How to plan a first graphic T-shirt production run

What to take away

A first run fails for boring reasons: the wrong blank, an unapproved file, a cure that was never measured. This plan covers the decisions in the order a shop actually makes them.

Freeze the blank before anything else

Name the supplier, product code, fiber content, fabric structure, color and size range. Write down the sales channel, decorated locations, due date and packing method.

Build the size matrix and settle overage at the same time:

Set overage by risk and agreement. Do not decorate extra blanks until someone has accepted ownership and payment for them.

Inspect the blanks you were actually sent

Pull representative shirts before you commit. Check these details:

Lay a shirt on the platen. Side seams, a pocket, a high collar or tubular twist can all shift the print datum. If the order needs two colors or two dye lots, treat each as a separate qualification.

Wash and dry an undecorated control through the care cycle the label claims. Record the method and the before-and-after measurements. "It shrinks a little" is not a record.

Lock the artwork and its rights

Assign a version number to the file. Record finished width and height, orientation, color definitions, and raster resolution.

Get written permission for every logo, character, photograph, illustration and licensed font. Where the permission is limited, define territory, quantity, product, channel and term. Copyright, trademark and licensing questions belong with a qualified attorney, the U.S. Copyright Office or the USPTO, not with the press operator.

Make a placement sheet on a clear datum: centerline, plus a measured distance below the collar seam. State the tolerance and say whether placement grades across sizes.

Pick the method against the order, not the shop

A one-color screen print is efficient and repeatable. It still needs several steps:

Ask the producer for the exact garment-method compatibility, smallest feature, underbase, expected hand, production time and the test method behind the durability claim. Approve the method before the proof, because it changes what the customer sees.

Northeastern University Makerspaces' screen-printing training sequence lists these items:

It then walks through artwork, dry alignment, flooding, printing, and cleaning. It also covers the ink maker's cure instructions. It is a local training document, not a production specification for your run.

Build the traveler

The approved settings range, the proof identity, the inspection frequency, and the acceptance criteria. The stop conditions, the rework path, and the count reconciliation.

Add a wash test before release when durability is part of the promise. AATCC and ASTM publish the methods; the label and the customer's care instructions set the cycle you run.

Approve a physical proof

Print on the exact style and color, at planned settings, and mark the unit as a proof. Judge it under agreed lighting after the full cure, press and cooling sequence.

Check garment and artwork identity, finished dimensions and placement, color and registration, halftone detail, hand and edge behavior.

Then check the following:

Record approval or a numbered correction. If the artwork changes, the old approval does not travel with the new file.

Run with interval checks

Stage blanks by size and separate approved stock from damaged or uncertain units. Match the first production shirt against the physical proof. Then inspect at set intervals and after any stop. Also inspect after any adjustment, ink addition, or screen cleaning. Also inspect after any transfer change or operator change.

Log actual settings, time, operator, unit range, checks and defects. If placement or color drifts, quarantine back to the last recorded good unit, fix the cause and take a fresh first-off approval before restarting.

Finish, pack and reconcile

Let the process reach its final state before stacking. Inspect each garment for identity, size, placement, and print surface.
Also check contamination, damage, labeling, and packing condition.

Reconcile blanks received against samples, approved units, rejects, rework, unused overage and shipment. A count that will not balance is a traceability problem even when the customer's number is right. File the approved description, care instructions, tracking and customer acceptance with the order.

Common questions

How many shirts should a first run include?

There is no universal number. Size the run to demand, setup cost, size mix, cash and storage, and to the method you chose. A short run that sells out beats a long one that ties up blanks.

Can I approve color from a phone photo?

Use it to communicate, not to approve. Display calibration, lighting, camera processing, substrate and ink all shift the appearance. Approve color on the physical proof under the lighting you agreed on.

Should the artwork be the same size on every garment size?

Only if that result is approved. Some orders grade the decoration across sizes and some hold it constant. Write the rule on the placement sheet so the operator does not guess.

What happens to misprints?

Identify, segregate, count and disposition them under written terms. Keep licensed art and customer marks out of any unauthorized sale, and check with the rights holder before anything is released.