Knowing how to design custom shirts before you place an order saves you from the two most common outcomes: a garment that looks great on screen and fades after three washes, or artwork that the printer rejects on dispatch day. This guide walks you through every decision in the order you actually need to make it, whether you’re ordering 50 pieces for a startup event or 500 for a corporate uniform roll-out.
What you need before you start
Gather these before touching a design tool:
- Your logo or artwork as a vector file (.ai or .eps). If you only have a JPEG, budget ₹500 to ₹1,500 for a freelancer to redraw it.
- A rough quantity. Printers price in bands: 50, 100, 250, 500 pieces. Your band decides which print method is viable.
- A per-shirt budget. For decent quality in India, plan for ₹180 to ₹350 per shirt for a standard round-neck with one-colour screen print at 100 pieces.
- Size distribution across your team or audience. A 100-piece order with no size breakup is the most common cause of delays.
Have all four ready before Step 1.
How to design custom shirts: fix your purpose first
The end use of the shirt decides nearly every downstream choice. A one-day promotional giveaway needs something different from a daily corporate uniform.
For promotions and events, a 160 GSM cotton round-neck is usually sufficient. For uniforms worn five days a week, go to 180-220 GSM with a collar or a polo cut for a more professional look. If you need sublimation printing (full-colour, all-over graphics), you must use 100% polyester fabric, because sublimation dye bonds only with synthetic fibres.
Write down three things at this stage: the shirt’s main use, how many washes it should survive, and whether the design has more than four colours. Those three answers eliminate most of the wrong choices before you spend any money.
Step 2: Choose fabric, GSM and fit
Fabric and GSM (grams per square metre, the standard measure of fabric weight) set the feel and durability of the finished shirt.
- 140-160 GSM: lightweight, good for summer giveaways, less durable.
- 180-200 GSM: the everyday sweet spot for corporate and team wear.
- 220+ GSM: heavy, structured, used in premium or winter uniforms.
Cotton is breathable and takes screen print ink well. Polyester wicks moisture and suits sublimation. Cotton-polyester blends (typically 60/40) balance both. For a practical look at how fabric choice plays out across garment types, the custom promotional round-neck T-shirts page shows common specs side by side.
Fit matters as much as fabric. Standard fit works for most promotional orders. Slim fit suits a younger demographic or a fashion-forward brand. Oversized is trending but adds cutting detail and usually raises the per-unit cost by ₹30 to ₹60.
Step 3: Pick your print method
There are four methods used widely in India. Each has a hard constraint on when it is the right choice.
| Method | Best for | Minimum order | Cost signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | 1-6 colour logos, large runs | 50 pieces | Low per unit at scale |
| DTG (direct-to-garment) | Photo-quality, small batches | 1 piece | High per unit |
| Sublimation | All-over, full-colour on polyester | 50 pieces | Medium, no setup fee |
| Heat transfer | Complex logos, mixed sizes | 12 pieces | Medium, fades faster |
Screen printing is the default for bulk corporate orders in India because the per-unit cost drops sharply after 100 pieces. A two-colour chest logo on 200 shirts typically costs ₹40 to ₹70 per shirt in print charges, whereas DTG on the same artwork at the same quantity costs ₹150 to ₹250 per shirt.
For promotional shirts with your brand’s logo, screen printing through a custom T-shirt printing company almost always gives you the sharpest cost-per-impression.
Tip: For sublimation, your artwork must cover the full panel or the unprinted polyester will look visibly different in colour from the printed area. Design edge to edge or use a plain polyester base colour that matches your background.
Step 4: Prepare your artwork file
This is where most first-time buyers lose time. Printers in India nearly always ask for vector artwork (AI, EPS or PDF with fonts outlined). A raster file (JPEG, PNG) below 300 DPI at print size will be rejected or will print blurry.
Check these four things before sending your file:
- Resolution: 300 DPI at actual print size, not screen size.
- Colour mode: CMYK for DTG and heat transfer; Pantone spot colours for screen print.
- Fonts: convert all text to outlines so the printer’s machine does not substitute a different typeface.
- Bleed and safe zone: keep text and logos at least 5 mm from the design edge.
Placement coordinates matter too. A chest logo sits 7 to 9 cm from the collar seam, centred. A back print typically centres between the shoulder blades. Ask your manufacturer for a placement guide before finalising; most reputable custom T-shirt manufacturers provide one as a template.
Step 5: Order a physical sample
Never skip the sample. A digital mockup on the manufacturer’s website and a printed shirt on actual fabric are genuinely different things. Colour changes under different lighting, ink hand-feel varies by method, and sizing can run a half-size small on some cuts.
