Whether you want it as a gift, personal statement, or advertising tool, you can design your own t-shirt very easily, thanks to the score of services available online. With your creativity and their printing expertise, your custom tops can be showstoppers.
Here are several great services to turn to for your t-shirt design needs. Some are better for a limited budget, while others can accommodate your most intricate ideas. Choose wisely and you can look forward to clothes you’ll love.
1. Custom Ink
Your first stop should be Custom Ink, a versatile and reliable company. It has a range of styles, from cotton tank tops to tie-dye long-sleeved t-shirts, which you can color and decorate as you wish.
It lets you upload your own images or use premade artwork. There are also tools for custom text, as well as named and numbered shirts. If you have any special requests for the Custom Ink team, like sleeve printing, you can add notes for them along with your order.
In terms of price, your final quote depends on the type, design, and quantity of t-shirts, not to mention your shipping destination. For example, a single white short-sleeved top with a few colors can cost just over $20. Buy in bulk, however, and you get discounts.
2. Teespring
There are plenty of websites that sell t-shirts online, but some customers need more. If you want a platform dedicated to you as a brand, for example, consider Teespring. After setting up an account, you can design all sorts of products, including t-shirts, for yourself and your customers.
Ordering your own top involves the same process as Custom Ink. You choose a style and customize its look with text, color, images, or logos. Teespring will also suggest other styles using the same design, all intended to help make branding decisions.
This is one of the cheaper websites, especially with its free US shipping and various discounts. If you prefer to buy in bulk, you can manage your expenses even better.
3. Printful
There are other services with a similar focus as Teespring, but less intense in how they accommodate your merchandising needs. Printful is easy to use and rich in tools for customizing your t-shirts, among additional products.
Unlike other websites, here you can quickly design various parts of the top, including the sleeves and outside label. If you haven’t made your own artwork, you have access to stock images straight from the dashboard alongside clipart and text.
In addition to plenty of information on each design, Printful even has helpful tutorials ready and waiting. Considering its range of services and the quality of its end products, the total cost can be a bargain.
4. Bonfire
Here’s a very user-friendly company that can satisfy both personal and bigger plans. Bonfire offers its own simple but handy options for a one-off buy, e-shop, or for a campaign, like a fundraiser.
The designing process involves your basic steps of choosing the top, text, and images. You can also choose from a variety of t-shirt colors.
Depending on whether you’re buying the t-shirts or selling them online, the platform takes you to the relevant page. In the first case, the total expense goes down with bulk orders, while the second route costs you nothing and can earn your cause or brand decent revenue.
5. CafePress
For a simpler approach, try out services like CafePress. You just pick between t-shirt styles and colors before typing in your text or uploading your artwork. There’s no clipart or other options to complicate things.
In terms of uploads, your files should be in JPG or PNG format, and should also have a transparent background. Apart from bringing in your own art and placing it on the t-shirt, everything else should be straightforward and affordable.
6. Zazzle
Here’s another good choice for designing quality t-shirts and other products quickly. It’s easy to get to Zazzle’s clothing editor, which has the same options as higher-end services, including clipart.
The dashboard’s navigation is a bit less user-friendly, but it has plenty of tools to have fun. You can even invite friends to help with the design or share your creation before printing.
Prices and discounts on Zazzle are reasonable. For example, one adult t-shirt can cost $17.45. Designs for children are cheaper, but it all depends on how complicated they are.
7. Spreadshirt
It’s good to have a variety of options when working out where to make t-shirts online. Spreadshirt is also simple to use, letting you upload images, share your designs, and save them to finish later.
Even without a custom upload, you can create unique designs, thanks to its free, readymade artwork. There is a premium selection too, but you pay a small fee for each image.
You can adjust the text as much as the art. Apart from changing its font, size, and color, for example, try bending it to create fun effects.
Spreadshirt is not the cheapest when it comes to single t-shirts, but its discounts on bulk orders are worthwhile. If you want to print lots of tops, keep this service in mind.
8. Redbubble
Simplifying the process even more, with Redbubble you just upload your own artwork, whether it’s images or text, and the service prints it. This is another brand-building platform, so you’ll get more out of it if you’re selling merchandise.
To design t-shirts here, first, you need to create an account by clicking the Sell your art button on the homepage. From your dashboard, you can then upload artwork and see what it looks like on different products.
In terms of t-shirts, the only elements you can adjust are the top’s color and the image’s size and placement. Once you’ve saved the design on the products you want to sell, they’ll show up on Redbubble’s platform for you and visitors to order.
9. Adobe Spark
Most of the services above have something in common: the option to upload an image for your t-shirt. Custom art can make a top that much more special, so you might want to try using two different platforms instead, one for designing and one for printing.
Adobe Spark is one of the best places for putting together fun and professional artwork. You can start with a free account, containing limited but still interesting features, from beautiful stock images to eye-catching fonts. Upgrading to a premium subscription gives you more tools.
Whatever you choose, you can download your design in the dimensions and file format your printing service needs to produce a good t-shirt. The whole process takes longer than using just one website, but you’ll appreciate the end result more.
10. Placeit
A final platform to consider just for designing your t-shirt’s art is Placeit. Here, too, you can set up a free or paid account, both of which give you a variety of tools.
To begin with, you can pick from readymade designs and edit them as you wish. The quality and range of these images are high, so a few tweaks and you should be very happy with your creation.
On the other hand, you could start from scratch for something really unique. Add several lines of text, and experiment with images, shapes, and graphics. See what they look like on different kinds of t-shirts.
From there, you can share, save, and download the file. When looking for the right printing service, pinpoint those that can transfer your design to the clothing effectively, but also which ones will cost the least, especially if you want several units.
Let Different Trends Inspire You
It’s easy enough to get matching t-shirts for you and your friends by slapping an emoji and slogan onto your design. For projects that need to make an impact, however, you should think outside the box, while choosing the best online services for the job.
Get ideas from existing styles around you, whether it’s the cut of the clothing or particular colors and patterns. Take notes and pictures, so you can refer back to them as you produce the perfect t-shirt.