Five Smart Ways to Cut Costs Without Cutting Corners on Custom T-Shirt Orders

The possibilities are endless when you decide to make a custom t-shirt order, but unfortunately, your budget may not be. Does that mean you are limited from creating custom apparel that suits your needs? That’s a hard no. Here, we offer 5 smart ways to help you save money on your custom clothing order without compromising on your requirements:

1. Plan ahead to avoid rush orders

This is simple and sound advice all around if you’re running a small business. If you can get organized and plan out your order in advance, you will avoid the stress and the fees associated with rush orders. After all, time is money! Give printers at least 2 weeks to print out your order, and more if you have an especially large order. You’ll also want to account for the time it takes to go through your design, fabric, and color options in sufficient detail with a design and print consultant. 

2. Print on white

Don’t underestimate the impact of a basic white tee. Printing a custom design on a blank white t-shirt can save you money as white shirts are typically cheaper than colored shirts, and they are great for making your logo or design stand out. Not to mention, white is classy and timeless!

3. Minimize ink colors and print locations

When it comes to fashion, minimalism is the new way forward. That’s great news for your wallet because the fewer the colors you choose for your print design, the cheaper your print will be. This is because custom apparel prints are priced based on the number of colors used per location. Speaking of… location, location, location. The real estate on your t-shirt is also pricey. In addition to color, the fewer the areas of placement for your design, the lower your cost will be. Evaluate whether you need your logo or design on your full front AND back, and sleeve, and anywhere else you may have been thinking. You can also explore different variations of your design by reducing the number of colors in your design, choosing a combination of black and white images in certain areas and color in others, or printing in halftones. Printing in halftones essentially reduces the level of detail in your image, but will retain the shading and contrasts in color gradients. 

4. Consider your printing method

Following from the point above, depending on the number of ink colors, intricacy of your design, and quality of print that you require on your design requirements and budget constraints, you have several printing methods to choose from, like DTF, DTG, or screen printing. Some printing methods are better suited for designs that are intricate and with high levels of detail and multiple colors, while others are more effective for bold designs and color matching. This is why it’s important to evaluate your printing options. You can read up more on your options here and here. A2Z can work out the costs with you based on your order requirements to see what will be the most economical option for you while achieving the outcome you need for your custom creation.

5. Go big… Order in Bulk 

There’s a reason why wholesale retailers like Costco are known for their big savings. The cost on manufacturers for producing an item in bulk is significantly lowered as compared to small scale orders. The same holds true for custom apparel. If you were planning on personalizing several shirts with different designs, such as uniforms with each team member’s names printed on the back, you may want to reconsider. Personalization drives up costs on two fronts – first, with the labour needed to create individual designs, and second, with losing out on bulk order discounts. Instead, skip out on individual personalization if possible and choose a design option that can be printed in bulk for the entire team. This also goes for the sizing of your clothing. If you need to order apparel for both men and women, go for a unisex fit that can appeal to both so that you can order these together in bulk.

Bonus tip: Finding the right partner with the appropriate expertise in custom printing can really make (or break) your experience, not to mention your bank. Do your research and equip yourself with the know-how of the business to make the right decisions. Talk to an A2Z consultant today… we are always happy to help and will work out all the details to a tee for your custom order.