Your Top 10 Questions About Custom Apparel Orders, Answered

It depends on the printing method:

• Screen printing: 12 pieces minimum, this is industry standard because of the setup cost involved in burning screens for each color.
• DTF (Direct to Film) transfers: No minimum. You can order a single piece if you need to, great for one-offs, samples, or small runs.
• Embroidery: Usually 12-24 pieces for the best pricing, but we can do smaller runs. Setup involves digitizing your logo, which has a one-time fee.
• DTG (Direct to Garment): No minimum. Perfect for photo-quality prints or complex artwork in tiny batches.

The more you order, the lower your per-unit cost, especially with screen printing, where setup costs spread across more pieces.

Standard turnaround for most screen print and embroidery orders is 7-10 business days from artwork approval. Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• Rush orders: We can often do 3-5 business days for an upcharge, call us to confirm availability.
• DTF transfers: Typically 3-5 business days since there's no screen setup.
• Large orders (500+ pieces): Can take 2-3 weeks, always give yourself extra runway for events.
• Artwork delays: The clock doesn't start until we've approved artwork together. Getting your files ready in advance is the single best thing you can do to stay on schedule.

Rule of thumb: if your event is within two weeks, call us first rather than submitting online. We'll tell you honestly if we can make it happen.

Best: Vector files (.AI, .EPS, .SVG, .PDF with embedded vectors). These scale infinitely without losing quality and make the whole process faster.

Acceptable for DTF/DTG: High-resolution raster files (.PNG, .TIFF) at 300 DPI or higher at print size. A 72 DPI JPEG screenshot will not work, we see this more than you'd think.

Screen printing: Always needs clean vector artwork, ideally with separated colors. If you only have a raster file, we offer in-house artwork services to redraw it, ask about our graphic design rates.

Don't have the right file? That's okay, just send us what you have and we'll let you know if we can work with it or what it'll take to get it print-ready.

Pricing depends on several factors, here's what drives the cost:

• Quantity: The single biggest factor. More pieces = lower price per unit.
• Colors in the design: Screen printing charges per ink color. A 1-color print is much cheaper than a 6-color full-bleed.
• Print location(s): Front only vs. front + back + sleeve = more setups = higher cost.
• Garment cost: Budget blanks vs. premium tri-blends make a big difference.
• Embroidery stitch count: Larger or more complex logos = more time = higher cost per piece.

As a rough starting point: a 1-color screen print order of 50 shirts on a standard Gildan blank typically runs $7-$10 per shirt. DTF transfers on 12 pieces often run $15-$25 per piece. The best way to get an accurate number is to request a quote with your specifics.

Yes, we can print on customer-supplied garments. A few things to know:

• We cannot guarantee the outcome on garments we didn't source. Fabric composition, pre-washing, and surface coatings all affect print quality.
• We typically won't replace customer-supplied garments if something goes wrong during production.
• Bring extras (at least 5-10% overage) in case of spoilage.

That said, many customers bring in specialty or licensed garments that we can't source ourselves, we're happy to work with you on it. Just have a conversation with us upfront.

For screen printing, we match to Pantone (PMS) colors using plastisol inks. If you give us a PMS number, we can get very close, or even spot-on for standard colors. If you only have a hex or RGB code, we'll convert it to the nearest Pantone match.

Important caveat: how a color looks on screen is not how it looks on fabric. Dark garments especially can shift perceived color. We recommend requesting a printed sample (press proof) if exact color matching is critical for your brand.

For embroidery, we match to Madeira or Isacord thread color charts. Same idea, give us your brand colors and we'll find the closest match in our thread library.

Short version:

• Screen printing: Best for large quantities (24+), simple designs with few colors, and when you want the ink to feel like part of the shirt. Ink is applied directly to the fabric, it's durable and vibrant.
• DTF (Direct to Film): Best for small quantities, full-color or photo-realistic artwork, and when you need no minimum. A thin flexible transfer is heat-pressed onto the garment, holds up well to washing when applied correctly.

Still not sure? Tell us about your project and we'll tell you which method makes the most sense for your situation.

Yes, with some caveats. We handle rush orders regularly for events, last-minute gifts, and unexpected needs. Rush is generally defined as needing your order in under 5 business days.

Rush orders require:

• Print-ready artwork approved immediately (no back-and-forth on files)
• Payment upfront
• Rush fee (typically 20-30% depending on order size and timeline)
• Availability in our production schedule, call us first before ordering online

If you're ever in a true bind, call us directly at (714) 766-4601. We'll tell you straight if we can make it happen.

If the mistake is ours, wrong color, wrong placement, wrong item, we fix it. Period. We'll reprint or replace the affected pieces at no cost to you.

If the mistake is in the artwork you approved (spelling error, wrong color code, etc.), that's on the approved proof. This is exactly why we send a digital proof for sign-off before we ever run production. Review it carefully. Check your text twice. We always will too, but spelling isn't always our call.

Bottom line: we stand behind our work. We've been doing this long enough that production errors are rare, but if something goes wrong on our end, we make it right.

Yes, called a "size run," this is standard. You can mix XS through 5XL within a single order as long as the overall quantity meets the minimum. We'll sort them and bag by size if you need it for distribution.

A few notes on sizing:

• XL and above usually carry a small upcharge per piece (typically $1-$2 for 2XL, more for 3XL+)
• Different garment styles may fit differently, especially important for team orders. We recommend having people try on a sample if possible for large orders.
• If you're unsure how many of each size to order, a common breakdown for adult mixed groups is: 5% S, 15% M, 35% L, 30% XL, 15% 2XL, but your group may vary.