Guide to Custom Shirts and Promotional Shirts for Business

It’s nearly impossible to walk down any street in any town or city without spotting passers-by wearing company logo shirts of one kind or another. According to the Professional Products Association, emblazoning company names and logos on custom shirts is a multi-billion dollar business, and it just keeps getting bigger.

There’s a reason for this: using promotional shirts is an easy and generally affordable way to pump up recognition for your company name, products and services — and it works. That repetitive exposure you’ll get when your staff and best customers wear your corporate shirts again and again continually builds top-of-mind awareness for your unique logo, selling message, and company colors.

To maximize the effectiveness of a promotional shirt, it’s important to first identify your goals in designing and purchasing the shirts in the first place. Ideally they should be part of an overall marketing campaign.

You’ll want to:

1. Evaluate your marketing and promotional goals.
2. Shop for shirt types that best reflect your company image.
3. Check out fabric wear factors, weights and colors.
4. Make use of online design tools.
5. Review ALL the costs, including reorders.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get help selecting your customized shirts

Do you need company logo shirts for everyday on-the-job wear? Are you promoting a company-sponsored community event, like a walk/run? Have you revamped company colors and launched a new look? Will the shirts be used for a one-time-only company event like a summer picnic? Do you need something dressier, like a long-sleeve button-down made of quality fabric for your outside sales staff?

I recommend: Ask a member of the Promotional Products Association International near you for recommendations and help structuring your promotional goals. For a large selection of companies that can help you design and create your corporate golf shirts, check out the suppliers listed on Business.com.

Promotional shirt style matters

If you want to portray a casual image for, say, a company picnic or fund-raising event, then a logo T-shirt (or even sweatshirts, depending on the time of year) can get the job done. If your outside sales staff will be meeting face-to-face with clients, or your inside staff will be dealing with the public, try logo golf shirts or long-sleeve custom shirts.

I recommend: Find a wide variety of business and leisure-style logo shirts available from Custom Ink, Berda, Superior Promos, L.L. Bean and Uber Prints.

Choose the right fabric, color and artwork for corporate shirts

While your budget might dictate the choice of fabric, single-or multiple colors, screen printing or embroidered logos, aim for quality whenever possible. If the logo shirts will serve as company uniforms, then durability and quality construction is important. Look for top-stitched seams, a heavier weight and a blended fabric for better color retention and easier care. If you’ll be giving away the promotional shirts at a single event, consider purchasing value-priced shirts in a lighter-weight fabric and limit your logo and selling message to one color in one location on the shirt.

I recommend: Review this glossary of fabric terms for custom apparel. Make sure the sizes you order will fit the people who will wear them. If you require specific colors for your logo, be sure you know the correct Pantone (or PMS) color when ordering. If you don’t have your own artwork, consider using ready-made art. If you decide to go with embroidered logos, check out a directory of polo shirt suppliers at Business.com.

Design your company logo shirts online

You can select, custom-design, order and pay for your promotional shirts all on the Internet. Most Web sites retain your design and previous order information for easy reordering. Be sure to pay special attention to set-up charges, minimum order requirements, return policies and shipping charges before you click the “Buy It!” button.

I recommend: Check out Shirt Magic, DesignAShirt, SpreadShirt, LogoSoftWear (you can upload your own logo), and Cafe Press. You’ll see an online proof of your design before you make a final purchase decision.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Consider the time of year that the promotional shirts will be worn. Short sleeve versus long sleeve, light-weight and breathable fabrics versus tighter weave for warmth, special sizes for taller or larger staff or clients---all are important considerations.
• Think twice about buying shirts made of lower-grade fabrics, especially if durability and long-term use is important.
• Screen printing or embroidery in more than one location on the shirt will cost more too.
• For embroidered logos, stitch count can add to the cost of both design setup and application.

The official source of Custom Shirts and Promotional Shirts for Business is
the Custom Shirts page at Business.com