Custom T-Shirts

Using our online customization app

How We Make It

We have  3 different technologies that are used to create custom t-shirts:custom printed heat transfer pages, die cut heat transfer vinyl and dye sublimation pages.

Heat Transfer

Cotton custom t-shirts are created from custom printed heat transfer pages or die cut heat transfer vinyl. The transfer pages can be full photo images or cut out image/text and are heat pressed onto the t-shirt. Our t-shirts are 100% cotton or polyester. Heat transfer pages are used for cotton custom t-shirts. When using heat transfer pages a full page (8.5×11) photo image can make the t-shirt feel “heavy”. You can specify that we cut or trim the image so the fabric shows though the cut away parts of the image. This lightens up the transfer and allows endless creativity. Please put this request in the “order notes“.  You can have images on the front, back or both. We can die cut heat transfer vinyl for application to either cotton or polyester t-shirts. Die cut heat transfer vinyl is generally used for single color designs or just text.

Dye Sublimation

For polyester t-shirts we use dye sublimation. This process produces a high quality image dyed into the fabric and does not make the t-shirt feel heavy. The dye sublimation image is printed on white (only white) soft polyester t-shirts. The image is “dyed” into the fabric resulting image that is soft to the touch. Dye sublimation transfers can be as large as 11’x 17″.

Just Text

If you just want text on you your shirt we have 2 methods: custom printed heat transfers and heat transfer vinyl. Both are die cut around the letters and heat pressed onto the t-shirt. Since heat transfers are custom printed the text can look anyway you want. Heat transfer vinyl transfers are typically 1 color much like the text you type into the design app. The text can cover the front back or both as well as left chest designs.

The following are added to the base price of the shirt which includes 1 line of text up to 16 characters. Each additional line of text or group of 16 characters is an additional $1.00 Each image added to your design is $1.50, up to 2 images can be uploaded See “Designing My Shirt” tab for hints if you have more than 2 images.
What should image resolution be?
You should test print the image you intend to upload on regular paper at about the same size it will be on your custom product. If it doesn’t look good, it wont look good on your custom product The test image should be printed a resolution of  300dpi or it wont look good. Higher resolution is not necessary

Do not use a image with a small width or height in pixels. For example, a image that is  240px x 120px will not look good when sized for a t-shirt. A image with a pixel size of 1280px x 960px or more will.

How many images can I upload?

You can upload 2 images, 1 for the front and 1 for the back. If you have more than 2 images, say 2 for the front and 1 for the back, combine the 2 for the front before them uploading to your design.

How big will the design be on my shirt?

For shirts, the customization app tells us where you want the designs and/or text placed on the shirt.  It does not give us dimensions of the design. When ordering be sure to specify the size (width and height) you want each design object to be in the order notes when checking out. If no dimensions are given we will do our best to size everything based on your submitted design.

What is the largest my design can be?
At this time the largest heat transfer we can make is 8.5×11 for cotton shirts and 11×17 for the polyester shirts. If the design allows we can print your design across 2 heat transfer pages to make a larger design. We can cut heat transfer vinyl for text up to 12″ high and up to 15 inches long.
Can I mix heat transfer pages and heat transfer vinyl?
Yes you can, but it does not look good. If you want to mix the technologies be sure to specify this in the order notes.
How do I set a background color on my design other uploading a image?
You cannot set the background color for a whole t-shirt, only the background  behind text.
How to center text on my product?
Make sure the text is selected , you will see handle bars around the text, then on the left scroll down to the bottom of the text area and select the center alignment icon. The text will be centered in the text box and you can move the text box anywhere you want.
Can I design my shirt using my phone or tablet?
It will work on a phone or tablet, but using a desktop for design is the best method. We are working on improving the app..
Why is the text not changing color when a new color is selected?
Be sure the text or any object you want to edit is selected. You will see “handle bars” on the object when it is selected. If no object is selected the app will not make any changes.
How do care for my new shirt?
Wash your shirt as you would any other shirt, the design will be fine. If your shirt is 100% cotton air dry your shirt. Do not put it in a dryer, it will shrink, the shirts are not pre-shrunk