How to Design Your Own T-Shirt

Designing your own t-shirt is a fun and creative activity, and can also provide you with a small source of income if you sell your design. Whether you’re planning to print your own t-shirt or send it to a professional printer, you can create your own t-shirt design at home.

Table of Contents

Plan your design

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Think about what you want your design to represent. Maybe you’re promoting your cleaning company, rock band, or favorite sports team. Maybe you plan to use your own drawing. The purpose of the design will determine the design itself.

If you’re promoting a company, sports team or brand, you’ll probably need to focus on the logo. For example, the Nike logo is a simple yet effective design. Designs for sports teams can include the team’s signature colors or mascot. Band design can focus on the band’s visuals or a graphic that showcases the distinctive style or sound the band possesses.
If you’re making a t-shirt that shows off a particular drawing or illustration, you’ll need to focus on how it will look when printed on the shirt. Think about how bold this drawing will be and how colors will be used on it.
Consider using photos in your designs. Use your own photo. You can use photos taken by others, but only if you have the legal right to use them. You can also purchase copyrighted photos.

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Choose a color tone. When designing a t-shirt, you need to think about color contrast. This means how certain ink colors will look when printed on light and dark shirts. Certain ink colors will look great on a light or dark shirt when viewed on a computer, but will print differently. ^{[1] X Research Source}

When printing on light colored shirts, you need to avoid colors such as bright yellow, light blue or light pink. These colors are still visible on the shirt but will be very faint when viewed from a certain distance. If you’re going to design a shirt with a logo, make sure you can still see it from a distance.
If you’re going to use lighter colors, use a darker color for the border to highlight the text, making it easier to read.
Dark shirt colors will go well with light ink colors. However, be careful when using dark colors on a dark t-shirt background such as dark blue, dark brown or dark green. These colors may look great on a computer or drawing, but when printed, the color of the shirt may misalign the ink. As a result, the ink color will be browner or duller.
If you use Adobe Illustrator to design, the Global Cpours setting can be of great help in choosing colors. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Add depth to the design. Once you’ve added color to the design, it can look nice, but a bit flat. To add depth to certain areas of the design, add a color that is the same shade as the color below it. As such, the design will look brighter and have more depth. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If you plan to use a professional editing software (such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Gimp, Adobe Illustrator or Paint Shop Pro), you can take a standard image and edit it to suit your needs.
Creating vector borders on Inkscape can be an extremely effective way when you need to resize an image.

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Create balance in the design. This means combining all the parts or elements to form a harmonious whole. How this works will depend on the structure of the design. Maybe your design has lots of small details like stars, trees or animals. Or maybe it’s a large design with a key figure or illustration. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Think about how you can harmonize your design. A harmonious image will attract the viewer’s eye.

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Specify the print position of the design. Do you think your design is in the middle, in the upper left corner, or is it better to print fully?

If you’re designing a t-shirt for a brand or company, a simple design in the center of the shirt will probably work best.
Don’t forget that you can also use the back of the shirt to add a slogan (like Nike’s “Just Do It”). Or you can print the lyrics of the band you’re designing for them.

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Finalize a final prototype for the design. It’s best to sketch out your ideas before actually printing them on the shirt. Try several different designs and different color combinations. Pay attention to color contrast and depth. Make sure that your photo is balanced and uniform. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If you are unsure, ask someone else for advice. Ask a friend, relative, or co-worker what design and color scheme they like best.

Create digital images for designs

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Use Adobe Photoshop to edit sketches on paper. If your drawing on paper is not of high quality or is drawn with clear lines, this method may not work. Take the following steps if your drawing is of high quality:

Scan the drawing to the computer. Then edit with Photoshop.
Shrink contours. Use filters, hue, brightness, contrast, color intensity and other effects as you like.
Add lines, textures, splashes, and other embellishments to make your design more balanced and lively (add only if necessary).
Ensure that the entire drawing is a unified whole by keeping the proportions right, the style consistent, and the colors consistent.

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Use computer software to create designs. If you are not satisfied with the quality of the paper drawing, use computer software to draw on Photoshop.

If you have a drawing tablet, you can color and draw straight into Photoshop or a similar program.

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Find a font that enhances your entire design instead of making things too heavy. This font must match the image in the design to create a harmonious whole.

Think of the fonts on some famous logo or design. The font should lead to the overall style of the company or brand. For example, Nike’s Just Do It slogan is bold and simple, similar to their bold and simple logo. Conversely, a font used for a sports team or an obscure rock band may be more sophisticated.
Make sure that the filters you use on the design will also work for the font. If you’re using layers in Photoshop, you’ll need to drag the font layers below the effect layer. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
You can use free fonts on sites like defont.com. You can also access free brushstroke designs on brusheezy.com. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Learn how to add fonts on your computer, Illustrator or Photoshop if needed.
If you are adventurous, you can design your own.

