Category Archives: T-Shirts

Everything about t-shirts. How t-shirts are made, history of t-shirts and t-shirt printing methods.

Custom T-shirts – Way to Express Individuality

Leave a reply

The days of t-shirts displaying company logos are passé. And plain t-shirts well, they remain just too plain for anyone’s comfort! Today, you’re not ‘in’ with the crowd, if you don’t have a custom t-shirt, flashing your style and ideology. So, what do you do to stand out in the crowd? Well, you design your own t-shirt to have your say.

Custom t-shirt–a unique medium

Since the time t-shirts became a canvas for displaying images and messages, life hasn’t been the same. Such is the impact of this apparel! Evolving from the basic white that generally displayed school and team emblems, it soon metamorphosed into different colors and sizes, boasting of every design and slogan imaginable. Just look around and you’ll find them everywhere, especially in public events, like rock concerts, sports meets, events like ‘run for health’, and the like.

But why is it that t-shirts never fall out of favor? Like humans, custom t-shirts too are not created equal! If you wear, say, Levis or Wranglers or any other brand, countless others wear them too. However, if you wear something that says ‘Hold My Chest, I Breathe Heavy’ or some such deep philosophy, people know it can only be you!

This walking billboard is the single most powerful form of individual expression for anyone. When you flaunt your very own slogan and design, irrespective of the fact whether somebody understands it or interprets it correctly, there’s little doubt that it’s you who’s delivering the message. Your custom t-shirt is you! This powerful tool is one of the most potent weapons wielded for a cause. When you sport a tee that says ‘Stop Clubbing Baby Seals’ with an appropriate graphic, the message clearly hits the bullseye.

Having your say via custom t-shirt

Custom t-shirts not only give you the space, but also the power to say what you’ve been dying to say. And it ensures you’re the first off the blocks in expressing what others haven’t as yet thought of. You’re also spared long hours looking for an appropriate, second-hand slogan, which may or may not fit your taste or ideology. So, if you’ve a favorite joke, quote, famous saying or words of wisdom, simply print them on your tee. If you want to convey your interests, whether it’s scrap-booking, music, baseball or sex, create the one in your own unique style. You can also share a common cause, by expressing your thought on the tees and distributing them among those supporting the cause. In case you’ve got an axe to grind with someone, this blank canvas on your chest and back can come in handy too! However, if you just want to be ‘you’, and simply want to assert your independence, the tee becomes your medium of self-expression.

So, give shape to your ideas and advertise it far and wide through your very own custom t-shirts. There are some excellent sites that’ll do everything for you at the click of a mouse. It’s time to assert your individuality and let your imagination run wild!

Alternatives to Regular T-shirts

Leave a reply

People like to show of their creative side, and they like to make statements. One of the best ways to show your personality at first glance is to wear interesting and unique clothing. As young girls discovered during the fluorescent clothing fad of the 1980s, the only rules that apply to fashion are the rules that the people wearing the clothing make. This holds true especially in the t-shirt customization field. If you are interested in creating unique and cool-looking t-shirts, we have some excellent suggestions.

The hot thing right now is the color-changing, or morphing t-shirt. These shirts are generally cotton t-shirts with an ironed-on design in a single contrasting color. However, the surprise is that when you walk into sunlight the design becomes a menagerie of colors and changes the look entirely. This is an interesting way to go from business casual to office picnic fun! The shirts are particularly common with tourists in beach areas who want a nice shirt to take home, and one that draws some attention. The technology for producing these shirts is relatively new, however photosensitive inks have been around for decades.

Airbrushing is another popular t-shirt personalization option that many people are using to show off their favorite things, their grandchildren and even their new car. Airbrushing is an artistic method that takes a great deal of talent and practice to perfect. A good airbrush t-shirt designer can generally take any image or photograph and transform a t-shirt into an excellent replica of the original. There are unlimited design opportunities and possibilities with airbrushing, thus it is really no surprise that kiosks are popping up at tourist areas and shopping malls across the world.

