Planning event shirts: a timeline from idea to delivery

Most event shirt problems are not design problems. They are calendar problems. The art is great, the shirts are great, and they show up the day after the event.

The fix is to plan backward from your date. Here is how the timeline really works, using the turnaround times we quote every day.

The clock starts later than you think

Production time does not start when you send your first message. It starts when two things are true: your garments have arrived at our shop, and you have approved your mockup.

So every event shirt order has four stages before it is in your hands:

1. Quote and artwork. Send us the garment, the quantity and your art, and we can usually quote the same day.
2. Mockup approval. We send a digital mockup showing your design on the actual garment, at the actual size and placement. Nothing is produced until you sign off.
3. Garments arrive. Most blank apparel reaches us in 1 to 3 days. Some styles coming from certain parts of the US can take up to 7 days.
4. Production, then pickup or shipping. How long production takes depends on the decoration method.

The stage you control most is the second one. A mockup approved the same day keeps everything moving. A mockup that sits for a week pushes your whole order back a week.

How long each method takes

These are the typical production times once garments are in and the mockup is approved:

• DTF transfers: 3 to 5 business days, with a 48-hour rush available. 6-piece minimum.
• DTG printing: 7 to 10 days. 6-piece minimum.
• Embroidery: 7 to 14 days. 12-piece minimum.
• Screen printing: 10 to 21 days, and most jobs land in 10 to 14. Specialty inks that have to be ordered can stretch this. 24-piece minimum.

Not sure which method fits? As a rough guide, screen printing makes sense for volume, DTG and DTF for small full-color runs, and DTF for polyester and hard-to-reach spots like sleeves. Our process page walks through how we choose.

Work backward from your date: an example

Say you need 150 shirts with a two-color logo for a company family day. That is a classic screen printing job. Add up the slowest realistic case:

• Garments reaching us: up to 7 days
• Screen printing: up to 21 days
• Your time to review and approve the mockup
• Pickup (usually same day once finished) or shipping time

That comes to roughly four weeks of production and shipping, plus however long approvals take. Start five weeks out and you have breathing room. Start four weeks out and it is very doable if you approve quickly. Start two weeks out and we should talk about DTF instead.

The same event with 20 shirts and a full-color design looks very different. DTF at 3 to 5 business days, plus a few days for garments, can fit in about two weeks.

A simple planning calendar

This calendar assumes screen printing, the slowest method. For DTF or DTG, compress it.

Five or more weeks out: decide the basics

• How many people, and are the shirts for staff, attendees or giveaways?
• Where will they be worn? An outdoor event in Miami heat might call for a lightweight performance tee, like the ones on our boat and performance rack.
• One design or several? DTG can switch between completely different designs with no real setup, so it handles names or multiple versions well.
• Want puff ink, metallic shimmer or an exact Pantone color? Those are screen printing features, so build in the longer timeline now.

Four weeks out: send us the three things

Garment, quantity and artwork. Tell us your event date in the same message. It affects which method we recommend.

For art, a vector file (AI, EPS or PDF) is best. A PNG at 300dpi, sized to the print area, can also work. If your file is not usable, we will tell you before we start, and our design team can rebuild it.

Three to four weeks out: approve the mockup and lock sizes

Look hard at the mockup. This is the moment to speak up about size, placement or color. Changes here cost nothing. Changes after production do.

Collect your size breakdown now too. Sizes can almost always be mixed in one order. Production starts with a 50 percent deposit, and the balance is due before the order ships.

Event week: pick up or ship

Every order is checked against your paperwork before it leaves: count, sizes, placement and color. Local pickup at our Miami shop is usually same day once the order is finished, or we can ship anywhere in the country. Shipped orders usually take 2 to 5 business days in transit, or 1 to 3 business days with expedited shipping at an extra cost.

Short on time? Here is what changes

If your date is close, say so in your first message. Then:

• Lean on DTF. It runs 3 to 5 business days, with a 48-hour rush. It may not be the cheapest route at high quantities, but it makes the date.
• Pick a style that is easy to get. Tell us the exact garment model and we will check current availability and give you a delivery estimate.
• Keep the art simple and final. Every revision round costs time you may not have.
• Approve the mockup the day you get it.

The mistakes that cost the most time

• Waiting on a final headcount before starting the art. Get the design approved first and finalize sizes after.
• Sending a logo grabbed from a website. It is often too low-resolution to print well, which means rebuilding it first.
• Assuming light-shirt art works on a dark shirt. A color scheme designed for white may not translate to black. Ask us before you order both.
• Asking for an exact Pantone on a digital print. DTG and DTF can get close, but precise matching may mean running samples, which adds time.
• Changing the design after approval. Once production starts, changes are no longer free.

Ready to put a date on it?

Send us your event date, garment, quantity and artwork through our contact page, or message us on WhatsApp. During business hours we usually reply within minutes, and we will tell you which method makes your deadline.