The Best Custom T-Shirt Stores

Thursday, June 1st

2023 Custom T-Shirt Store Reviews

Design A Shirt

• Cost: From $10 to $45

Shirts are the main product for sale at Design a Shirt. They do not sell hundreds of unique products for customization, but rather specialize in just apparel. They have options for men, women, juniors, children, athletes, business professionals, cold weather, and some specialty items as well. The website is easy to use and allows you the freedom to design your shirt however you would like.

Idea gallery

Before getting to the nitty gritty of t-shirt creation, the idea gallery might excite customers looking for some inspiration. We really like this feature on the Design a Shirt site because it shows what is possible with the style functions. You can browse examples for shirts with funny quotes, birthday sayings, family reunion prints, or just cool shirts for everyday wear.

Design studio

In the design studio, customers first choose the article of clothing they want to print on, then choose to add clip art and/or images, and lastly add text. Multiple graphics can be used and clip art options seem limitless. Some clip art categories include animals, holidays, mascots, interests, military, nature, sports, and more. All images can be enlarged, shrunken, rotated, and moved around the shirt (front or back) in whatever pattern is pleasing. For orders of six or more items, custom embroidery is even an option for customers who might be looking for a more professional design.

Free shipping

Once a design is made and ready to go, Design a Shirt gives the option of sharing the t-shirt via email with someone else for feedback or a second opinion. Once you've confidently finished your unique t-shirt, it can be sent off for printing. The standard turnaround time for orders is 10 calendar days and shipping is free. If your purchase arrives and you find it unsatisfactory, Design a Shirt will offer a refund if they are contacted within 10 days.

Highest rating

The Better Business Bureau gives Design a Shirt an A+ rating. This is not surprising considering their user-friendly website, great t-shirt options, and thorough design features. You can't go wrong creating custom apparel here. We recommend Design a Shirt as our highest-rated custom t-shirt company.

Uber Prints

• Cost: From $10 to $55

It would be easy to spend hours sifting through the shirt options and designs offered at Uber Prints. Luckily, this website has sleek filtering features to help you get exactly the product you are looking for. You can sort by desired quantity (the more you buy, the cheaper each product is), fit, features, color, fabric, and brand. Depending on the print type and product, there are either no minimum purchase requirements, or a minimum of 12.

Unique apparel

Some unique apparel styles we found at Uber Prints include cropped hoodies, wide neck tees, sherpa vests, long body tees, camo tees, baby blankets, onesies, hats, bags, dog t-shirts, and aprons. Trendy fits can be found at Uber Prints as well as timeless, classic t-shirts. Customers report being happy with the quality of the material and end print result after receiving their orders.

Design templates

If you're unsure where to begin in the design process, Uber Print's handy design templates might be your friend. You choose the general topic you're looking for, browse their many options, then substitute your own text where they have placeholders, and voila! You have a cool t-shirt within seconds. You also have the option to start from scratch using your own uploaded images and/or using some of their hundreds of clip art graphics.

No-minimum orders

Pricing and shipping differs between digitally printed items and screen printed and embroidered items. Digital printing allows for no-minimum orders and costs anywhere from $5.99 to $23.99 for shipping if you don't meet the $100 purchase requirement for free shipping. Screen printed and embroidered products require a 12 item minimum, but always come with free standard shipping. To return any items, an email and phone number is provided to contact the company within 30 days to discuss options with customer service.

Impressive

It is safe to say we are impressed with Uber Prints. Besides their positive customer reviews, the Better Business Bureau gives them an A+ rating. Their plentiful options for t-shirt designs cater to customers young and old. Despite their vague return policy and order requirements for some apparel, we suggest considering Uber Prints for your next custom t-shirt order.

Underground Printing

• Cost: From $5 to $105

Underground Printing offers screen printing, digital printing, embroidery, personalization, online group ordering, and promotional products. Their design features are simple and straightforward, which is what most customers want. Everything you would need to customize a unique t-shirt is offered at Underground Printing.

Catalog of products

It's easy to see why Underground Printing creates over 2.4 million products each year. In addition to custom t-shirts, they have a wide variety of products that can be personalized. These include:

• T-shirts
• Women
• Kids
• Brands
• Outerwear
• Athletic Apparel
• Sweatshirts
• Business Clothing
• Pants
• Hats
• Bags
• Accessories
• Drinkware
• Office Supplies
• Novelty
• Made in America

Templates or full customization

Products can be designed using a pre-made template or fully customized from beginning to end using uploaded images, text, and/or clip art provided. Some of the featured brands for printing include the most famous ones you've heard of, like Nike, Champion, Under Armor, The North Face, Hanes, and more.