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Create templates. The easiest way to do this is to print out your design and use an iron to print it onto a plain t-shirt. However, if you want to check the quality of the design, you can hire a printing company to create professional prototypes.

Manufacture of shirts. For small scale, you can use hot ironing method.

If you want to produce on a larger scale, you can hire a professional printing company.

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Silk-screen printing method

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Collect necessary items. To silkscreen your designs at home, you’ll need: ^{[8] X Research Resources}

Blank T-shirt
50ml degreaser (available at craft stores)
1 liter of cold water
Large paint brush
500ml photo emulsion
A small bottle of sensitizer
A bottle of silkscreen ink
Water sweeper or tray
A small wooden stick
Hairdryer
Cellophane
Silk printing table
You can buy a screen printing table at a craft store. Or you can make your own by buying a small mesh and a canvas to stretch the canvas. Stretch the mesh cover over the frame and secure the edge with pins. For standard designs, a mesh size 110-195 is suitable. For sophisticated designs in a variety of colors, use a 156-230 grid. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Preparing for silkscreen printing. Mix the degreaser in cold water. Dip a paintbrush into the mixture and then sweep it onto the screen printing table.

Make sure you scan both sides. You only need to apply a thin layer to the surface.
Let dry.

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Mix image emulsion and sensitizer. Pour 20 ml of water into the sensitivity bottle. Mix well by shaking for one minute.

Add the sensitizer to the photographic emulsion.
Use a small wooden stick to mix the sensitizer and emulsion.
The image emulsion color will change from blue to green. In addition, small air bubbles will also form.
Close the cap of the photo emulsion bottle gently and place it in a dark room for about an hour. After an hour, check if the air bubbles are gone.
If not, leave the mixture for another hour until the air bubbles disappear.

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Apply photo emulsion onto the screen printing table. In a room with dim or red light, apply a small amount of photo emulsion on the frame and use a water brush to sweep the surface evenly. ^{[10] X Research Source}

The emulsion will flow through the platen so scan both sides as well. ^{[11] X Research Source}
You can also use the tray to evenly distribute the emulsion onto the printing plate. Place the printing plate on a clean towel and slightly tilted. Place the tray on the bottom edge of the print bed and carefully pour the emulsion onto the surface, while pulling the tray up towards the top edge.
Allow the emulsion to dry in a completely dark room for about 20 minutes. Use a fan to make it dry faster. ^{[12] X Research Source}

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Place the cellophane upside down on the printing surface. You are ready to print your image onto the emulsion. Place the printing plate on a flat surface, place the cellophane upside down, and press a sheet of glass over the cellophane to make sure it doesn’t move. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Print the photo onto the emulsion layer. A 500 watt bulb will cause the cellophane image to print into the emulsion in 15 minutes.

The exact length of this process will depend on the type of bulb and emulsion you choose. ^{[14] X Research Source}
The direction of the light that you need to place will be guided on the packaging of the photo emulsion.

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Surface coating of printing table. Please soak it in water for about 2 minutes. Then rinse off any remaining emulsion with a shower or water jet. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Apply waterproof tape around the bottom edge of the printing table. Its flat side will have to face the t-shirt, and the other framed side will be where you use the ink.

To make sure ink doesn’t leak around the frame, use waterproof tape to seal it where the print side covers the frame. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Place the t-shirt on a flat surface. Make sure there are no wrinkles on the shirt. Place the print side on top of the t-shirt where you want your design to be printed. Place the print side on top, making sure the print side and your design match.

Secure your shirt onto a piece of cardboard. This will ensure that the shirt stays flat and wrinkle-free. It will also be easier for you to move the shirt to another place to dry.
If possible, have a friend press the print side down while you apply ink.

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Pour a tablespoon of silkscreen ink onto the print surface. Use a water sweeper to evenly cover the ink from top to bottom.

The mesh can be quite thick so this step will be for the lining. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Press gently so that the ink doesn’t seep through to the other side of the print.

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Scan the print side. Once the print side is filled with ink, you can start printing the design onto the shirt.

Hold the water sweeper with both hands at a 45° angle for even pressure. If possible, ask your friend to hold the print side in place.
Drag the ink across the print surface on the design. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Ink drying. Using a hair dryer, apply even heat over the entire design for a few minutes. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Let the ink dry before using the next print side to print an extra layer of texture with a different color.
If you get it right, your t-shirt will be machine washable.

