Group shirt orders, without the scramble.

By Zachary Traxler · October 2026

Group shirt orders go wrong in the same three places every time: the deadline, the sizes and the money. Get those right and the rest is easy. Here is the process we walk teams, schools, PTOs, bands and nonprofits through.

1. Start from the date, not the design

Write down the day the shirts have to be in hands, then count backward. Apparel takes 7–10 business days after you approve the proof. Before that you need time to collect sizes and approve art. After it, you need pickup or delivery. Three weeks is comfortable. Two is doable. Anything less is a rush, so tell us early.

2. Get the count and the sizes

Small, reachable group? Collect exact sizes with a simple form. Big or shifting group, like volunteers or a whole grade? Use a size breakdown instead. Our sizing guide and calculator turns a headcount into a size run, and we build in a few extras in the most common sizes so the last people through the door are not left out.

Watch the edges: youth sizes for younger kids, and 2XL and up, which usually cost more per shirt.

3. Decide who pays, and how

If the organization is buying, get the budget approved before you design. If every person pays for their own shirt, do not become the cash collector. We can list the design in an online store where everyone orders their own size and pays at checkout, and we print to order.

4. Keep the design printable

• Fewer ink colors cost less on screen printing, because each color is its own screen.
• One print location is cheaper than two. A front and a back are two setups.
• Names and numbers are printed one at a time with DTF; send them as a spreadsheet, spelled exactly how you want them.
• School and sponsor logos should come as vector files. Check what you have with the print file checker.

5. Approve the proof the day you get it

Production starts at proof approval, not at the quote. Check spelling, colors, sizes and quantities, then approve. Every day a proof sits in an inbox is a day off your cushion.

6. Plan how they get handed out

Sorting 120 shirts by name in a school hallway is nobody’s idea of fun. Ask about folding and bagging by name, or by team, when you order.

Questions people ask