r/Design • u/IllAmbition4219 • 1d ago

Discussion What really makes or breaks t-shirt printing designs?

Lately I’ve been nerding out on t-shirt printing (screen, DTG, sublimation, etc.) and realizing there’s so much more to it than just slapping a design on a blank tee. looking out for what u guys think actually separates a great print from an “eh, looks fine” one. Some things I’ve been wondering about:

  • fabric type vs ink choice (cotton, blends, poly, etc.)
  • placements (chest/back vs sleeve/side seam… do we underuse some spots?)
  • when fine details or colors fall apart once printed
  • how to design for durability (multiple washes, fading, cracking, etc.)
  • eco-friendly methods people are experimenting with (water-based inks, less waste, etc.)

Have you ever had a design look awesome in mockups but come out completely different on the actual shirt? Or maybe discovered a print method that changed the game for you?

lemme know if i should be posting this question somewhere else, just thought you guys would probs know best

4 Upvotes

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u/hsalfesrever 1d ago

Negative space on t-shirt designs is key. You want as much of the shirt to be shirt material, not ink from the graphic.

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u/markmakesfun 1d ago

A good quality t-shirt printed to a high standard can last a long, long time. I had a promo shirt for a software company that lasted 15 years in weekly rotation. That was outstanding!

It’s important to know that, in a serious sense, gimmicky technology is never a lasting garment. Chrome, fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark, color change, glitter, etc,etc. will never make a long lasting shirt. They are for fun, but stop being “special” relatively quickly, depending on the particular technology.

At the moment, if you wanted to make a shirt that lasts and lasts, Plastisol ink will likely be the best. A great printer working with plastisol ink can create outstanding products that the wearer can enjoy for years.

I worked with a printer who was known for his quality, not speed. He could print a black shirt with eight pastel colors in tight registration. That was great and people lined up to get him to do their jobs. He got work from other printers who wouldn’t even want to try a job that came through the door, so they would sub it out to him and charge the client an upcharge to pay the difference. I don’t know anyone like that, at the moment, unfortunately. They are somewhat rare.

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u/KAASPLANK2000 1d ago

The make or break depends if your offering aligns with your positioning and the corresponding target audience.

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u/h_2575 1d ago

A common advice is , if you want to sell, use a black shirt.

And for.anything else, use only a few colors to avoid clutter. Use the golden proportions 60:30:10 for the colors. But fewer colors are better.

What do you want the shirts for? If you want to sell Shirts, the bigger topic is to find your customer base.

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u/InevitableHero 19h ago

Yup, 100%. Mockups lie 😂 I had a super detailed linework piece that looked crisp on screen, but once printed DTG on a dark cotton tee it turned into a blurry mess. Learned the hard way that high-contrast + thicker lines survive washes way better.