Custom t-shirt printing works by transferring your design onto a blank garment using one of several methods. The most common in UK shops are DTF (direct to film), screen printing, DTG (direct to garment), vinyl, sublimation and embroidery. Which one suits you depends on how many you need, how many colours are in your design, what fabric you're printing on, and what you're willing to spend.
We're Brandum, a print shop in East London. We handle everything from single sample tees to runs of 500+ for events and workwear. This guide walks through each printing method honestly, gives you real UK costs from our own price sheets, explains what artwork you need, and flags the mistakes we see beginners make every week. If you've never ordered custom t-shirts before, this is the page to bookmark.
Key Takeaways
- DTF printing is the most flexible method for small-to-medium orders with full-colour designs. It works on cotton, polyester and blends.
- Screen printing gets cheaper per unit above roughly 50 pieces but costs more upfront because of screen setup fees.
- Expect to pay around £15–£30 per finished tee for one-offs, dropping to £7–£12 at quantities of 100+.
- Send your artwork as a PNG or vector file at 300 DPI with a transparent background. This single step avoids 90% of the issues we deal with.
- Always ask for a printed sample before committing to a large run.
Contents
- What Are the Main T-Shirt Printing Methods?
- How Does Custom T-Shirt Printing Actually Work?
- How Much Does Custom T-Shirt Printing Cost in the UK in 2026?
- Which Printing Method Should I Choose?
- What Artwork Do I Need?
- How to Place Your First Order
- What We've Learned From Printing Thousands of Orders
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Main T-Shirt Printing Methods?
There are six methods you'll see offered by UK print shops. Each has a sweet spot, and none is perfect for every job.
DTF (Direct to Film)
Your design gets printed onto a special PET film with CMYK plus white ink, coated in adhesive powder, then heat-pressed onto the garment. DTF handles full-colour artwork on practically any fabric colour, including darks. We use it for the majority of our orders because it works well from 1 piece up to a few hundred. The print feels like a thin flexible layer on the fabric and holds up through 50+ washes when pressed correctly.
Limitations: on very heavyweight fleece or waterproof materials, the adhesive can struggle to bond. We've had jackets come back where the transfer peeled after a few washes because the DWR coating blocked it. For those jobs, we suggest embroidery instead. We've written a full breakdown of how DTF transfers are made if you want to see what happens behind the scenes.
Screen Printing
Ink is pushed through a mesh screen stencil onto the garment. Each colour needs a separate screen, so a four-colour logo means four screens. There's a setup cost (typically £20–£40 per screen at most UK shops), which makes screen printing expensive for small runs. Once those screens are made, though, the per-unit cost drops steeply. At 200+ pieces with one or two colours, screen printing is hard to beat on price. The ink sits thicker than DTF and can last the life of the garment.
Downsides: it's slow to set up, design changes mid-run are impractical, and photographic or gradient-heavy artwork doesn't translate well. Read our full comparison of DTF vs screen printing vs other methods for a side-by-side breakdown.
DTG (Direct to Garment)
An inkjet printer sprays water-based ink directly onto the fabric. It produces soft, detailed prints and handles photographic images well. The catch: DTG really only works on high-percentage cotton. Polyester blends, performance fabrics and dark garments are trickier and less reliable. The garment also needs pre-treatment (a chemical spray applied before printing), which adds a step and cost.
DTG was the darling of the industry five or six years ago. In our workshop, DTF has largely replaced it because the results are comparable and we can print on a wider range of fabrics without pre-treatment. That said, if you're printing on white 100% cotton tees with detailed artwork and want the softest possible hand-feel, DTG still has a place.
Vinyl (Heat Transfer Vinyl / HTV)
Individual shapes are cut from sheets of coloured vinyl and heat-pressed onto the garment. It's great for names, numbers and simple one-or-two-colour logos. Sports kits and personalised hen-do tops are classic vinyl jobs. Limitations: anything with more than about four colours becomes impractical because each colour is a separate piece of vinyl. Large vinyl panels can feel stiff and heavy on the fabric. We still use it for sports numbering and simple text, but for most other jobs DTF gives a better result with less fuss.
Sublimation
Sublimation ink turns into gas under heat and bonds with polyester fibres permanently. The print becomes part of the fabric rather than sitting on top. Colours are vivid, the garment feels completely smooth, and the print essentially lasts forever. The hard limit: it only works on white or very light polyester. No cotton, no dark colours. If you've ever seen an all-over printed football shirt or a vividly coloured running vest, that's sublimation.
Embroidery
Thread stitched directly into the fabric. It's the most durable decoration method. It won't crack, peel or fade because there's no print to deteriorate. Embroidery looks professional on polo shirts, workwear, caps and fleeces. Downsides: fine detail and photographic images are impossible (you can't stitch a photograph), and there's a one-off digitising fee (usually £15–£30) to convert your logo into a stitch file. Cost per unit is higher than printing for large back designs, but for small chest logos it's comparable. See our embroidery options here.
How Does Custom T-Shirt Printing Actually Work?