Shipping included

Individual product prices are based on the garment chosen, quantity, locations for printing, and how many colors are involved. Shipping costs are included in the price quoted - however, if you need your product faster than normal delivery, there are typically a number of rush delivery options available for an extra charge.

Set up your account

An account must be made in order to save and submit a t-shirt for printing. While some could see this as an unnecessary step rather than just submitting your shirt for purchasing and printing, Underground Printing designed this with users in mind. They've found that many customers have never designed custom t shirts online before, and having an account helps Underground Printing answer customer questions and step them through the process.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Once you receive your custom t-shirt, if you find that it's different in a significant way from what you designed, Underground Printing vows to make it right. You'll need to contact them within 15 days of receiving your order, via email or their 1-800 customer service number. They'll work with you to find a solution, which could include a full replacement or refund.

In-person locations

If you want a more hands-on approach with your custom t-shirt order, Underground Printing has store locations in 24 states throughout the country. You can visit the stores in person to make your design decisions. If you're placing a large order, you can even have it shipped to your local Underground Printing store and pick it up at a time that's convenient for you.

High rating

You should easily be able to create the custom t-shirt you want at Underground Printing. They have a simple design process and many positive customer reviews. Their satisfaction guarantee should dissuade any reservations you may have, and their local stores show a presence that online-only retailers can't match. If you want to design and order your own custom t-shirts - and possibly personalize a range of other items as well - you can't go wrong with Underground Printing.

Custom Ink

• Cost: From $10 to $60

Custom Ink has just about every product you can think of available for customization and caters to individuals looking to buy in bulk. Their t-shirt selection covers most styles and many color options are provided. Unless you select a "no minimum" item, you will need to purchase at least six of the shirts you are buying. This could be a disappointment for someone looking to design a single article of name-brand clothing including Nike, North Face, Champion, Under Armor, Adidas, or Carhartt since they require a minimum purchase.

11 kinds of shirts

Some of the unique apparel categories available for custom design include workwear, pants, corporate apparel, and uniforms. As far as t-shirts go, there are 11 different categories of shirts you can choose from. They include:

• Long Sleeve T-Shirts
• Performance Shirts
• Soft Tri-Blend T-Shirts
• Women's T-Shirts
• Raglan T-Shirts
• No Minimum T-Shirts
• Kids' T-Shirts
• Tank Tops and Sleeveless
• Made in the USA T-Shirts
• Trendy T-Shirts
• Canada T-Shirts

Online design lab

Once customers have selected their product for design, they are taken to the online design lab. Here you can add text, art, or a graphic of your choice. The art feature includes emojis, shapes and symbols, animals, mascots, nature, military, colleges, occupations, and more. We like that you can add symbols, text, and graphics on the shirt wherever you'd like instead of having only one or two places for them to go. Some products allow for adding a name and number on the back of the shirt, usually for a sports team or company. Names are an additional $4.50 and numbers are $2.50 for each item.

Competitive pricing

The higher quantity of any given product purchased, the greater the discount. Overall, the pricing of products sold at Custom Ink is comparable to their competitors. One perk is that they offer free shipping, so you don't have to worry about that additional cost. If you end up receiving your t-shirt and decide it is of lesser quality than what you expected, Custom Ink offers a money-back guarantee. Within 15 days, custom goods can be returned for a full refund. To initiate the return process or to get help on any other matters related to your order, Custom Ink advertises that you can talk to and/or chat online with a real person whenever you need.

Satisfied customers

Customers are generally satisfied with their experience using Custom Ink, and the business received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. The main reason they did not earn a higher rating from us is due to the fact that Custom Ink is more suited for bulk ordering than single unit purchases. If you choose to order less than six of a product with a minimum purchase requirement, you lose a lot of color options. The bulk ordering will be great for some shoppers, but not everyone. If you're looking to design just a few products, we suggest using one of our higher-rated t-shirt customization sites.

Spread Shirt

• Cost: From $10 to $45

Younger audiences will find Spread Shirt appealing for t-shirt creation and purchases. Custom products can be designed, or buyers can browse the marketplace for apparel designed by other artists. Trending marketplace categories include funny, vintage, funny gym, geek, couples, science, 50th birthday, vegan, dogs, cats, and best friend t-shirts. Shirts with sayings like, "Good Friends Don't Let You Do Stupid Things Alone" are prevalent on this website, so customers looking for more professional apparel will find they are barking up the wrong tree.

Popular trends

Apparel is sold for men, women, children, groups (bachelor party, college graduation, family reunion, etc.), accessories, and home. Some of the apparel style options reflect popular trends among young adults including high-low shirts, knotted shirts, tie-dye shirts, baseball tees, and more. We appreciate that reviews are available for the listed products to get an idea of color exactness, material, and overall order satisfaction from others.