Glow in the dark t-shirts have been popular among children and adults for years. The type of glow in the dark shirt is what has changed. No longer do the designs you see glow on their own. Now, designers have placed glow in the dark words and designs on the shirt that are not visible during the light of day. What a different look this provides, and what a surprise some people get when they realize what their shirt is really saying when the lights are low. This type of shirt makes a great gag gift, or a neat gift for that young nephew who has every toy he can ever possibly play with.

During the 1990s, shirts decorated with rhinestones, glitter and sequins gained popularity. There are a number of ways in which these items can be attached to the shirt they are decorating. Rhinestones can be glued, or a better option is to actually use a grommet of sorts with prongs that hold the stone in place and prevent it from falling off in the laundry or while being worn. Because these shirts can be fairly expensive t-shirt options, no one wants to see their shirt fall apart. Sequins are generally sewn onto the shirt, either by hand or machine. And glitter is generally glued to the material with special fabric glue.

For those with young children who would like to help with the creation of their own custom t-shirts there is the option to print an iron transfer in black and white and to allow the child to use fabric markers and paints to customize their own t-shirt. Another way to involve even the youngest family members in to the t-shirt creation process is to make shirts with the child’s handprints or footprints placed on the fabric. There are a variety of ways to do this, however the most common is to simply stamp the child’s hand onto the shirt after dipping it in thick fabric paint.

There are so many different methods available for creating unique and creative decorated t-shirts that there really is not reason to ever wear a plain shirt again.

Characteristics of a T-Shirt – Create your Own

Leave a reply

It’s certainly difficult to imagine that a humble t-shirt, the most enduring symbol of youth and self-expression, is nearly a century old! This basic apparel started off as men’s innerwear and got its name from its shape that formed into a stout ‘T’ when laid spreadeagled. However, today, this has become the most convenient medium to express your individuality.

Characteristics of a t-shirt

A typical t-shirt has little sleeves and a round collar that distinguishes it from a standard undershirt. Although, it’s a summer wear, its popularity doesn’t diminish in cold weather, as a sweatshirt or a long sleeve shirt can always be worn on top of it.

This apparel is popular not only because it’s a convenient wear, but it can also be made unique. You can reflect your inner feelings right across your chest by appropriate text and images. In certain cases, it can also be made to state what should’ve remained unsaid! Although the message is important, there are other important factors to be considered too, for example, material, style, color and weight.

According to experts, an important criterion of a custom t-shirt is its weight. Any t-shirt made of 100% cotton, weighing between 5.3 oz and 5.8 oz, is considered a heavyweight t-shirt. Super heavyweight t-shirts are generally constructed of materials weighing between 6.1 oz and 7.0 oz. However, you’d do well to choose a standard heavyweight t-shirt in the range of 5.6 oz. This is not only because there’s a huge color choice in this weight category, but also because it lends itself beautifully to printing. Little wonder these standard heavyweight tees are the best selling of any classification of t-shirts.

However, those wanting a product with a little more beef would do well to choose super heavyweight t-shirts. They’re the recommended choice for custom embroidery. Although, they may cost slightly more than the standard weight, it’ll be worth the money for customers with a budget. Seven ounce t-shirts are seldom used for casual wear and are more suited for sporting purposes.

Coming to the material, t-shirts constructed of 50% cotton and 50% polyester are the lightest tees, weighing between 3.9 oz and 4.6 oz. However, from expert’s point of view these tees are a big no-no, since they cannot match the superior custom printing, embroidery surface, comfort and durability of 100% cotton t-shirts. However, the problem of shrinkage of pure cotton tees has been overcome. Now, major brands in the market are either pre-shrunk or have a fairly uniform shrinkage at 3% to 5%.

Creating your custom t-shirts

Well, you’ve chosen the appropriate material and thought of a befitting slogan, now all that remains is to put a suitable graphic and you’re done. With new technology on the internet its really easy to create your own custom t-shirt. You can choose from existing t-shirt templates, upload your own image, add your text and you have created a t-shirt that has never been created before. Although hundreds upon thousands of custom t-shirts are available with all kinds of messages and graphics, it’s your own ideas that’ll make your tees unique. So, create your own custom t-shirt and if it manages to provoke a reaction, you’re sure to get your ‘fifteen minutes of fame’!

