Have you ever walked into a store and come across a t-shirt that had a design you liked…but you didn’t love? The reasons to customize your own printed tee are plenty. You can design a single custom one for you. You can do so for your business. T-shirts can build unity among groups. They can be customized for special events and fundraisers. You might be thinking that it’s just a simple little piece of apparel. But, we’ll lay out for you why a custom garment can help you reap huge rewards.
Benefits of Making Your Own Custom T-Shirts:
Designing your own custom tee personalizes it for you. Maybe that printed garment you saw in the store had a unique design to it, but the font just didn’t strike your fancy. By customizing one, you get exactly what you want.
If you own a business, the benefits of customizing your own t-shirts are immeasurable. There’s plenty of rationale with regard to a staff wearing matching clothing that can significantly crank up revenue, as well as boost morale.
Your business is your brand. Your brand is a promotional tool. Custom t-shirts act as that promotional tool.
When the customer purchases or uses your product and derives satisfaction, a positive association is created. The customer will remember your company name from the outfit they saw. They will be reminded of how pleasing the experience was. They will return. They will tell others.
If your staff is dressed in uniformity with custom garments, it sends a message to clientele that your company has it together. According to J.D. Power, the following are some consumer reactions regarding the impact that uniforms have on a company and its customers:
• Consumers associate positive traits when they see uniformed employees
• Wearing uniforms conveys to consumers a higher work ethic and instills a greater sense of trust and confidence
• When consumers see an employee in uniform, they feel that they receive a better product and higher quality of service
As for the employees’ frame of mind, wearing uniforms impacts the way workers feel about themselves, as well as their attitude toward others. A custom clothing design will produce more professionalism in the employees. They will treat each other with greater respect.
The psychology of wearing the same t-shirts can inspire a camaraderie in the workplace, and that unity can do wonders to bring about greater success.
With it all, the customer is satisfied, the staff is happily endeavoring to perform their best, and the results are higher numbers on your bottom line.
Best Uses for Custom Tees:
There are events happening around this country pretty much every day. Take elections for example. You might be planning a future campaign. For you, custom clothing emblems for your campaign can make a big difference. Custom shirts are a very affordable way to spread your message.
How about family reunions? They are a celebration of love and connection. These gatherings give relatives a chance to take a break from life and to remember what’s uniquely wonderful about being part of the same family.
A reunion reminds family members about the importance of unconditional love – love that should be never-ending and sets no requirements. A custom design on matching family clothing can be a light, enjoyable way to celebrate.
Marketing doesn’t always have to be entrepreneurial. There are plenty of places, things, and ideas to advocate for. Take religion, in this case. Not everyone attends church. And sometimes those who do become less enamored with theirs and are looking for a change. Imagine your church members, volunteers, staff, and even ministry leaders wearing identical garments around town. It can be grocery shopping, bingo night, or a neighborhood barbecue. The message will get out there.
Now, the sense of belonging and coming together to worship and pray have a greater reach. It has become prevalent to those who haven’t been to church in a while, people seeking an alternate church, or those who have never been.
The same apparel with a sharp design is a no-brainer when it comes to a fundraiser. We’ll use a charity run for example. One great aspect of fundraising messages on t-shirts that participants wear–these runs last a while, and people are on hand watching as the runners pass by. It means there is quite a lot of visibility for the printed tees to be seen. With it, a powerful, resonating message is delivered. Those in attendance will remember, and they may very well act on donating or volunteering toward said cause.
Custom Options:
Choosing a fabric for custom-designed apparel allows for some nice options. The more common fabrics are:
*Cotton
*Polyester
*Rayon
*Performance Wicking
*Blends
*Tri-Blends
Cotton is very breathable, light, but strong as well. At the same time, it feels soft to the touch; a win-win for those looking for personalized shirts.
Polyester is synthetic and is a commonly used fabric. Because it’s sturdy, it’s ideal for athletic gear. Polyester is quite easy to wash and dries fast. That’s a cool combination. Note that this is the only fabric that can be used in dye sublimation printing for custom tees.
Rayon has a silky feel to it, but it is not nearly as costly as silk. Rayon breathes well and has a flowing, draping look to it. The negative? They tend to wrinkle, stretch, and they don’t last as long as others.
Performance wicking garments are designed for outdoor activities like running and hiking. Moisture-wicking gear quickly moves the wicking, aka sweating, to the tee’s outer surface. It also dries the sweat quickly so it’s not trapped and doesn’t saturate clothes. What transpires is more comfortability because your body can maintain and regulate its temperature efficiently.
Blends are a premier choice for apparel. This material is produced by industry giants like Hanes and Gildan. You have cotton, being breathable and lightweight. You have polyester, bringing strength and a resistance to wrinkling. You now have a piece of clothing that will feel airy, last exceedingly long, and as a bonus, won’t fade.
Tri-blends might just be at the apex of the mountain of fabrics. Bringing rayon into the mix creates a worn feel and displays an almost vintage look. Everything that’s printed on your garment is not as bold as other shirts. Screen printing a tri-blend that’s breathable, durable, and extraordinarily comfortable…nice.
Moving from fabrics to ink colors of custom print garments. For disparate types of businesses, there are different needs of particular color schemes. For example, a lawn care operation would want to go with dark green colors. This would substantially hide the grass and dirt that will inevitably end up on apparel. A car wash business would do well to dress the staff in light blues and greens. They are representative of water and the ocean, which play right into the hands of a car washing biz. An auto repair shop might elect to roll with black. The dirty nature of auto mechanic work makes a darker color smarter.
Black can hide much of the gunk that ends up on a shirt. A mechanic who has to break the bad news to an anxious customer that their transmission is shot looks more professional in dark, uniformed clothes. It helps build the trust those in the industry strive to attain.
A design on the front and back of a t-shirt, especially for business, provides the ability to put more information on the apparel. The front side can exhibit company name and logo, while the back can display another image and contact information.
How to Order Them:
Ordering your custom torso clothing isn’t quite as easy as a quick phone call or a single click of a computer mouse. There are essentially four ways to place an order. The first option is hiring a professional designer. In this scenario, there can be a back and forth between you and designer. If time is of the essence, this method could cause you some stress. Trying to convey exactly what you want, and the proof comes back not like you want, that’s where the back and forth can come into play. But if you aren’t computer-savvy, this is a solid path to take.
Next up, it’s print-ready artwork. In this scenario, you would find a design on the internet or other outlet. You’d send the printing shop either a vector image or a JPEG file. This route works best if your desired design is not overly complex and time is a factor.
You can you utilize a design template. In this instance, you can select the clothes’ color, text, and art that pre-exists on the site. Create this design with an easy-to-navigate platform. Like design templates, a design tool is something you can use to create what you want. But here, you build the design from scratch. All methods have their advantages, depending on your situation.
It’s time to print. A shirt print can run anywhere from a few bucks to $20 or more. It depends on quantity of units ordered (with a bulk order being much more cost-effective), as well as screens and inks used. Each color on the apparel requires its own screen and additional ink, which equates to more cost. Something to think about as it relates to your budget.
There’s the information about custom t-shirts that should help you be prepared to make your purchase. Whether it’s one or one thousand of them, you can be fully confident we’ll deliver for you. We’ve been in the garment business for over a decade, so we can certainly guide you through the entire process. Give our professional, talented team a call at (800) 614-8040.