Whatever method you choose, the broad workflow at most UK print shops follows the same pattern. You send your artwork and tell the printer what garments you want, in what sizes and colours. The printer checks your artwork (we do this free), recommends a print method if you haven't chosen one, and sends a quote.
Once you approve, the job goes into production. For DTF, that means printing your design onto film, curing it, then pressing it onto each garment at around 160°C for 15 seconds. For screen printing, screens get made and ink gets mixed to colour. For embroidery, your logo gets digitised into a stitch file.
Turnaround in the UK varies, but for most standard jobs expect 2–5 working days from artwork approval to dispatch. Rush jobs can sometimes be turned around in 24–48 hours. We've done same-day print runs for customers who've left corporate events to the last minute, though we charge a premium for it.
After printing, each garment gets inspected (in our shop, that's a visual check and a hand-feel test), folded and packed. Most UK printers ship with tracked delivery.
How Much Does Custom T-Shirt Printing Cost in the UK in 2026?
Pricing depends on four things: how many you order, which garment you pick, what print method is used, and how complex the design is. Here are real prices based on what we quote regularly in our East London shop.
| Quantity | Budget Tee + 1 Print | Mid-Weight Tee + 1 Print | Premium Tee + 1 Print |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–5 pieces | £15–£22 each | £18–£26 each | £22–£30 each |
| 10–25 pieces | £10–£15 each | £12–£18 each | £15–£22 each |
| 50–100 pieces | £8–£12 each | £10–£14 each | £12–£18 each |
| 200+ pieces | £6–£9 each | £8–£11 each | £10–£15 each |
These prices include the blank garment and a single-position print (for example, a chest logo or a full front design). Adding a second print position (front and back, or front plus sleeve) adds roughly £2–£5 per garment depending on size and method. Embroidery for a small chest logo typically adds £3–£6 per piece on top of the garment cost, plus a one-off digitising fee of £15–£30.
The garment itself is the biggest variable. A thin 145gsm promotional tee might cost a couple of pounds; a solid 190–220gsm ringspun cotton tee costs several times that. We generally steer beginners away from the cheapest blanks because they shrink, feel see-through, and make your brand look cheap. For a deeper dive with case studies, read our full UK t-shirt printing cost breakdown.
The UK printing industry generated £13.7 billion in turnover in 2024 according to BPIF data compiled from ONS figures, with 6,800 companies employing 93,000 people. That's a competitive market, and pricing reflects it. Get quotes from two or three shops before committing to a large order.
Which Printing Method Should I Choose?
This is the question we answer most often. Here's a comparison table, then some plain-English guidance underneath.
| DTF | Screen | DTG | Vinyl | Sublimation | Embroidery | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best quantity | 1–500 | 50+ | 1–100 | 1–50 | 10+ | 1–500 |
| Colours | Unlimited | 1–6 practical | Unlimited | 1–4 practical | Unlimited | Up to ~15 |
| Fabrics | Cotton, poly, blends, nylon | Most fabrics | 100% cotton best | Most fabrics | White/light poly only | Most fabrics |
| Durability | 50+ washes | 100+ washes | 30–50 washes | 30–50 washes | Permanent | Permanent |
| Hand feel | Thin flexible layer | Slight texture | Very soft | Noticeable layer | Nothing | Raised thread |
| Setup cost | None | £20–£40/screen | None | None | None | £15–£30 digitising |
| Best for | Most jobs, mixed sizes/colours | Large bulk, simple designs | Soft prints on cotton | Names, numbers, text | All-over prints, sportswear | Corporate, workwear, caps |
For most orders under 50 pieces with a colourful design, DTF wins. No setup fees, unlimited colours, works on most fabrics.
Ordering 200+ with a one-or-two-colour logo? Screen printing will come in cheaper per unit once those screens are made.
After the softest possible print on white cotton? DTG is the one to ask about.
Names, numbers or individual personalisation on sports kits? Vinyl handles simple text well. For anything more complex, DTF again.
White polyester sportswear with all-over patterns? Sublimation. Spot graphics on sportswear? DTF.
Maximum durability on workwear, polos and caps? Embroidery for the logo. If you also want a large back graphic, combine embroidery on the chest with DTF on the back.
If you're still unsure, our method comparison guide goes into more detail on each.
What Artwork Do I Need for Custom T-Shirt Printing?
This is where most beginners hit problems. Roughly half the first-time orders we receive come with artwork that needs fixing before we can print. Here's what to send us (or any UK printer).
Send your design as a PNG with a transparent background, or ideally a vector file (AI, EPS, SVG, or vector PDF). Vector is best because it scales to any size without losing quality. We can usually work with JPEGs too, but expect the printer to charge for background removal or cleanup.
Resolution needs to be 300 DPI at the actual print size. A small chest logo (around 10cm wide) at 300 DPI is manageable even from a phone screenshot. A full-front A3-size design at 300 DPI needs a proper source file. A 500-pixel-wide Instagram export won't cut it.