Custom T-Shirts – Wearing Politics, Elections, Current Events

Leave a reply

You make a political statement; chances are it may not be heard. But, wear it on your chest and you’ll stand out like a sore thumb or a messiah depending on which side of the public opinion you stand. Take the case of President George Bush. He seems the most hated man, but he’s adored too. An Afro-beat band called Mifuné, wearing custom t-shirts with a picture of George Bush with a line through it, was silenced in mid-performance at Tower City because the mall’s management felt the band’s attire was inappropriate.

Custom t-shirt–a political medium

It’s true since the time people started sporting t-shirts with their political views printed on them, it’s given them a new voice. It became that much easy to go with the mood of the nation or spark a controversy by wearing your political beliefs emblazoned on the fronts and backs of this apparel. Gone are the days when dress-code disputes limited themselves to gangsta gear or showing too much skin, politics has now become the new fashion mantra that’s giving sleepless nights to the administration. And the disputes arising out of it are making their way into the courts. Listen to this…a student gets reprimanded for wearing a t-shirt shouting ‘International Terrorist’ with a picture of President Bush. He’s told to remove it or face the consequences. He contacts the ACLU. The group files a lawsuit and wins!

But why this sudden revival of playing politics with tees? Well, the times they’re a changin’…people’s lives today are more and more affected by such issues as Iraq war, terrorism and the talk of bringing back the draft. And this is adding to the frustration of otherwise God fearing and hard working individuals. Instead of taking up the arms, people are literally wearing their protests on their arms!

The t-shirt, of course, has long been a political tool. Starting out as part of a military uniform, it has ended up as a banner of political dissent. It was just half-a-century ago that the t-shirt was declared an official part of the US Marine Corp uniform. But, forty years later someone came up with the idea of using the blank space on the chest and back as a walking billboard. If you got a surface to write your views, can politics be far away! So, it’s no surprise that this casual wear started saying things with telling effect. Vietnam ‘Hell No, We Won’t Go’ defined the role of the t-shirt as a canvas for activism, advertising, ‘subvertising’ and politics of all persuasions. Since then, the variety in political messages is only limited by the imagination of the slogan and graphic creators, as there’s no dearth of political causes.

Creating your political custom t-shirts

Today, if you want to have your political say on your custom t-shirt, you don’t have to go looking for a plain tee and try your hand at designing. There are apparel companies who’d help you out with that. And rightly so, with t-shirt being the billboard of today’s movement, why should you sacrifice quality and style with your amateur attempts. By using hi-tech machinery that allows innovative colours, embroidery and appliqué, these companies can help you in not only reproducing your idea, but evolving it too with the kind details you couldn’t even dream of. They’re aware that a simple t-shirt can be a vote for change.

So, if you want to highlight a political theme in humorous or satirical way on your tee, go for the established people in custom t-shirt printing business. They’ll design your political t-shirt in a way that’d get the message across in split seconds to make an instant impression.

Creating custom t-shirts has never been easier

Leave a reply

In your list of must-haves, custom t-shirts are sure to be somewhere on the top, irrespective of how many you already own! What happens when you don’t buy a custom t-shirt? Picture this, you put your money together and buy a nice and expensive branded t-shirt. You decide to flaunt it at the next do at your friend’s place. But when you get there, you find to your horror someone else sporting the same exact tee! Bye, bye good money, you are wearing a shirt that everyone else has!!

Now won’t it be just great, if you could design one on your own that’ll not only be cheap, but unique, displaying your very own creation on your chest and back? Well, it is no possible to design your own custom t-shirt.

