10 Tips To Pick The Right Hoodies And T-Shirts For Your First Custom Merch Order

Whether you’re a musician ordering your first custom band t-shirts or a merch company looking to add more items to your custom band merchandise, it would make your life much easier if you know the basic tips in picking the shirts and hoodies you’ll be printing your artwork on.

Choosing the right kind of style, size, color, and fabric of your hoodies and shirts isn’t rocket science but you’d be surprised how many first-timers commit a mistake in custom band merch printing by not giving importance to this step.

In this article, I will give you 10 most essential tips for choosing custom band merch which we got from Unified Manufacturing.

Tip #1: Match the print to the t-shirt or hoodie design.

For example, full front prints should work better if the hoodie or shirt design you choose is just plain—without other elements. If there are many elements like zippers and pockets, it might not be a good idea to have a full print. Maybe a half print or a smaller print will do.

Tip #2: Choose the right print location.

As mentioned above, there are limitations to printing, but there are good workarounds. If you really like the hoodie or shirt brand and its design, you might want to be strategic with your print location.

There are eight print locations. You can print on the sleeves, the back, the pockets.

Tip #3: Include women’s styles, not just unisex.

When you choose the t-shirts and hoodies for your merch, some items only have “unisex”—in other words, they didn’t bother designing one specifically for women. You might want to choose those with ladies’ styles. How to know it? The ones with Men’s designs usually have Women’s. This is highly recommended if you have a significant number of female audiences.

Tip #4: Choose the right fabric.

When creating custom band t-shirts, you have to choose the right material you want for the t-shirts. There are so many choices so we suggest you do your own research. But knowing the basics helps a lot.

For example, 100% cotton shirts are more breathable, strong, and “relaxed”. Then there’s tri-blend. They’re a combination of polyester, cotton, and rayon which makes them the favorite of those who want shirts with a flattering fit.

Tip#5: For hoodies—choose the fleece if you want the softest hoodie.

What makes the fleece ultra soft is that it has shredded yarn loops that are brushed to make it fuzzy. This makes wearing a fleece hoodie like you’re being hugged on Christmas day. Of course, it matters when you’ll sell them. It will definitely sell more in colder months compared to summer.

Tip#6: Sample a demo shirt/ hoodie before printing hundreds.

No matter how good they may look on the computer, they’d definitely look different in real life. To avoid unnecessary drama with your printer, ask for a demo shirt.

Test out your design on one or two or even three t-shirts and have them shipped to you so you can actually see how they look in real life and make the best decision. You want to feel the fabric, put the shirts on, and wash them to know if they’re really what you want.

Tip #7. Inspect the seams.

Aside from the quality of the fabric, you must check essential areas such as the seams to know if they’re stitched well. Some customers opt for the decent ones—t-shirts with only one line of stitching—especially if they want to sell cheap custom band merch.

But maybe you’re the type who’d want to go the extra mile? Then choose ones that aren’t only stitched well, but the ones with double stitching. That’s a sign of excellence right there.

Tip #8. Always remember that you can embroider.

If you’re worried that your artwork would look ugly on a shirt or hoodie (but you can’t let go of the shirt/ hoodie you’ve chosen because you love the color or whatever reason), always remember that you can have them embroidered instead.

This is awesome because there are just some shirts and hoodies we can’t let go of! And you shouldn’t ditch them just because you worry your print won’t be compatible with it.

Tip #9. Be meticulous with size.

You have to check the measurements of each shirt you’ll be purchasing. You wouldn’t want your fans to send you a complaint email because the actual shirts are too big compared to how they imagine it in the photo.

To ensure you won’t commit this sin, don’t just decide based on the label S, M, or L, check the actual measurements of each shirt—and by that we mean the exact centimeters.

Tip #10. Visit the physical shop of your printer.

I know it’s tempting to just have everything processed online but you should visit the physical shop of your printer to ensure you check the things mentioned in this list. You’ll be able to touch different kinds of shirts, see their colors in real life, and a million other things.

You’ll also benefit from asking the printers all your custom band merch printing concerns. Simply put, your life will be much easier if you pay a quick visit instead of trying to do everything online.

If you follow these tips and you choose a reliable t-shirt printer, I guarantee you that your band merch will turn out awesome!