Each year, I
try to do something different and hopefully "useful" with the T-ShirtForums t-shirt design contest extravaganza giveaway.
Last year, we experienced the coolness of
bamboo t-shirts.
This year we'll follow along and watch a t-shirt design go from idea to finished t-shirt with all the trimmings.
Our goal:
Turn
prometheus's winning design into a fully custom t-shirt. From the fabric to the printing:
Our guide (and sponsor) in this journey will be Kris from High Style Productions.
If you've ever wondered what happens during the custom garment outsourcing and printing process, hopefully this project will help shed some light on the subject.
I'll keep this first post updated with the progress as we move things along. Our goal is to have pictures, videos, and more to help explain the process.
Stay tuned 
[subscribe to this thread for updates]Since everything about these shirts will be custom, the turnaround time from start to finish is usually about 3-4 weeks after all the artwork, quantities, and order details are in.
Here is the overall ordering process:
- Send email inquiry with design, quantity requested, garment style needed and any additional specs. DONE.
- Decide on a fabric style/cut/printing method and receive fabric samples from High Style Productions. DONE.
- Review samples and approve a cut/fabric/style - OR - send over my own sample from an existing t-shirt I have and my own size measurement chart to follow. DONE.
- Confirm and send over artwork for t-shirt printing, t-shirt labels and hangtags. DONE and DONE.
- Receive pictures of prints from the production line. DONE.
- Once prints pictures are approved, a pre-production sample is sent via snail mail. ON THE WAY
- Once the pre-production sample is approved, the shirts of the t-shirts will be finished and shipped.
Thursday, June 12, 2008: Received 100% combed cotton t-shirt fabric samples with different printing types and styles shown.
Friday, June 13, 2008: After feeling the fabric samples, decided to ask for something even softer than combed cotton. Maybe sueded cotton?
Monday, June 16, 2008: HSP sent out more fabric samples of sueded (called "peached" by their production line) cotton.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008: Sent sample t-shirt (from one of my Life is Good tees) to HSP for custom size grading. The t-shirts will be sized from S-5XL. Still need to find a good sizing chart for women's sizes.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008: PRE-Order link for this year's winning t-shirt design is now up. If you don't have 100 posts as of today,
you can pre-order the winning t-shirt design here.
Thursday, July 10, 2008: Finished tallying up all the sizes needed from the PRE-order period and sent the sizes over so enough fabric could be produced and processed for the order.
The 3-4 week process actually starts from this date since this is when all the numbers and specs have been confirmed.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008: Received "strike off" proof photo from the production line. Actual printed sample shipped out for approval. It's getting closer now
Thursday, August 7, 2008: Physical samples on their way to me from the factory. Received more
production photo proofs. This time of the fully printed t-shirt to see the design placement and hangtag printing. Almost there!