost, easily wrinkled, and difficult to smooth out after wrinkles. It always shrinks when used for the first time, at a rate of 2% to 5%. And it also deforms easily and sticks to particles and dust, making it difficult to remove.

In contrast to the traditional pure cotton fabric, there is combed cotton fabric, in which the longer impurity fibers are removed by using a combing machine, producing a smooth and fine texture. It is not prone to pilling, hard to deform, much more durable and washing resistant than ordinary cotton fabrics, and thus reasonably comes at a higher price.

2.2 Polyester cotton fabric

Polyester-cotton fabric is by far the most commonly used fabric for T-shirts. Generally, the following proportions are the most common practice.
25% cotton + 75% polyester,
50% cotton + 50% polyester,
65% cotton + 35% polyester

This fabric has the benefits of both pure cotton fabric and polyester fabric in that it is affordable, breathable, durable, and comfortable. However, its disadvantage stands out as well, as it is easy to absorb oil stains and to generate static electricity, and easy to absorb dust during wearing. Furthermore, most polyester-cotton fabrics cannot be ironed at high temperatures or soaked in boiling water.

The fabric characteristics may differ due to the different proportions listed below.

Fabric Proportionappearancehandlingfeatures
75% polyester / 25% cottonSoftEasy to handleNo Pilling
50% polyester / 50% cottonComfortDry quicklyNo shrinkage
35% polyester/ 65% cottonBright & colorfulSo-soNot easy to wrinkle
2.3 Polyester fabric

Polyester, a petroleum-based material, is the most widely used synthetic fabric on the planet.
Because of its high strength and elasticity, it is remarkably strong, durable, difficult to wrinkle, and does not require ironing after drying. However, it may disappoint you as being nonbreakable, hard to absorb moisture and sweat, and prone to pilling.

Although, as a synthetic fabric, polyester fabric is inexpensive. However, being non-biodegradable, your polyester-fabric shirt might take more than 20 years, or worst 200 years, to break down. That sounds unfriendly to the only planet on which we live. Additionally, a lot of chemicals are added during the manufacturing process, making it far less healthy than cotton.
Therefore, the markets for all-polyester T-shirts have been declining in recent years coinciding with popular environmental trends.

#3. Select the appropriate printing method

T-shirts can be printed in four methods: screen printing, thermal transfer printing, digital direct injection printing, and hand-painted printing. Screen and thermal types are the least expensive while hand-painting is the most expensive.

3.1 Screen printing

Plates are required prior to the printing process for screen printing and thermal transfer printing, which allow for massive printing production, and these two techniques have proved to be the most popular ones thus far.

Screen printing is the most popular and widely used printing method on T-shirts, especially for batch printing, in which silk screen is used to print patterns on T-shirts, typically in 2 color shades, creating dedicated images with a long service life.

3.2 Thermal transfer printing

It works as a supplement to silkscreen. When complicated patterns, usually in more than 2 color shades, can’t be realized by silk screen craftsmanship, it can be achieved by pressing onto clothes a piece of special paper printed with pictures by using a thermal printing machine.

Thermal printing produces vibrant colors and has a short production lead time. However, the fabric beneath the pattern is not breathable. As a result, most thermal-printed T-shirts are used as disposable outfits for group activities.

3.3 Digital printing technology

Digital printing technology is as simple as a printer in that any desired pattern can be printed on clothes at any time from a computer. It usually takes 1-2 hours to complete, and no water resources are required in the process, making it environmentally friendly. The highlight of this technology is that it has no effect on the softness and comfort of the cloth. And there is no need for plate making or MOQ limits.

3.4 Hand-painted printing

It is the manual drawing of patterns with a pen on a T-shirt. This sophisticated process is typically carried out by experienced painters. And once something goes wrong in the process, it is inconvenient to fix it. The costs of these pigments and the labor force are extremely high. Therefore, this method is rarely used in mass production, preferring instead to be used in a small batch of customization or DIY situations.

#4. Determine the size and position of patterns

Many people might overlook the final but not least process after choosing the T-shirt style, the fabric material, and the printing method. However, the last step to deciding the size and position of patterns is also the most important one. It is worthwhile to broaden your knowledge in this area, and I always find it interesting to finalize the customized pattern and make it look good. lol…

4.1 Full Front or Full Back

Let’s start with the most regular printing position, that is, full front or full back.
This printing position can make your logo and slogan stand out in the most visible position, the most commonly used position. If you choose to print at this location, the printed side should be approximately 12×14 inches.

4.2 Left or Right Chest

If you want to take the simple route, then a 3×4 inches printing on the left or right chest is a good option. This position is best suited for printing patterns, rather than words. If your logo is in a simple and bright style, having it printed in this area will be impressive.

4.3 Sleeve Position

This printing, which can be as small as 3×4 inches in size, is usually done with full front or chest printing. It is rare to see patterns printed solely on sleeves. If you choose to do it in this combined way, it means that you want to display your company’s logo and slogan in all directions.

Another important tip: try to choose a single color for the background color of a T-shirt in order to keep the color base simple and clean. Otherwise, a colorful background T-shirt will inevitably draw people’s attention from your logo and slogan, which is the opposite of what we intend to achieve.

#5. Search for supplier quotations

I believe you now have a general idea of how to customize T-shirts for your marketing events. Following that, you can list your preferred style, material, printing requirements, and location, and send your quotation to your T-shirt suppliers, asking them to provide the prices.

If you import T-shirts from China, the price is usually between $1 and $10 per piece, depending on the printing and materials. The production lead time for a batch of fewer than 1000 pieces is approximately one week. If you have any other special requirements, please feel free to contact us at sales@plentmax.com, and we will be happy to provide additional schemes for your consideration.

#6. The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy

If you want to learn more about T-shirts, there is a book, The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy, written by a professor of business on arguments over global trade. She bought a T-shirt and began to follow its path from the Texas cotton field to clothing factories in China, and then exported back to America, and finally shipped to Africa for a secondhand life.

Sounds attractive? lol…

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A nice customized T-shirt for your brand can cost $1 to $2, but more expensive ones can cost $40 or more, varying greatly according to the materials, styles, printing methods, and suppliers. So, how do you choose suitable T-shirts for your brand?

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