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Ordering team shirts: a checklist

T-shirts in white, grey, navy and red hanging on wooden hangers on a rail

Team orders go wrong in small, avoidable ways: a missing size, a misspelled name, a deadline that was one week too tight. This checklist covers the steps in the order we suggest doing them.

1. Count heads and add a few

Confirm the number of players, staff and volunteers, then add 5 to 10 percent for late joiners and replacements. Remember that team products start at 12 pieces and that prices fall at 24, 48 and 100.

2. Collect sizes, do not guess

Share a link to the size guide and ask everyone for a size in a shared sheet. If that is not possible, a typical adult split is 10 percent S, 30 percent M, 35 percent L, 20 percent XL and 5 percent 2XL. Offer women’s cuts, which run about 1.5 in narrower, to anyone who prefers them. Printed garments cannot be exchanged for size, so a few extra minutes here pay off.

3. Decide names and numbers

Send names and numbers as a list, one line per garment. Check spelling against a roster, not from memory. Numbers on the back are usually 8 to 10 in (20 to 25 cm) tall so they read from a distance.

4. Prepare the artwork

Use a PNG at 300 dpi with a transparent background, or a PDF. For screen print, a design with up to 4 colours keeps costs low.

5. Approve the proof

We send a proof within 1 business day. Read every name and number, check colours and placement, and ask one other person to look too. After approval, production takes 5 to 7 business days.

6. Keep a deadline buffer

Add production, then 3 to 5 business days shipping. Orders over 48 pieces ship in 7 to 10 business days. Aim to approve the proof at least two weeks before the event; for events, one more week of buffer is cheap insurance.

7. Ask for packing

Tell us if you want the shirts grouped by size or by person with names on the label, so handing them out takes five minutes instead of fifty.

The short version

  • Headcount plus 5 to 10 percent.
  • Size sheet and size guide shared.
  • Names and numbers checked against a roster.
  • Print-ready artwork.
  • Proof approved two weeks before the event.
  • Packing instructions sent.