For colour, use sRGB for DTF and DTG. Screen printing typically uses CMYK (your printer will advise). If your brand colours matter, include the Pantone or HEX references in your order notes. We've written a dedicated guide on RGB vs CMYK for DTF printing if you want the technical details.
The most common artwork mistakes we see: sending a low-resolution logo pulled from a website header (72 DPI, tiny), sending a JPEG with a white box around it when you wanted the background removed, sending text that's too small to print legibly (anything under about 2.5mm stroke height will blur on most methods), and not specifying garment colour. Designs look completely different on black versus white.
If your artwork isn't ready, that's fine. Our graphic design team can redraw logos, set up files and prep everything for print. Most beginner customers use this service at least once.
How to Place Your First Custom T-Shirt Printing Order
The process is simpler than most people expect. Here's what a typical first order with us looks like.
First, tell us what you need. Send your artwork along with the garment type (t-shirt, hoodie, polo, and ideally the weight and colour you want), the quantities per size, where you want the print (front, back, sleeve, chest), and your deadline. You can do this through our quote form or by emailing us directly.
Then we check your artwork and quote. We review your file, flag any issues (resolution, size, format), recommend a print method if you haven't chosen one, and send a clear price breakdown. We aim to get quotes back within an hour during working hours.
Once you're happy with the quote and we've confirmed your artwork is production-ready, we schedule the job. Standard turnaround is 2–5 working days.
Every order gets inspected before it's packed. We ship UK-wide with tracked delivery.
One thing we always recommend for first orders over 25 pieces: order a sample first. A single printed sample costs a bit more per unit than the bulk price, but it lets you check the colour, placement, garment feel and sizing before you commit. We've saved customers from expensive mistakes this way. Garments that look perfect online sometimes fit differently in person, and a colour that looked great on screen occasionally needs tweaking on fabric.
What We've Learned From Printing Thousands of Custom Orders
After years of running our East London shop, a few things keep coming up that most beginner guides don't mention.
Garment quality matters more than print method. We've had customers spend ages choosing between DTF and screen printing, then pick the cheapest possible blank tee. The print looked great, but the garment shrunk in the wash, the collar went wavy, and they ended up reordering on a better blank. A solid 190gsm ringspun cotton tee costs a couple of pounds more but makes the finished product look and feel twice as good. We stock Gildan Heavy Cotton as our workhorse blank for this reason.
Dark garments cost more to print. For DTF and DTG, printing on dark fabric requires a white ink underbase beneath your colours. That white ink layer is what makes your design visible on a black tee. It adds to ink usage and production time. Expect dark garment printing to cost roughly 10–15% more than the same job on white.
Don't design to the edges of a tee. We press t-shirts on a flat platen, but t-shirts aren't flat when worn. They curve around a body, bunch at the sides, and have seams. If your design runs right to the edges, it'll look distorted when worn. Keep your artwork at least 2–3cm inside the garment edges.
Test print on the actual fabric. We press DTF transfers at 160°C for 15 seconds on standard cotton. But polyester blends need lower temperatures, around 150–155°C, because polyester scorches and can shrink if you go too hot. We always do a test press on a spare garment before running a full order on a fabric we haven't printed on before. If a printer doesn't mention test pressing, ask them about it.
The global custom apparel market was valued at approximately USD 55 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 6.5% through 2033, according to Global Growth Insights. The UK accounts for a meaningful share of the European market, driven partly by demand for personalised workwear, branded merchandise and event clothing. That's exactly the kind of work that comes through our door every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to get custom t-shirts printed in the UK?
For a single tee with one print, expect £15–£30 depending on garment quality. At 50+ pieces, prices drop to roughly £8–£14 each. At 200+ pieces you can get below £10 per finished tee on a mid-weight blank. See our full cost breakdown with case studies.
What is the cheapest way to print t-shirts in the UK?
For bulk orders (100+) with simple one-or-two-colour designs, screen printing is usually cheapest per unit. For smaller runs with full-colour artwork, DTF is typically the best value because there's no screen setup cost. Vinyl is cheap for very simple text and numbers.
Is there a minimum order for custom t-shirt printing?
At Brandum, no. We print single pieces all the way up to runs of several hundred. Most UK printers offer no-minimum ordering, though the per-unit cost for a single tee is naturally higher than a bulk run.
What file format should I send for my design?
Ideally a PNG at 300 DPI with a transparent background, or a vector file (AI, EPS, SVG, vector PDF). Avoid low-resolution JPEGs, screenshots and images pulled from social media. They almost always need rebuilding.
How long does custom t-shirt printing take?
Standard turnaround at most UK shops is 2–5 working days from artwork approval. Rush and same-day options are sometimes available at a premium. Screen printing with new screens can take a day longer for setup.
Is DTF or screen printing better?
It depends on the job. DTF wins on flexibility: any number of colours, no minimums, works on most fabrics. Screen printing wins on per-unit cost at high volumes with simple designs. For a full side-by-side, read our DTF vs screen printing comparison.
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