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Wash your print bed after use. Use cold water and brush with a sponge to remove ink. Let dry on its own.

Transparency printing method

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Collect the necessary materials. To cross-print your design onto a t-shirt, you’ll need:

Black and white print of the design. It is important that you use black and white prints for easy focus.
A sheet of tracing paper or cellophane
Craft knife or paper carving knife
Blank T-shirt
A piece of cardboard large enough to cover the front of the shirt

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Paste the design onto a piece of tracing paper. Tracing paper is a transparent paper used to wrap books. It has a normal size and is peelable on one side. You’ll stick your design on the peel-off side so the design can be seen through the front of the tracing paper – the non-stick side. ^{[20] X Research Sources}

You can also use a sheet of cellophane. Attach it to your design printout with tape. ^{[21] X Research Source}

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Use a sharp craft knife to cut out the black part of the pattern. Place the paper on a flat surface, like a table top.

Use a craft knife or carving knife to cut along the outline of the design. Note that the black parts that you cut out will be the painted parts. ^{[22] X Research Source}

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Peel off the sticky side of the tracing paper. Remove the plain paper with the design printed on it from the tracing paper. Place the sticky side on the t-shirt, making sure it’s flat and wrinkle-free.

If you’re using cellophane instead of tracing paper, stick the cellophane to your shirt with tape. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

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Place the cardboard inside the shirt. This is done to separate the front and back sides, so that the ink will not seep from front to back.

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Use a foam brush on the fabric surface. Just apply paint to the cut out parts of the tracing paper – those parts will be painted dark on the shirt. ^{[24] X Research Sources}

Let the paint dry. Check by lightly touching the painted part. If the paint gets on your hands, it’s not completely dry yet.

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Peel off the tracing paper from the t-shirt when the paint has dried. You will have a printed shirt.

You can use this technique to print another shirt if you want.

Method of using bleach

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Use safe bleach. Bleach printing is fun, easy, and inexpensive, especially for designs with text. But remember that bleach is very toxic, so keep it out of the reach of children. ^{[25] X Research Sources}

Always protect eyes, clothing and open wounds from contact with bleach.
If your skin is sensitive, you should use kitchen gloves when printing your shirt with bleach.

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Collect tools. You will need:

Household bleach is safe for fabrics
Plastic bristle paintbrush (use the cheap one, because you’ll make it fade)
Porcelain or glass bowl
White towel or rag
White chalk
A cover sheet
Cotton t-shirt in dark color
You can try this method with a light colored shirt, but a dark shirt will give better results.

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Place the shirt on a flat surface. Then, thread the card inside the shirt. The cardstock will act as a backing pad as you sketch your design, and the ink won’t seep into the back.

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Use white chalk to sketch your design onto the shirt. It could be your favorite quote, your idol’s name, or your company’s logo.

Don’t worry if you smudge the chalk and have to sketch again. The chalk lines will disappear once you’ve finished printing with bleach.

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Fold the sides of the shirt under the cover. Secure the shirt to the cardstock with small clips or elastic. That way, the card won’t wobble while you’re erasing.

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Prepare bleach. Pour several cups of bleach into a glass or porcelain bowl. Use a cloth to wipe away spills. Do not let bleach get on the clothes you are wearing.

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Dip the brush in bleach. Wipe the mouth of the bowl to avoid spillage.

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Paint in chalk strokes with moderate pressure. For a more even line, dip the brush in bleach every 5 cm. The fabric will quickly absorb the liquid, so you need to be quick, but still.

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End of the sharpening phase. Then, take a short break to let the bleach work on the shirt.

Look back. Is there a spot where the bleach is not evenly absorbed or is it pale? If so, use a brush to soak up the bleach and work it out again.

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Hang the shirt in the sun for at least 1 hour. This way, the bleach will take effect and fade the color.

Depending on the amount of cotton in the shirt, the color of the design will be deep red, orange, pink or white.

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Wash clothes by hand. Enjoy your bleach-finished design.

Wash this shirt like a colored shirt. The chalk border will fade away, leaving only the printed design with bleach.

Advice

Note that digital printing is the simplest way to print multiple t-shirts at once. Screen printing, transparencies, and home bleach printing are the right methods if you just want to print a few t-shirts.
Once you have a digital design, you can ask a silkscreen printing company to print the shirt for you.
When using images online, print to transfer paper for better quality.
If you are going to sell t-shirts, make sure the images you use are not copyrighted and that you are allowed to sell them. If you use an image that belongs to someone else, you may end up ruining your store’s reputation and getting sued.

Steps