Your very own custom t-shirts

If a t-shirt idea has been lurking in your mind for long and is longing for expression, help is at hand. Even if you’re creatively challenged, you could still design your own tee. This is because, today, anyone can create a custom t-shirt online. There are some really cool sites that offer this service including ihearttees.com and mrstshirt.com

A typical site offers quick and easy steps to fill up the blank canvas of your tee. This involves selecting a tee, giving or choosing a design and placing the order. Let’s see what a typical custom t-shirt site has to offer:

a. Product: Blank tees in numerous styles and price ranges are available at the site. Once you select your style and color, you can either upload you own graphics to create your own design or use thousands of images and hundreds of fonts offered by the site. The site’s production team will review each order and recommend design improvements, if necessary. After all, they possess the creative eye! This done, your products are then decorated using high quality screen-printing, embroidery or whatever else you’ve opted for.

b. Pricing: Most sites are quite transparent about the pricing, but these can vary. The prices are generally based on the quantity, color and the brand of the blank item you select, as also for the screen-printing, the number of colors you use in your design. So, look for the most competitive prices online, where there are no hidden charges and shipping is free. You’re sure to find such sites. Word-of-mouth testimonials of friends and colleagues are a great way to choose such sites.

c. Minimums: Some sites stipulate a minimum, that is, you’ve to order a minimum of six pieces for screen printing or twelve pieces for embroidery and the like. This is basically to make the design cost-effective. However, many sites including ours require NO MINIMUMS for custom t-shirts using new technology of DTG (Direct to Garment).

d. Delivery: This varies greatly, as some sites offer a 24 to 48 hour turn around time, while some can ask for as much as fourteen days for delivery.

e. Guarantee: This is important and should be insisted upon. You don’t want to end up with a tee that doesn’t look like the one you designed! So, look for sites that offer money-back guarantee.

f. Payment: The usual modes of payment are credit or debit cards, checks, purchase orders (generally for institutions, like universities, corporations, and the like).

Designing your own custom t-shirt is fun. With online designing tools offered by various sites, it’s quick and easy too. So, don’t let your creativity perish within, reproduce it on your tee and get an edge over others!

Custom T-Shirts – Support a Cause

Leave a reply

Remember the slogans, ‘Free Tibet’, ˜End Police Brutality’, ‘Erase Hunger’, ‘Meat = Murder’, ‘Animals are the Only Fashion Victims’, and the like that made people sit up and take note? T-shirts have certainly evolved from a mere garment to a canvas to display your personal, social or political views.

The power of the slogans on t-shirts

T-shirts, undoubtedly, are the most visible form of mobile publicity ever devised. And their power was discovered in 1990s, when the catchy slogans emblazoned across the chest and back became a rage. Humorous and ironic, but always espousing a cause, these t-shirts slogans have been making political and social statements with telling effect since long. Little wonder they’ve even been embraced by celebrities like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

This modern phenomenon of ˜personal branding’ has today become a handy tool for those wishing to cash on to the political climate or support a cause. Offensive, shocking or pornographic, these slogans and graphics make hard hitting statements and reveal the leanings of the wearer–political or otherwise.

T-shirts can make a big difference as part of a campaign. According to Liberty, a British Human Rights group, “They may not change the world, but they allow us all the opportunity to state clearly our support for liberty and human rights”. However, there are no two opinions t-shirts are useful in generating publicity, public awareness and debate. Although, much depends on what they’re trying to say and who’s wearing them, they’ve an impact, particularly when they’re worn in places we least expect them to see.

Want to know the effect of these tees? T-shirt with the slogan ‘Fashion Targets Breast Cancer’ has raised ten-and-a-half million US dollars since its launch ten years ago! Name a supermodel and it’s likely she’d have modeled the recognizable ‘target’ logo at some point in her career. Some of these supermodels are Elle MacPherson, Gisele Bundchen, Yasmin Le Bon and Jodie Kidd.

Sometimes individuals support a cause by waging a slogan war against the authorities through the medium of t-shirts. It’ll be pertinent to mention one such personality. She’s Katherine Hamnett, a British designer, who has become famous, or rather infamous, for her protest t-shirts. In 1984, she wore an anti-nuke t-shirt to meet Margaret Thatcher proclaiming ‘58% Don’t Want Pershing’! Again in 2003, she sent models down the catwalk wearing t-shirts that said ‘No War, Blair Out’.

Making custom t-shirts

If you want to convey your message through a custom t-shirt, you don’t have to shop for plain t-shirts and run after graphic designers and printers. Finding a company that accepts outsourced t-shirt orders is easy. So, if you’ve a cause, don’t hesitate to announce it to the world through custom tees.