A good custom t-shirt starts well before anyone presses a button on a printer. Most problems we see, from a blurry logo to a design that disappears on a dark shirt, come from decisions made at the design stage. This guide walks through those decisions in the order you will meet them, so the file you send is one that prints well the first time.
Start with who will wear it and where
A shirt for a one-day charity run has different needs from a uniform worn five days a week. Write down three things before you open any design software: who will wear it, how often it will be washed, and how far away people will see it. A fun-run shirt should be readable from ten metres. A staff polo is read at arm’s length. Those answers shape the size of the artwork, the number of colours and even the printing method.
Choose the print method early
Method affects what you can design. DTF printing handles gradients, fine lines and many colours with no minimum order. Heat transfer is ideal for names, numbers and simple solid shapes. Screen printing is usually cheapest for large runs of one or two flat colours, and embroidery suits small logos on polos that are washed often. If you are not sure, our comparison of printing methods explains each in plain terms, and you can always send a rough idea and ask for a recommendation.
Keep the layout simple
Designs that try to say everything usually say nothing. One main idea, one focal point and plenty of empty space almost always beat a crowded layout. As a rough rule, put the most important element, such as the logo or headline, in the centre of the print area, and keep supporting text smaller and lower. If a design needs three explanations, it needs a second shirt.
Size and placement
Typical positions are the left chest, the centre of the chest, the full front and the back between the shoulder blades. A left-chest logo is usually small, often around 8 to 10 centimetres wide. A full-front design on an adult t-shirt is commonly up to around 30 centimetres wide, though exact limits depend on the garment size and the method. Child and youth sizes need smaller artwork. If you are unsure, send us the garment type and size and we will mock it up before anything is printed.
Colour and contrast
Contrast does more work than colour choice. Light designs vanish on pale shirts and dark designs vanish on black ones, so check your artwork against the actual garment colour rather than a white screen. On dark garments, printing methods such as DTF add a white underbase beneath the colours so they stay bright, but very dark inks on a black shirt will still look dull. If your brand has fixed colours, give us the Pantone references and we will match them as closely as the method allows.
Fonts and small text
Thin fonts and tiny lines are the first things to fail in print. As a guide, avoid text smaller than about 5 millimetres tall and avoid hairline strokes. Heavy, clear typefaces survive washing and distance better than decorative scripts. Convert text to outlines before you save a vector file, or send the font along with the artwork, so the lettering does not change on our computers.
File formats and resolution
We accept PNG, JPG, PDF, AI and PSD files. Vector artwork (AI, EPS or PDF) is best because it stays sharp at any size. If you send a bitmap image, it should be at least 300 pixels per inch at the size it will be printed, so a 25 centimetre wide print needs an image of roughly 3,000 pixels across. Save logos with a transparent background rather than a white box, or the white may print. Our guide to the best file format for t-shirt printing goes into more detail.
Check the mock-up
Always look at a mock-up on the real garment colour and size. We show placement, scale and colours before production, and for larger orders we recommend approving a physical sample. This is the cheapest moment to change your mind: moving a logo two centimetres on a mock-up costs nothing, while moving it after five hundred shirts are printed costs a reprint.
Six common mistakes
- Using a low-resolution image saved from a website
- Leaving a white background around a logo
- Designing on a white screen without checking the shirt colour
- Using very thin lines or very small text
- Putting too many ideas in one print
- Changing the text after the order has been approved
A last-minute checklist
- Artwork saved as vector or high-resolution PNG with a transparent background
- Text converted to outlines or fonts supplied
- Print size and position decided
- Garment type, colour and sizes listed
- Spelling of every name and number checked
- Delivery date set, with a few days spare
Designing for different print methods
The same artwork can behave differently depending on how it is printed. With DTF, gradients and photographic detail are fine, and small lines print cleanly. With heat transfer vinyl, keep shapes bold and solid, because each colour is cut from a separate sheet. With screen printing, every extra colour adds cost, so designs of one or two flat colours are most economical at volume. Embroidery cannot reproduce gradients or very fine detail at all, so logos for embroidery are simplified into stitched blocks of colour. Ask which method is planned before you finalise the artwork, not after.
RGB, CMYK and what your screen is not telling you
Screens glow and ink does not. Very bright, saturated colours, especially neon greens, blues and pinks, can look noticeably duller once printed. If a colour matters, such as a brand red, tell us the Pantone reference or send a printed swatch and we will get as close as the method allows. We can work from either RGB or CMYK files, so there is no need to convert your artwork just for us, but do not be surprised if a screen-bright colour needs a small adjustment.
Designing for dark garments
Dark shirts need more thought than white ones. Pure black ink disappears, so black elements are usually replaced with a dark grey or a white outline. Thin white lines on black fabric can fill in during washing, so keep strokes slightly thicker than you would on a light shirt. A short test is to place your artwork on a black rectangle on screen: whatever you struggle to see there, you will struggle to see on the shirt.
Names, numbers and team lists
For teams, put every name, number and size in a spreadsheet with one row per person and send it with the artwork. Choose one clear font for all names, and decide the position in advance: upper back above the number is common. Check every spelling with the people who will wear the shirts. A wrong letter is easy to fix on a screen and expensive to fix after printing.
Tools you can use
Professional designers use Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer for vector files. Inkscape is a capable free alternative. Online editors such as Canva are fine for simple layouts, but check the export settings: some limit transparent backgrounds or high-resolution exports, so export as a PDF or a large PNG and look at the result at full size before you send it. If you only have a logo as a small JPEG, tell us and we can advise on re-drawing it or finding the original file.
Designing for a date
Event and seasonal designs add a deadline to everything above. Leave time for a mock-up, any changes, a sample and printing. For larger orders, two to three weeks is a sensible window. If your date is closer, say so in your first message and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic. Rush production is available for an extra fee that we confirm in the quote first.
Further reading
- DTF vs screen printing: which is better for t-shirts?
- Can I print one custom t-shirt in London?
- What is the minimum t-shirt printing order?
Sending your design to us
Upload the file through the free quote form, email it to info@tshirtprintlondon.com, or message us on WhatsApp. Tell us the quantity and your deadline and we will reply with a written, itemised quote, usually within one business day. For prices, see our pricing page, and for the full range of services start at custom t-shirt printing.