Fair pricing

The pricing for both the custom t-shirts as well as the marketplace products is fair and similar to their competitors. When you buy six or more of any item, a 10% discount is applied. Shipping costs will vary between $5.99 to $11.99 per order depending on quantity, so that's an added expense to factor in. Spread Shirt has a 30-day return guarantee for customers who are unhappy with their purchases. Rather than issuing a full refund, customers will either have the option of exchanging for a new product or receiving in-store credit towards their next order.

Edgy designs

For customers looking for edgy, trendy, youthful designs and t-shirt styles, Spread Shirt is the place to go. They have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and receive positive feedback from their customers on the quality of their products. The reason Spread Shirt has not earned our highest rating is simply because they don't necessarily cater to all ages like the higher-rated companies do. Some customers looking for business attire or less flashy everyday apparel might not find what they are looking for at Spread Shirt. If this rings true for you, we suggest our higher-rated custom t-shirt sites.

Cafe Press

• Cost: From $9 to $50

Men's, women's, kids, or baby t-shirts are available for customization through Cafe Press. T-shirt types include v-neck, scoop neck, long or short sleeve, and even a maternity or long nightshirt. Some t-shirt styles say they have only four colors, but actually display around seven. Still, we found the color selection at Cafe Press to be more limited than their competitors. When it comes to a variety of color shades, this is something lacking at Cafe Press.

Simple design process

The design process is fairly simple. Customers choose the t-shirt style and color they want, select their size, then begin personalizing their order. You can upload an image and add text to the t-shirt, but each image appears only front and center on the shirt or just on the pocket. This goes for both the front and back side of the shirt. When adding text, this can be placed anywhere on or right around the image on the t-shirt. There are quite a few fonts, colors and text sizes to choose from. Before checking out, a simulated image of your design is shown and you can either accept the design for purchase or continue to make changes.

Website errors

Cafe Press offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on their products. To return or exchange your items for a refund, a return request form is provided. After the request is reviewed, instructions are sent on how to return the items. For questions besides returns or exchanges, Cafe Press advertises the ability to get help from a team of professional design assistants. However, the link for this feature does not actually lead anywhere. This is one of a few errors on their website that left us disappointed in the lack of attention to detail on the site.

Few customer testimonials

Four testimonials are displayed on Cafe Press's website. While the fact that there are only 4 testimonials seems weak, we were further disappointed to see that they are filtered and date back to 2012. Since these are unhelpful, the Better Business Bureau redeems Cafe Press a bit by giving them an A+ rating. Customers on other third-party sites offer feedback about slow shipping processes, but are overall pleased with their products. Product manufacturing takes 1-2 days and then shipping takes an additional 1-9 days within the US depending on the chosen shipping method. The cost of shipping for one item is around $6 and then goes up from there with additional purchases.

Limited design features

Cafe Press has lots of products for sale, so they don't lack for selection. However, their design features are limited and this would be disappointing for people wanting a fully customizable experience. For a bigger selection of apparel styles, colors, and design features, we suggest going with one of our higher-rated sites for t-shirt customization.

Zazzle

• Cost: From $10 to $70

Zazzle has many categories of pre-printed shirts to browse through if you aren't wanting to design your own t-shirt. We might even suggest doing this because Zazzle's design functions are not as easy to use as they could be. The custom t-shirts don't seem to be their main focus and therefore, customization options are both limited and a little more complicated. For example, you can upload an image and input text, but their pre-loaded graphics are mostly cartoon-looking with fewer relevant options than our higher-rated sites have.

Pricing a bit higher

Pricing for some of the most basic t-shirts are a bit more than we found on competitors' sites. T-shirts in sizes bigger than XL cost an extra $5 as well. In addition, shipping charges are only calculated during the checkout process after you've created an account. We would prefer to know shipping prices upfront. To help with some of the steeper pricing, at the time of this review, they were running a 15% off sale if you used their discount code.

100% satisfaction guarantee

Zazzle's 100% satisfaction guarantee means customers can return their products within 30 days for a refund or replacement if they are unhappy when they arrive. A few products are subject to special return restrictions, which can be viewed on the Zazzle website or reviewed with customer service. To chat with customer service online, you'll need to have created an account and sign in. Basically, getting straight to what you want on Zazzle's website is a bit tricky sometimes.

Product quality issues

Because Zazzle provides customization of so many items besides just t-shirts, there is quite a bit of customer feedback regarding their products. They receive average reviews and some recent customer complaints report that their products were low quality and printing on their items came back blurry even after using high-resolution photos. Customer service also seems to be hard to work with. Our suggestion is to use a higher-rated site that caters more specifically to t-shirt customization rather than trying to get what you need from a site that sells too wide of a range of products that are both pre-printed and customizable.