When does the clock start?
When you approve the mockup. Everything before that, the first message, the quote, the changes to the mockup, is your time, not ours. The fastest way to an early date is a quick, final approval.
The date itself comes in writing with the mockup. That written date is the one to plan against, not a number from a website, including this one.
The three tiers
| Dispatch | What qualifies | Smallest order |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days | A core colour, matching neck rib, sleeves and cuffs, DTF or embroidery, up to 50 pieces | One piece |
| 12 days | Any contrast part, an extended colour, screen printing, or more than 50 pieces | One piece, or 75 for an extended colour |
| 30 days | A new colour matched to your Pantone shade | 300 pieces |
The rule takes the slowest thing in your order. One contrast neck rib on a 20 piece order makes it a 12 day order. A Pantone colour makes it 30 days, whatever else is in it.
What keeps an order in the 4 day tier?
Everything in the order has to be ready to go:
- A core colour. We keep 15 core colours in stock, from white and black to navy, maroon and bottle green. They need no dyeing.
- Matching parts. The neck rib, sleeves and cuffs in the body colour.
- DTF or embroidery. Both run from one piece with no setup to wait for.
- Up to 50 pieces.
A single t-shirt with a chest logo, a team of twelve, an offsite of forty: all of these can be 4 day orders.
What moves an order to 12 days?
Any one of these:
- A contrast part. A neck rib, sleeves or cuffs in a second colour on a t-shirt, or a contrast collar, cuffs or placket on a polo.
- A tipped, jacquard or self-fabric polo collar.
- An extended colour. These are dyed to order, from 75 t-shirts.
- Screen printing. The screens are made for your design.
- More than 50 pieces.
None of these is a problem. They just need the time. If your date is close, ask which one is moving you to 12 days and whether you can live without it.
Why does a Pantone colour take 30 days?
A new colour is matched to your Pantone shade and the fabric is dyed for you before anything is cut. That is a dye run, from 300 pieces. If your brand colour is close to one of our core or extended colours, the mockup will show you how close, and you may not need the match at all.
Work back from your date
Take the day you need the t-shirts in hand and count back. The table assumes, say, five days for delivery and two spare days; ask for the delivery time to your pin code with the quote and adjust.
| Your order | Dispatch | Approve the mockup by | Send the brief by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 day order | 4 days | 11 days before | 14 days before |
| 12 day order | 12 days | 19 days before | 22 days before |
| 30 day order | 30 days | 37 days before | 40 days before |
The "send the brief by" column allows three days for the mockup to go back and forth. If you are collecting sizes from a group, add a week before that. For an event on Friday 11 December, a 12 day order needs the mockup approved by Sunday 22 November and the brief with us by Thursday 19 November.
Can I get t-shirts printed today?
No. We do not offer same-day or next-day printing, and we would rather say so here than after you have messaged. The quickest we dispatch is 4 days after you approve the mockup, plus delivery.
If you are reading this two days before an event, the honest answer is that we cannot make it. If you are reading it a week or two before, a small order in a core colour with a DTF print or embroidery may still make it: send the design and the date today, approve quickly, and the written date tells you whether it works.
How do I avoid losing days?
- Send the artwork in the right file first time. A vector file or a large PNG saves a round of messages.
- Name one approver. A mockup approved by a group chat is not approved.
- Collect sizes before you ask for a quote, not after.
- Keep the order in one tier. If 30 people need shirts next week and 80 need them next month, say so; two orders can carry two dates.
- Do not change after approval. A change after approval is a new print, and a new date.
Every step of an order, in order, is in how to order company t-shirts. For team kits, when to order jerseys before a tournament does the same work back from the first match. The design side of it starts in how to design a custom t-shirt.
Send the design and your date and the mockup comes back with the dispatch date in writing.
Quick answers
How long does custom t-shirt printing take?
4, 12 or 30 days from approving the mockup. Four for up to 50 pieces in a core colour with matching parts, printed DTF or embroidered; 12 with contrast parts, an extended colour, screen printing or more pieces; 30 for a Pantone match.
Do you do same-day t-shirt printing?
No. There is no same-day or next-day option. The quickest dispatch is 4 days after you approve the mockup, plus delivery.
When does the turnaround start?
When you approve the mockup, not when you first message us. The dispatch date comes in writing with the mockup.
Why is my order 12 days and not 4?
At least one thing in it needs more time: a contrast neck rib, sleeves or cuffs, an extended colour, screen printing, a special polo collar, or more than 50 pieces. Ask which one, and whether you can drop it.
Does a bigger order take longer?
Past 50 pieces, yes: it moves from 4 to 12 days. A Pantone colour takes 30 days at any size.
