When screen printing custom t-shirts for your company, event or organization, getting the right sized logo is one of the most important factors in making sure your custom t-shirts stand out. There are a few tricks to determining the right size for your logo.
Consider the Purpose of Your Custom T-Shirts
When choosing a logo size for your custom t-shirts, first consider why you are purchasing t-shirts. If your promotional t-shirts are to be worn by staff as uniforms, consider whether you want your t-shirts to be used as walking billboards seen from afar, or whether your staff will be interacting with clients face-to-face.
If your custom printed t-shirts need to be seen by afar, consider maximizing print space on the back of the custom t-shirt for your logo. The maximum size that can be screen printed on a t-shirt is 14” x 15”. You may also want to add contact information such as a website URL or your phone number.
If your custom t-shirts are being used for face-to-face client interactions, consider printing a smaller logo on the left chest that will be easily visible and legible to clients from behind a counter or at a trade show booth.
You can also combine these two ideas and print a small left-chest logo on the front of the shirts and a larger logo on the back.
Bigger is Not Always Better
When screen printing customized t-shirts, it’s common to want your logo to be as large as possible, to maximize real estate on your shirts. However, maximizing the print space on your custom t-shirts is not always ideal. If your logo or design contains a lot of text, the text may not be legible if the logo is maxed out. Side to side text can get hidden under the arm, especially on smaller sizes, or text can also appear difficult to read when people sit down and cause the shirt to bunch up.
Ladies’ Shirts
When printing ladies’ custom t-shirts, maximizing your logo’s print size can cause the graphic to be stretched out in the wrong places, wrapping around the chest and distorting the logo shape. The maximum screen printing size for ladies’ t-shirts is 9” on the front and 11” on the back.
Printing Multiple T-Shirt Sizes
When printing the same logo on a variety of sizes, say adult Small to 2XL, for most logos we recommend maxing out the logo size on the smallest shirt. The larger sizes will have more white space around the logo, but the logo will be a consistent size on everyone wearing your custom t-shirts. Plus, you’ll save on set up costs by just having one set-up for your multiple printed t-shirts.
Measure It
A simple trick to ensure you get your logo is the right size on your promotional t-shirts is to take a shirt that will be the average size worn and put a ruler against it. You can also take your actual logo, print it to the size you want to print on the t-shirt and hold it up. Or cut out a plain piece of paper to the desired size and tape it onto the shirt.
This is a great way to help you visualize what your shirts will look like when printed.
Printing Multiple Logos on the Back of Custom T-Shirts
When printing multiple logos on the back of custom t-shirts, such as sponsor logos for an event, you’ll want to stay within the preferred print size for the smallest shirt you’re ordering. If you print outside of the maximum recommended print area, your sponsor logos may look fine on the larger sizes, but they will get hidden on the side body of your small t-shirts. You should also avoid printing small logos with a lot of detail. If a sponsor has a complex logo, ask if they can simplify their logo to maximize its visibility and impact on your event t-shirts.
