Have you ever been shopping for new shirts and felt let down by the limited options available? The good news is that you can create your custom t-shirt designs without leaving the comfort of your home. If this sounds intriguing, you’ll probably want to check out our list of the best t-shirt design websites online.
T-shirt design websites allow you to upload or create your own images that will be printed on a shirt for a fee. The best websites will offer online design software, reasonable prices, and excellent customer service to guide you through this process.
This article will introduce you to some of the best websites for designing t-shirts. It will also give you an overview of what to look for in a design website and tips for making eye-catching shirts for any occasion.
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How Do I Design My Own T-Shirt?
The process starts with an idea and your final t-shirt design is limited only to your imagination. A favorite saying, your hobbies, photos of family or pets, or a cause you are passionate about are all good places to start when thinking about what to put on your shirt.
Once you have your idea, you can begin to create your design. T-shirt designing is a pretty straightforward process once you get started. You’ll want to first choose a design website and will ideally want to find one that comes with a free online design platform.
Then, you can upload a pre-existing image to the site or create one yourself using the built-in tools. If you are uploading an image, most sites prefer you to add one as a .PNG file with a transparent background. You can use a free tool like Canva to help you properly format your images.
Once you are happy with your design, the site will guide you through choosing a shirt style, color, and quantity; and finally paying for your design to be printed. All that’s left after that is to wait for your new shirts to arrive at your doorstep!
12 Best T-Shirt Design Websites
We’ve gathered this list of top websites for designing your own t-shirts. Which works best for you will ultimately depend on your printing needs, budget, and expected turnaround time.
1. Allied Shirts
Allied Shirts is one of the best design sites that’s also budget-friendly. Its prices are at the lower end of the market and the company takes the savings a step further by price matching its competitors. If you can find an identical product online for cheaper, the website will honor the lower price.
Like most design websites, Allied Shirts offers plenty of templates you can customize if you want pre-made options. It also offers design services, but these are only free if you purchase 12 or more shirts from the site.
Allied Shirts does have longer shipping times than most, with standard shipping taking 14 days. However, the upside to this is that this shipping is free! They offer upgraded shipping options that can take as little as one day to reach you.
2. Cafe Press
Cafe Press earns its spot on this list thanks to its easy-to-use design platform. You can create your designs quickly and with little fuss, whether you use your own images or one of the premade templates. You’ll want to check out their Officially Licensed graphics, which feature many beloved tv shows, superheroes, and even board games.
Cafe Press offers design options for everyone – including your furry companions! You can design a custom dog t-shirt to ensure your pet will match the entire family. The site regularly offers deals and discount codes, so check back when it’s time for the holidays or back-to-school season.
As for shipping, this site falls in the moderate range for wait times. Economy shipping takes an average of 9-13 days, with upgraded options taking as few as 3 days to ship.
3. Custom Ink
While Custom Ink’s website is good for any t-shirt designer, you will especially love it if you are an athlete or an exercise enthusiast. That’s because the site features many of the top brands in athletic wear, including t-shirts by Nike, Adidas, Under Armor, Champion, and Sport-Tek.
Beyond the brands known for athletic wear, Custom Ink’s entire catalog offers plenty of options to suit your everyday needs. Their t-shirts even come in an extended size range of up to 5XL.
Shipping times here can also be lengthy, with free basic shipping taking 14 days. However, they offer super rush shipping that can get your shirts in as little as 3 days for a fee. If you’re designing for a crowd, you even have options that allow you to send individual shirts to individual home addresses.
4. Design Crowd
If you’re ordering t-shirts to represent your business or organization, you could probably benefit from working with a graphic designer. A graphic designer will be able to create for you professional-looking images that suit your vision and needs. That’s where Design Crowd comes in.
As its name implies, Design Crowd connects you with a crowd of designers – over a million! All you have to do is lay out your ideas for these designers and they’ll do the rest. Within 2-10 days, you will receive designs to choose from that fit your ideas.
This website is one of the pricier ones available, starting at $99 for the design services. But you’re guaranteed to see 50+ designs to choose from, which you can ask the designers to tweak if needed. Their shipping times are moderate, at 9-11 days for standard shipping.
5. OptimalPrint
OptimalPrint offers many of the same features as the other design sites listed here. It has an online design platform where you can upload your images, templates to customize, and many styles to choose from.
But where OptimalPrint excels is its combination of quality and affordability. T-shirt prices start at $3.99 and up, and the company even offers organic options if that is your preference. Turnaround time is quick, in as little as 3-6 days.
If you plan to order t-shirts frequently, you might want to take advantage of the membership opportunities the site offers. Members can access free shipping, exclusive deals, and extended quality guarantees for an annual cost of less than $20.
6. Real Thread
Real Thread is the ultimate destination for super soft and stylish custom shirts. The company doesn’t want you to settle for uncomfortable shirts no one wants to wear. Instead, they’ve sourced high-quality products you’ll be proud to have your designs on.
Real Thread takes custom t-shirt designing to a new level, offering services that most other sites don’t have. These services are especially useful if you’re looking to sell your shirts. The add-ons include custom printed tags at the neckline, hem tags, and added size stickers for retail stores.
Real Thread does have minimum order requirements but offers free standard shipping. If you run your own business, they’ll even bag and ship your products to your customers.
