Must Have Resources for T- Shirt Printing
Whether you are spreading the word about your business or social mission, or just wanting to flex your creative muscles by printing t-shirts, you don’t have to do it alone (or re-invent the wheel).
Today, designing and creating your own apparel is as easy as going online, uploading your design and selecting the products you want to be made.
There are tons of places to get printing supplies for any size operation, from small scale (think: a hobby in your garage) to large scale (think: full-fledged warehouse business).
To make your t-shirt printing journey easier, we’ve compiled a list of the top resources you need when designing apparel.
Follow the recommendations below and you’ll be creating amazing custom apparel in no time!
Lock in your designs
The first step of creating custom t-shirts is settling on a design. If you’re creating clothing for your hobby or business and are not artistically inclined, you’ll need to find somewhere to source your designs.
Why not get in touch with an artsy friend or colleague to see if they’ll design something up for you? If that’s not an option, have a look online – there are tons of websites to source t-shirt design templates.
Find an apparel printing company
Unless you’re planning on learning how to screen print or how to DIY digital apparel printing, you’ll want to find an apparel printing company.
If you have a strong desire to get into fabric printing or embroidery, you’ll need to purchase the equipment and learn how to hand print your apparel or pay someone to do it.
If buying the whole setup and learning how to screen print feels like too much commitment, you’ll be best off printing your custom products through an apparel printing company.
Most companies will be able to print far more than just t-shirts. The best companies offer a multitude of apparel options, ranging from hoodies to caps, so you can offer your clients, customers, or fans whatever suits their styles.
Look out for internet freebies
If the company you are ordering through doesn’t already have customisation services on offer with options for you to design a variety of basic apparel, you can always search the internet for more options.
Premade t-shirt designs and other apparel designs are easy to find and relatively inexpensive – if not free – to shop.
While some of these designs will be about the same as what the company will offer, some give you the option to go above and beyond the basics, really letting you stand out.
Use templates to take you back to basics
T-shirt design templates come in a variety of options, covering almost every possible scenario to help your marketing, designing, and allowing you to really see the apparel before it is ordered.
From your basic white or black t-shirts with pre-designed formats all the way up to vividly-coloured, stand out t-shirts, t-shirt design options are as endless as your imagination.
Modern t-shirt design software allows you to upload your own design and visualise the final product. Other templates allow you to showcase your design on V-necks, long & short sleeve shirts, tank tops and to show both the front and back of the shirt- expanding your design capabilities.
While seeing your new design on the shirt is great, some mockup templates allow you to go even further and give the option of seeing the t-shirt on a model – this is a great option to see where the text and design will actually look on.
Step it up with online mock printing generators
Online generator platforms allow you to create a mock up in the platform, saving the work until you are finished with your design. With these platforms, you may sacrifice some of the quality you would get in the visuals with a download template, but they are still great for basic designing.
Some platforms are free, while others require a monthly or annual fee.
Ready to get started?
As you can see, creating your own t-shirts or other apparel items can be incredibly simple, even if you have no design experience.
Simply decide what template generator meets your needs and how you want to print your clothing items, then go for it!
If you are in Australia, start your design journey with The Fabric Printer. With customisation, quality custom apparel and order shipping, you really can’t go wrong.