A standard sample costs ₹300 to ₹800 per piece and takes 3 to 5 working days. That cost is negligible against the risk of approving 500 wrong shirts.
When the sample arrives, check:
- Colour accuracy against your Pantone reference or original brand file.
- Print adhesion (scratch the print with a fingernail; good screen ink does not flake).
- Seam alignment and label placement.
- Actual measurements against the size chart you were given.
If anything is off, request one revision before approving. Two rounds of sampling are normal; three or more usually means the brief was unclear.
Step 6: Confirm the bulk order and timeline
Once the sample is approved, send a written order confirmation (email is fine) with quantity, size breakup, delivery address and the approved sample photo attached. This protects both sides.
Typical production timelines from manufacturers in Delhi-NCR:
- 50-100 pieces: 5 to 7 working days after artwork approval.
- 100-500 pieces: 10 to 15 working days.
- 500+ pieces: 15 to 25 working days, sometimes longer during festival season (October to January).
For bulk custom apparel orders in India, always confirm whether the quoted timeline includes sampling or starts after sample approval. That single question prevents most delivery disputes.
GST at 5% applies to readymade garments priced up to ₹999 per piece; 12% applies above that. Confirm the HSN code with your supplier so your invoice is correct from day one. When you know how to design custom shirts properly, from spec to sample to bulk production, you protect both your budget and your brand’s look.
Ready to place your order? Share your artwork and quantity with Kapairtshirt and get a per-piece quote within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
What file format should I send for custom T-shirt printing?
Send vector files: AI, EPS or PDF with all fonts outlined. If your design includes photos or gradients for DTG or sublimation printing, a PNG or TIFF at 300 DPI at actual print size is acceptable. JPEG files compressed for web use are almost always rejected because the resolution is too low to print cleanly.
What is the minimum order quantity for custom shirts in India?
Most screen-printing setups in India require a minimum of 50 pieces because screen setup costs (₹300 to ₹600 per colour per screen) are spread across the run. DTG printers can do single pieces. Sublimation and heat transfer typically start at 12 to 25 pieces, depending on the supplier.
Why does my printed colour look different from my logo on screen?
Screens display colours in RGB, which has a wider gamut than print. Printers use CMYK or Pantone spot colours. Convert your artwork to CMYK before sending, or specify a Pantone code for screen printing. Without this step, bright reds often print as orange and vivid blues turn towards navy.
Can I print on dark-coloured shirts without the design looking washed out?
Yes, but it requires an underbase: a white ink layer printed first before the design colours go on top. This adds one colour to your screen count and slightly raises cost. DTG printers handle dark garments using a pretreatment spray. Always specify dark fabric when briefing your printer so they price correctly.
How do I work out the right size breakup for a bulk order?
For a corporate uniform order, a common split across Indian adult sizes is: S 10%, M 30%, L 35%, XL 20%, XXL 5%. For a promotional event where you do not know the audience, increase M and L and reduce the extremes. Confirm the manufacturer’s size chart because sizing varies between brands and garment cuts.
Does the quoted price include GST?
Usually not. Most Indian T-shirt manufacturers quote ex-GST. Readymade garments attract 5% GST for pieces priced up to ₹999 and 12% above that. Always ask for a GST-inclusive quote and confirm the HSN code (typically 6109) so your purchase invoice is valid for input tax credit if your business is GST-registered.
What causes T-shirt prints to crack or peel after a few washes?
The main causes are: washing above 40°C, tumble drying on high heat, ironing directly on the print, and using poor-quality plastisol or water-based ink. Proper screen printing with good-quality ink, cured at the right temperature (around 160°C), should last 40 to 50 washes without visible cracking if care instructions are followed.
Can I mix different shirt colours in one bulk order?
Yes, but each fabric colour that needs a different ink underbase counts as a separate setup for screen printing. A 100-piece order split across white, black and red shirts may carry three separate setup fees. DTG and sublimation have no per-colour setup charge, so mixed-colour fabric batches cost the same per unit.
How long before my event should I place a custom shirt order?
For quantities up to 200 pieces, place the order at least 3 weeks before the event. This gives time for artwork back-and-forth (3 to 5 days), one sample round (up to 7 days) and production (7 to 10 days). Orders during October to January take longer due to festival demand; add an extra week as buffer.
Is sublimation printing better than screen printing for logos?
It depends on the artwork and fabric. Sublimation handles unlimited colours and photographic gradients with no setup fee, but it only works on polyester or polyester-blend fabric and colours appear slightly muted on dark bases. Screen printing gives sharper, more opaque results on cotton for simple 1 to 6 colour logos and is cheaper at quantities above 100 pieces.
