Frequently Asked Questions

We tend to get A the same Q very F, so we thought it was about time we created a FAQ page.  Hopefully the information below will answer your Q, but if not, please drop us a line; of course, if we find that you've A any Q which are actually answered by the FAQ, we may be compelled to take the P...

Which brands of shirt do you supply?

We supply a wide range of brands, including Fruit of the Loom, Gildan, Mantis, Hanes, Jerzees, Absolute Apparel, Starworld, Continental, American Apparel, and many others.

I want shirts for my band - which brand do you recommend?

For band t-shirts, we recommend Gildan and Fruit of the Loom; our "standard" band t-shirt is Gildan Heavy, which represents a great combination of quality and value.

Can I get fitted "girly" shirts?

Yes indeed, in a variety of brands.

What shirt colours are available?

Different brands are available in different colour ranges; the widest choice is offered by Gildan.

Can I mix t-shirts and other garments in one order?

Yes; you can mix garment types, colours and sizes however you like without affecting the unit prices.

What garments other than t-shirts do you supply?

Vests, sweats, hoodies, long-sleeve shirts, workwear, fleeces, underwear, caps, bags, spacesuits, jackets, sportswear…

Do your shirts come from ethically responsible sources?

Absolutely: we're very fussy about this sort of thing.  We only source from suppliers with a published and independently verified ethical policy, supporting workers' welfare unions, local wage regulations, and the complete prohibition of forced labour (including child labour.)

What's the cheapest t-shirt you supply?

The cheapest shirt we COULD supply will remain a secret, because we refuse to supply it (basically, it's crap.)  The cheapest shirt we DO supply is the Gildan Heavy, although for certain functions the Fruit of the Loom Full Cut (which is even cheaper) may be adequate.

What's the best-quality t-shirt your supply?

The best sensibly-priced t-shirt in our range is, in our opinion, either Gildan Ultra or Fruit of the Loom Super Premium.  The best foolishly-priced t-shirt in our range is probably by American Apparel.

What is the capital of Lithuania?

Vilnius.

What's the smallest number of shirts I can order?

One.  (Well, strictly speaking it's none, but that's not so much an order as the absence of an order.)

My design has more than one colour - how does that affect the price?

Each extra colour requires one extra screen, and one extra print per shirt.

I want a backprint as well as a front print - how does that affect the price?

Again, this requires one extra screen (per colour) and one extra print (per colour) per shirt.

Can you print on the sleeve?

Oh all right, if you insist.

Can you print in odd positions - round the side, or at the bottom corner, for example?

Yes, as long as the print occupies a rectangular area no bigger than 35cm wide by 48cm, and doesn't fall within 2cm of a seam.

Can you print photgraphic images?

Yes; this requires a high-resolution colour-separation and halftone output, which adds to the costs.

What print colours are available?

We mix colours specifically for each job, and can work to Pantone references if required (within reasonable tolerances.)

What is a "screen", and why do I need one?

The screen is the stencil through which ink travels en route to becoming your printed design on the shirt.  It's made of a fine mesh, onto which your image is exposed so that ink can only pass through the design and not through the rest of the screen.

If I re-order more shirts, do I have to pay for the screen(s) again?

As long as your order is for at least 25 items using the screen(s), no; we re-make them free of charge at any time.

Can you print sparkly "shimmer" ink?

Yes.

Can you print "puffy" expanded ink?

Yes.

Do you do embroidery?

We outsource embroidery to an excellent local company, at very competitive rates.

Can I have individual names, numbers or phrases on each shirt?

Yes, but this is done using heat-press transfers which vary in price from £2 to £4 per transfer

How do I get my artwork to you?

Email or CD is preferable, but we can scan from hard-copy at a push.

What format should I send the artwork in?

We can work from most graphics formats; .psd or .jpg at 300dpi or higher (at actual print size) normally does the trick.

My artwork is a bit rough - can you help?

Depending how gruesome it is, we can usually clean up low-resolution artwork to get something printable, but it's always preferable for you to send a good high-resolution file if possible.

My design is just text - can you lay it out for me?

As long as we have the font, yes.

What's the biggest image size you can print?

Approximately 35cm wide by 50cm high.

Can I send you hard-copy artwork?

Yes, although we prefer to work from computer file if possible (especially if your hard-copy is bigger than A4.)

How long would it take to print my shirts?

Turnaround time depends on the size and complexity of your order; if you have a specific deadline, please contact us as soon as you can so that we can confirm whether there may be any problem meeting it.  We can usually hit tight deadlines, but under certain circumstances we may be compelled to mutter under our breath, say fairly rude words, or suggest that you invest in a time machine.

How do you deliver my shirts?

We use TNT for most of our national and international deliveries; within Nottinghamshire we use Fastway Couriers.

What does delivery cost?

Standard TNT or Fastway business-hours delivery costs £12.00 plus VAT.

Can I collect from you, to save the delivery charge?

Yes you can.  If you want to collect outside of normal business hours (8am-5pm Monday-Friday) we can arrange this as long as we have enough notice.

Where are you based?

Daybrook, four miles north of Nottingham, England.

My band is on tour - if we run out of shirts, how quickly can you get more to us?

As long as you give us the tour schedule in advance, we can try to turn re-orders around within a matter of a few days (often even quicker than that - the key is to make sure that we make a plan in advance and keep your screens "live" and appropriate shirts in stock.)  We can discuss this prior to your initial order.

What printing method do you use?

Screen-printing, using top-quality professional equipment. Our print carousels are one MHM E-Type 12-station / 10-colour semi-automatic, and two M&R Chameleon manual 6-colour carousels. We have two additioanl manual carousels for back-up and special projects.

How come your prices are so low - what's the catch?

We offer exceptional print quality at fair prices; many print companies don't want to print less than a few hundred shirts, so they set much higher prices for smaller batches, but we specialise in working with small bands and other lower-volume clients.  The only catch is that we're extremely popular, so our turnaround time is occasionally longer than we'd like (but still much lower than most other companies.)

How can I be sure of the quality of your work?

We are fiercely proud of our reputation for the highest quality printing; we believe that our reputation speaks for itself, but if you've had a grim experience with another printer and are reluctant to take anything for granted, we'll be happy to send you a sample of our work.

Do you have a list of satisfied clients?

We don't publish our full client list (currently about 1500 clients) for reasons of client confidentiality but this somewhat random selection should give you an idea of the calibre of our client base.

Is Shirtysomething a "proper" company (not just a couple of guys in a garage)?

Shirtysomething has grown rapidly in the five years since the business was formed; in addition to the two directors we have four full-time employees, two part-time employees and several sub-contractors.  As of 1st January 2006 the total number of prints we'd performed was a little over a quarter of a million. In July 2006 we became a Limited Company, and moved from our our original small industrial unit to a much larger facility, increasing our capacity (and efficiency) five-fold.

What payment methods do you accept?

Debit card, credit card, cheque or BACS transfer (or, at a push, cash.)

Do I have to pay up-front?

We do prefer this if at all possible, but we can set up an account for you to pay on 14-day invoice if necessary.