What Size Should My T-Shirt Logo Be Printed?

This is a common question we receive when a customer places an order. Here we are going to break down what to consider when printing on a shirt.

Who is your audience?

Whenever designing a shirt for giveaway or purchase you should consider your target audience. The most important factor is getting your recipients to wear the shirts. There are really 2 types of audiences:

Loyal Customers- These are the people who know your brand. They buy it, use it, and return! These folks want to wear your brand like a billboard.

New Potential Customers- These are the individuals that are you informing and exciting about your brand. They may know who you are or are just learning. This crowd is more likely to wear a shirt that has a cool vibe. Wrap your brand up in a cool concept…

Or print it smaller along with a logo that represents the event / tradeshow / launch where they are receiving the shirt.

Where is the giveaway?

Large event- This encompasses a sporting event, concert, festival. In this case, your recipients may or may not know you so it’s best to print with the vibe of the event. Keep the size of your imprint proportional to your place at the event. If you are a sponsor, include larger artwork on the shirt that commemorates the event on the front/back and include your logo in a smaller position, on the left chest, sleeve or nape of the neck.

Tradeshow / Launch Party- The audience in these scenarios are there to learn about you and possibly many other brands. When you give this shirt away you’ve hopefully made them stop to talk and collected some contact information from them. In return, you’ve handed them a promotional product to remember you by. Make the shirt all about your company.

Point-of-Purchase- These are your loyal customers that have purchased your product, shout out your branding on a shirt!

Print Locations

There are 4 primary print locations on a t-shirt. The center chest, full back, left chest, and sleeve. You can print on 1 to all of these locations depending on what your marketing message is.

Center chest, full front or full back:
Max dimensions for Standard Screen size on Adult Shirts is 14" wide x 17" high
14" wide x 17" high will fit on Adult Small - 6XL

Left Chest:
If the graphic is only 1 color on a White/Light shirt, max dimensions are 3.5" wide x 3.5" high
If the graphic is 2-14 colors (including Flash for Dark shirts) max dimensions are 3.25" wide x 3.25" high

Sleeve:
Max dimensions for printing on a Short Sleeve is 3.5" wide x 6.5" high on Adult L-6XL; 3.5" wide x 5.5" high on
Adult S-M
Max dimensions for printing on a Long Sleeve is 3.5" wide x 17" long

Bottom line is know your audience, what venue you are giving away and print a shirt that will be worn!!