Designing and printing a t shirt?

[kristenk]

DH joked a while ago that we need t-shirts that say "Old at Heart" b/c our hobbies tend to be things you, um, sorta associated with the older crowd. Think gardening, knitting, baking pies, etc. (As a disclaimer, I understand that people of ALL ages participate in these activities, but they seem to trend older.) Anyway, I'd LOVE to get a t-shirt designed for either Father's Day or DH's birthday, but I have no idea how to go about getting this done. I mean, realistically, I'd just like to get a few copies of the shirt made, so I'm not looking at mass production or anything.

Anyone have any ideas on how to get this accomplished? I have 1-3 months to get this done. :)

[lizzywednesday]

Either CafePress or a local silkscreener/tee place. I know someone in WI who does silkscreening as well; I can get the name to you if you PM. They do small orders & they do ship outside WI.

If you're crafty & have the time/patience to DIY, you can also find silkscreen kits online:

http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/screen-printing-kit

I've also seen kits at places like Pearl Paint, which is a serious artists' supply store.

[jench]

I used etsy to get a T shirt that said Super Cool Daddy (the kids' nickname for DH) with the superhero "S"- there are lots of sellers who do custom shirts! Just look for someone who does something similar to what you want and ask if they will customize.

[Fairy]

I know t-shirt making. I do it every year for DS for his bday party goodie bag. There are lots of places that will do this for you, but you generally need a minimum. Others will do it for you piecemeal, but you pay thru the nose. Now, i don't mind so much paying thru the nose if it's a gift and you'd pay $$ for a gift anyway, then ok. But some of the places have really questionable quality.

Cafe Press - They're really flexible, have almost eveyrthing you can imagine, have it one at a time. But their quality leaves alot to be desired, IMO. Looks and feels cheap, everything I've gotten there. Note: i've never gotten a t-shirt there, but I've gotten loads of other things, and generally I'm not impressed. But they do do t-shirts.

One Hour Tees is Chicago-based, but they are a nationwide company. I've gone to the actual facility, they do it all in-house, and I've never been disappointed. I do not know if they do piecemeal or not, but they are absoltuely work a try.

Look for local places. There's bound to be one near you if you're in a non-rural area. Again, they're probably gonna want minimums,. but try it, that's the right place to probably start, actually.

Design whatever you want, they generally canmake it work, as there are a few different printing methods. Simplest is going to be a single color silkscreen on a t-shirt. You add colors, you add $$. But this is usually simplest and cheapest.

[Mermanaid]

You can try www.zazzle.com. I've never used them but have heard from people that they like their quality.

I also found a chain near me called Embroid Me. They made some pillow cases for me that were screened. It was a bit expensive ($60 for two cases, printing on both sides -- and large area) but worth it.

[Sweetum]

Here's an alternative:
why not use t-shirt transfers? You can design on word on your computer, print on the transfer at home if it is an ink-jet printer and after that all you need to do is iron it on.

[klwa]

Well, if you ask my kids, they'd tell you you should use Custom Ink. Because we see their commercial 25 times a day. (They REALLY want to design a T-shirt, too. And all I can think of when I hear the people on the commercial saying "Thanks Custom Ink!" is "Thank you Easter Bunny! Bock Bock!")

http://www.customink.com/

[squimp]

Here's an alternative:
why not use t-shirt transfers? You can design on word on your computer, print on the transfer at home if it is an ink-jet printer and after that all you need to do is iron it on.

We have done this as well and they turn out pretty cute. ETA - the transfer is pretty sensitive, it doesn't hold up to tons of washing/drying.

[kristenk]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

Part of my problem is that I don't really know what I want the shirt to look like. I don't have any sort of design in mind. I just want the shirt to look non-homemade.

It sounds like I might need to find someone to design the shirt and some other place to get it printed out? Is that right?

As far as t-shirt transfer paper goes, I'm in the middle of it right now! We're making some tees for DD's class for field day. The shirts are going to be so cute, but they really won't last that long. I want DH's shirt to last through multiple, multiple washings!

I'll look into local places, too. If I go with someone local, what kind of thing will I need to take to them? A hard copy of the design? A jpeg? How does that typically work?

[Fairy]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

Part of my problem is that I don't really know what I want the shirt to look like. I don't have any sort of design in mind. I just want the shirt to look non-homemade.

It sounds like I might need to find someone to design the shirt and some other place to get it printed out? Is that right?

As far as t-shirt transfer paper goes, I'm in the middle of it right now! We're making some tees for DD's class for field day. The shirts are going to be so cute, but they really won't last that long. I want DH's shirt to last through multiple, multiple washings!

I'll look into local places, too. If I go with someone local, what kind of thing will I need to take to them? A hard copy of the design? A jpeg? How does that typically work?

Can you just open up your Powerpoint and start playing? When you have something you like, you save the PPT, print it out, and bring it with you. If you need full color, then you are going to wanna save it as a jpg and email it to them. Might wanna do that regardless.

Important distinction --> designing and printing are very different things. Printing is easy. Designing will be add'l charges, I"m pretty sure. I'd do this yourself, but I",m a very creative person and can come up with a design quickly. If you're not the type, then this is a taller order, definitely, so might be worth it to you to pay someone to come up with something interesting for you.

[sariana]

Try Personal Creations. They have things like that.