Custom commercial t-shirt printing has continued to gain popularity over the years since its introduction into US society in the 1960s as Pop Art. Individuals and companies alike appreciate choosing custom-branded and logoed screen-printed t-shirts.
There are many commercial printing companies on the internet today, some with larger operations than others. A quick Google search for a “commercial printing company” or “t-shirt printing company” or “screenprinting near me” may give you several results.
We prefer working with local companies. We find that marketing with custom branded apparel is a great way to build community within a team, club, or organization. Since we are building our communities one relationship at a time, we may want to focus our energies on working within our community.
The more money you pour into local businesses, the more money is circulating within that community and the higher standard of living everyone gains within the county.
If you are interested, check here regarding how small businesses support the economy: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/important-small-businesses-local-economies-5251.html
If you are using Google search to find a small print shop in another state, think again, more than likely, some of the best artisans are practicing within your local zipcode or the one just adjacent. Always use the feature or phrase “Near me” when doing your Google search for services. For example, search for the Best embroidery shops near me or Best Screenprinting shops near me.
To make your search easier, please keep these tips in mind.
T-shirt printing requirements checklist:
If you’re looking online for a screenprint shop to create custom t-shirts, the first step is to make a checklist of your specific requirements. Below are some of the things to consider. Your checklist might include things like:
How many printed shirts do you need?
Merlin embroidery is a sweet spot for small businesses like you. Hence our minimum order is 48. Which is affordable for any small business.
What type of apparel will they be printed on?
Broadly three types of materials are available to print designs on it. Those are 100% cotton, 100% performance polyester, or some poly-cotton or spandex poly-cotton blend. So pick your favorite material before approaching the print company.
Check all sizes options available to you.
Some makers like Port and Company, Next level tees, and Gildan have huge color pallets and sizes when it comes to t-shirts. Also, make sure the printing company offers you print the same designs in different sizes or not.
What printing method is being recommended and why?
Is there an option to add embroidery on apparel? Experience shows that embroidery and screenprinting are ordered together. Screen Printed t-shirts and embroidered hats are super common and are ordered together most of the time.
Images or artwork may already exist or not.
What if an old design needs refreshing or the year changed? Does the shop you are considering having your screen printed t-shirts have the ability and willingness to help you with your design? Does your design simply need to be vectorized, prepared for printing, or do you need to add design elements or perhaps change fonts, reduce color, or add color or shading? Does your current print shop or the one you are considering have the ability to assist you with the edits? Be sure and ask what the rate is for artwork changes. How will any artwork changes affect your timeline? You’ll need to decide which print shop will then be able to handle your order in time!
Top 7 steps to finding the right top custom commercial t-shirt, label, digital printing companies in the USA among the largest list
Once you have the requirement checklist you’ve created, start your search for a great local screenprinting company online. Once you have a handful of companies, you’ve narrowed your list too. I recommend making three phone calls. If you are anything like me, you’ll most likely want to work with a local shop, one that you can visit and ask questions or get updates from easily.
1. Confirm the number of shirts you’ll need:
Before you dive into the details, ask yourself the important questions first. First, how many shirts do you need? Do you need a few assorted sizes of t-shirts for your employees to wear on the job, or do you want a small stockpile available for mass giveaways at a grand event?
2. Duration and location:
This is especially important if you need your shirts in a hurry. If you need your shirts within four days, it would be foolish to pick a company that requires a minimum of 10 days to deliver their goods. So consider how long it will take to receive your shirts from the desired business. Where are they located? Will shipping significantly impact how quickly or slowly the screenprinting shop can finish your order?
3. Way of submitting your designs:
Some printing companies will require that you submit your file on a CD or thumb drive, which may not work for you if the company is located far from where you live. Most screenprinting and embroidery companies accept files by email. If they don’t, think again.
4. Ability to show the previous work:
Begin by looking through the samples that the company has printed. Seeing what they can do is an excellent start in evaluating their quality and determining if they are up to your standards. Previewing samples of work the screen printer or embroider has already done will help give you ideas for the job you want to do as well as the confidence to place your order!
With regards to printing techniques, ask these professionals about how they perform this process. You never know – even an untrained eye may be able to spot which methods work best instead of just trusting anyone with your job!
5. Customizable art services:
Need help with your design ideas but lack the graphic design skills to create them yourself? You might seek outside help with the artwork layouts. In that case, you may want to choose a screenprinting shop that offers more than just printing custom t-shirts. Can the print shop help you with the artwork and branding?
Also, make sure the company you’re looking to use has printed both front and back side designs. And, can they insert multiple pictures onto one shirt, resize, change colors, fonts, etc. Suppose they are capable of doing all of these things. In that case, it speaks volumes about their overall capabilities.
6. Budget:
Price is always a factor when shopping. Know your budget and inquire about the things that affect the cost of the screenprinting job. Generally, the costs are driven by setup fees, the cost of the shirts, and the cost to print each shirt. One of the conveniences of using a local print shop is that you can check their product samples and judge for yourself if the quality is good enough for you and your company.
7. Check online reviews:
Today, every company has a presence online that is just as strong – if not stronger – than their physical one. To gauge the reputation and trustworthiness of a company, look at its online reviews. Despite what you might think, a company does not need a perfect 5-star score. As business owners, we always want to please everyone all the time. However, in real life, it’s not always possible. Some clients have unrealistic expectations. Keep that in mind as you scroll thru and read reviews.
More importantly, is the shop owner or manager responding to the reviews? You can go through a company’s website profile or webpage to see what people have been saying about it through testimonials and feedback from customers who may or may not have been satisfied with the services they received from the business.
Commercial printing companies FAQs:
What is commercial printing?
commercial printing is something any business is using for their brand promotional activity by printing their custom logo designs on Apparels T-shirts, Caps, Mugs, etc…
Why use a commercial printing company?
When you want to promote your brand via custom printed t-shirts, I suggest you approach a commercial printing company. Because they have prior experience and can print in bulk, etc…
Why use Merlin Embroidery commercial printing services?
At Merlin embroidery, we serve our Quality printing services to small businesses like you. Hence, we set up our minimum order qty as low as 48. And we are offering a custom design service to bring your idea to the table. Also, you may pick the garment from over 7000 catalogs. And even more benefits available. See our website at https://onlineprintedtees.com
What information do we collect?
To fulfill your need on time, we may ask you a few questions. Those are like, do you have your custom design? how many quantities do you need? What about the garment options? type of printing method and more. See the checklist above for more details.
How do we use the information that you provide to us?
Once we collect all the information from you, before doing the actual print, we may do a trial run and show you the sample piece to get your satisfaction. Once you confirmed we will run to deliver your order on time.
Conclusion:
There are many t-shirt printing companies on the internet today, some with larger operations than others. A quick Google search for a “t-shirt printing company” will give you hundreds of results. So if you’re looking to get custom t-shirts for your business or organization, do a Google search to help around and figure out which company is best for you!
We prefer working with local companies. Create a checklist of needs you are asking of your local screenprinting company.
A recap of the seven steps to finding the best commercial printing company for you includes knowing how many shirts you’ll need and when you need them. Understand the three things that drive the cost of the screenprint job—knowing your budget and sticking to it—finding a shop that’s convenient for you, that you can trust and count on to do any minor graphic changes you’ll need, and most importantly, meet your deadline.
