Looking for more information on printed t-shirts? Are you a First Time buyer?
We have been a distributor and printer of all the best brands of t-shirts and hoodies available in Australia for more than 25 years.
We’ve put this together as we feel it covers most of the questions we’ve been asked over the years as we have served our customer’s needs. We hope you find the following information helpful.

Why are there so many t-shirt ranges to choose from?
When new T-shirt customers come to our showroom with the choice of t-shirts available they sometimes don’t know where to begin. Some customers ask, isn’t a t-shirt just a t-shirt? How can there be so many companies selling so many different variations of a basic t-shirt? It isn’t as complicated as it first appears. 90% of the orders we take could be covered by less than 10% of the styles we offer which are shown on our t-shirts page. The main reason we offer the ranges we do is for the small percentage of people who do want a very specific colour or style. If you know what you want and you see it in the first range you look at then great, we’ve done our job and you’ve found what you want. There’s no need to feel like you are missing out on something.
Tshirt Styling

There is nothing too tricky here. For the most part in t-shirts what you see is what you get. The main decision is usually do you want a standard fitting t-shirt or a more fashionable slim fit or fashion cut.

If you want a standard fitting t-shirt, we can give you a short list. Our best selling standard fit t-shirts are the following styles. They have a proven track record. The Gildan 2000 or 5000. If you want a slim fit or more fashionable t-shirt, take a look at the Gildan 64000, or any t-shirt in the AS Colour range.

Take Note: Slim fit t-shirts as well as being slimmer in cut, tend to be smaller overall in size. If you do order slim fit t-shirts, you may need to order up a size.

T shirt Fabric Content

100% Cotton
The majority of t-shirts are 100% cotton. How that fabric is finished at the fabric mill makes quite a difference to how the t-shirt keeps its shape, how it looks on, how it feels & how it washes. We only stock brands we feel pass our standard of acceptable quality and reliability. Being in the business we find the following brands are stand outs as reliable in fabric stability, wear and longevity. Gildan, AS Colour & Biz Collection.

Quick Dry Sports Fabrics for T-shirts
T-shirts made from quick-dry fabrics are becoming more and more popular. If you are going to order this type of garment make sure you know the difference between the fabrics which have been correctly treated and the fabrics that are not correctly treated and could potentially smell after a few wears! There is a scientific process behind how these fabrics work and there are many imitations out there.

T-shirt Fabric Weight
A light weight t-shirt is not necessarily a lesser quality t-shirt. The fabrics are knitted to a weight from the same source yarn and the weight you buy should be more of a personal preference rather of a belief that heavier means better quality. For example we sell more light weight t-shirts to QLD customers than we do to NSW customers because the QLD customers are cheap! Just kidding, they like the lighter weight in their hotter climate.

Take Note: As there are in any industry, there are shonky operators in this one as well. We have seen t-shirts come out of Asia (container loads of them), made of a fabrics which, to bump up the weight of the fabric and achieve a higher sell price, have been washed through with a food starch. This starch obviously washes out in the first wash, effects the print stability and effects how the t-shirt rapidly loses its shape and weight. If it is cheap, you are probably getting what you paid for.

Tshirt Washability
There are some fabrics better prepared for washability than others. If washability is a key factor for you, we can advise from experience which brands wash better.

Keeping the Price of a Screen Printed Tshirt Down
We all have budgets to keep to so here are a few tips to keep the price down on your t-shirt order.

Print on a white or very light coloured t-shirt.
White t-shirts are cheaper than coloured t-shirts. You will save money right there by just choosing a white t-shirt for your order.

Screen printing on white or light coloured t-shirts is cheaper as well. On white or light coloured t-shirts we can print the ink directly onto the t-shirt without printing an underbase so we require less screens and artwork. When we print on mid or dark coloured t-shirts we require an extra 1 or 2 colours of artwork and screens to print the underbase to seal the fabric and print the highlight white.

Print Less Colours
If you want to keep the cost down, print less colours. For every new colour in a print, we need to create a film positive, prepare a new screen(stencil), match a new colour and set them all up on the print machine. This is all production time which has to be included in your price.

With some creative thought, a 1 colour print can be very effective. A 1 colour, crisp white print on a dark navy or red t-shirt looks great. Or there are some great coloured t-shirts available which make a powerful statement alone, without having to invest in a complicated print. Also artwork effects like drop shadows, outlines, natural & half tones etc, can all add to making a 1 colour print very interesting and artistic.

Print Images in Less Locations on the Garment
Running a job with a print on the front and back of a t-shirt is for us like printing 2 jobs. Apart from unpacking and packing the stock, all the other processes involved are doubled, and quadrupled if there is a print on each sleeve as well. If price is a consideration for you choosing to print the t-shirt in one location only will make a significant difference in keeping the price down.

Thanks for reading.