Do not wash for 24 hours – If you receive a rapid order, your shirts may be hot off the press. The first 24 hours after pressing, the vinyl is curing, hardening, and bonding with the fibers of your shirt. Letting it sit, and not putting stress on the print for the first 24 hours will lead to optimal durability.

Wash inside out- The soaps we use in the laundry can get aggressive. Washing inside out leaves a layer of protection between your print, and the heat and soaps of the wash.

Do not wash on high temperatures- Heat put your print on your shirt, and heat can take it away. Temperatures exceeding 174 degrees Fahrenheit / 81 degrees celsius can lead to peeling, cracking, fading, and an overall decreased shelf life on your print.

Avoid harsh soaps- While the occasional fabric softener won’t make much of a difference, bleach and powerful soaps can weaken the adhesive over time.

Do not iron directly on design- Use a layer of protection like a towel between your iron and your design when transferring, or else vinyl may melt and damage your iron. Excessive ironing over time may weaken the vinyl.

Tee shirt Dictionary:

100% Cotton: Gives a more firm classic feel to the fabric. Most popular and what most bread and butter band tees, event tees, and mass produced tees are because it’s most likely to please a diverse group. Minimal stretching, look for pre-washed/ pre-shrunk when selecting.

Ring Spun Cotton: Cotton durability with blanket softness. While most cotton tees are more tough and structured, a ring spun cotton gives you a loser, more baby soft feel.

100% Polyester: Best for performance tees. Moisture wicking and light weight, polyester is the favorite of sports teams and people who want a lightweight, jersey feel is a priority. More stretch.

Poly Cotton: Best of both worlds. The durability and quick drying properties of polyester, and the softness and comfort of cotton.

Tri Blend: Cotton + Polyester + Rayon = A softer, light weight, synthetic fabric. Best for if a fashionable shirt is your objective, it gives a more vintage look when printed on. May require special care depending on the manufacturer. 

Heather: Heathered Fabric is when 2 colors are spun together to create a new colour, giving the fabric a “marble” look. Makes the fabric look more vintage and worn in. Heathering is a great way to add a trendy subtle texture to an otherwise blank garment.  When buying, keep in mind the manufacturers will often add polyester to achieve heathered colours so heathered colors may be softer and thinner than the rest of a clothing line.

Safety Colours: In certain workplaces, It is required that you wear colors that increase your visibility. Safety colours are manufactured to attract the human eye and make sure people can see you coming and going.

Side Seams: Most shirts will have either side seams, or a tubular fit. Side seams allow for a more tapered bodice for those looking for a more fashionable look. Side seams keep the garment structured, and give a better fit; however they do increase the cost, and depending on your audience it’s worth keeping in mind that if a brand has bulky or sharp seams it can be uncomfortable, especially to consumers with sensory issues.

We have access to a huge catalog of options so selecting can get pretty overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. While choosing your garments ask yourself:

• What’s my budget: Fashion  garments like Bella Canva can run on the more expensive side, but they’re well worth the extra money if you need a high quality canvas. Mean while, if you’re looking for something on the economic side, an ATC or Gildan shirt is always a dependable choice. Knowing the limits of your budget, and having expectations ahead of time can help you select a brand in line with your project. 
• Fit: If you’re making your shirts for an athletic crowd, a tapered fit with side seams, and a polyester, or cotton polyblend with lots of stretch is gonna be what you want. For a streetwear brand, a straight fit with tubular seams suited towards an oversized fit, and a thicker 100% Heavy Cotton low stretch fabric will be what you’re looking for. If comfort is your priority, then ring spun cotton soft to the touch and a classic fit will be a predictable and reliable choice. The destination of your tee shirt is critical to your brand selection. 
• Personal preference. Some people can’t stand a thin tee shirt and find them flimsy and infuriating, but some people think thicker cotton is sweaty and suffocating. There is no right answer to what is the best tee shirt brand, because when it comes down to it, nobody knows what you, your employees, or your customer need from their garments better than you.

We print using heat transfer vinyl which is digitally printed and then cad cut. This means bold shapes with no transparent gradients will print best, and a vector is required for clean lines. We also carry a huge variety of special effects vinyl with everything from reflective, glow in the dark, flock, puff, metallic, glitter and more!

The material is bonded to the garment under a heat press where the adhesive permanently bonds to the garment  giving you a durable and vibrant print that in many cases will out last the shirt its printed on. Our team can help you adjust your design to be compatible, or give you tips on artwork if help is needed .

We offer a variety of vinyl specially made to give interesting effects. Ask us about:

• Flock Vinyl (Fuzzy)
• Puff Vinyl (Raised)
• Glow in the dark
• Glitter
• Holographic 
• Metallic 
• Reflective
• Luster (Shiny)
• Specialty color (Safety compliant neons)

Our default prints are digitally printed heat applied vinyl.

For BYO or orders from within our internal stock, We can have them ready in 1 -5 hours. The wait usually comes from converting designs, or filling alternative orders. If you send us a vector, pdf, or high res image we can have that ready very quickly. If it’s a low resolution photo that takes a long time to convert, it will either take 1-2 days, or your print quality will suffer.