7. Redbubble
Redbubble is the site to visit if you’re looking for designs by small creators and independent artists. The site offers designs featuring your favorite movies, celebrities, games, vintage images, and so much more. T-shirt prices vary according to the individual artist.
Once you’ve selected your design, Redbubble offers 15 styles of t-shirts to print on. All t-shirts are responsibly produced and locally fulfilled by the company.
8. Rush Order Tee
Need a quick turnaround? This may be the website for you! Rush Order Tee promises some of the quickest shipping times available for custom t-shirts, offering options that take only a few days. If you’re not in a hurry, their free shipping takes 9-12 days to arrive.
Upload your own design or use their existing templates. The site even offers design review and repair to ensure that experts look at your image before it prints to ensure it will print clearly and correctly. You won’t have to worry about off-center designs, pixelation, or skewed images with this service.
More than that, the site offers options for everyone. Whether you’re looking for budget-friendly styles or something more luxurious, you’ll find what you need here.
9. SpreadShirt
With SpreadShirt, you can design custom t-shirts for yourself or a crowd. They offer standard design and printing options like most other sites, with added printing styles including flex, flock, or digital printing.
You can even earn money selling your designs on the site! SpreadShirt integrates with many major online retailers, launching your products across the internet. In particular, you can sell your designs on Etsy, Amazon, and Shopify.
Customers can order your designs on more than 250 products, including t-shirts. The products will be printed on demand, and SpreadShirt will ship the finished goods directly to the buyer.
10. Threadless
Threadless is a custom t-shirt site that is geared towards artists who want to make products showcasing their work. It does not feature an online design platform, meaning you’ll need to use an external program like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or even Canva to create your images.
Once you’ve uploaded your art, you can launch an online shop for others to purchase your products. You make a profit and join the large community of independent artists on the site. Their website even features an artist of the day, ensuring customers see the work of the creative minds on the site.
More than that, Threadless is committed to ethically sourcing all of its materials. This gives you the added confidence that the t-shirts you design are made responsibly. The company uses only toxin-free inks that are biodegradable, among many other eco-friendly initiatives.
11. Underground Printing
Underground printing offers an easy-to-use platform to make your designs, whether you want one t-shirt or a thousand. The site offers regular shipping and dropshipping options, making it a useful supplier if you want to sell the t-shirts you design.
Their website offers many top-name brands, including Nike, Carhartt, Eddie Bauer, The North Face, and Under Armor. This guarantees you’ll find a style and fit that suits your taste and needs.
12. Zazzle
Zazzle is a top choice because of its large selection of products for everyone – men, women, kids, and babies. With Zazzle, you can create your own image using their online design platform or upload premade files. Zazzle also offers more than 1,000 customizable templates if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration.
In terms of creation times, Zazzle is average within the field. Its standard shipping will take approximately 8-10 days, with premium and express options that can take as few as 3 business days. These shipping times can vary based on the product and the quantity you purchase.
But where Zazzle shines is with its customer support. Zazzle allows you to work on demand with a designer as you create your images. Most design sessions last around 20 minutes, and the designer can help you make changes in real-time to see your vision come to life.
The best part? Zazzle’s website offers you all of this with no obligation to purchase. This will help guarantee you only purchase designs you are absolutely in love with.
Can I Use Canva to Design T-Shirts?
Yes, you can! Canva is an online graphic design platform that allows you to add your images to many products. This includes t-shirts, which you can order directly from Canva or print on one of the sites listed above.
Canva is available for free to all users, though there is premium content available for a cost. You can pay individually for premium images you use or enroll in a subscription to the site. Beyond that, the only cost is to print and ship the shirt.
The site is a go-to resource featuring hundreds of custom templates and other design elements. With all that is available, you’ll be able to easily build the exact look you want.
What to Look For in a T-Shirt Custom Design Website
With the many t-shirt design websites available, it might seem confusing to know which one to pick. Ultimately, you’ll want to base your decision on the following criteria:
Cost
The first thing you’ll want to look at is the base cost of the t-shirts on the site. Most sites feature similar brands, so you should be able to easily compare products between competitors. The same shirt may be cheaper on another site, so it pays to shop around.
Design Fees
Your costs can quickly rise if there are hidden design fees. This can include costs to customize the shirt and fees for using expert designers to help in the process. Be sure to look for any added fees that could be a shock at checkout.
Quantity Requirements
Often, t-shirt sites will advertise low prices that are only available for bulk orders of shirts. Others won’t even print your designs unless you order a large enough quantity, which can easily be 15-20 shirts or more. The site should clearly state if there are restrictions or if prices are higher for small orders.
Shipping
Shipping can make or break your t-shirt designing experience. Many of these custom shirts are shipped from international manufacturers, which is costly. Some companies offset this by offering free shipping that takes up to two weeks to arrive.
Look carefully at the turnaround times and the shipping times before you buy. If you need your shirts quickly, go for sites that give you options to expedite the process. You’ll have to pay a fee, but it may be worth it to ensure you have your shirts when you need them.
Customer Service
The design process doesn’t have to be hard. Check if the site has any options for you to chat with a designer or other representative during your process. It can never hurt to get another set of eyes on your design or to have your questions answered as you place your order.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, custom t-shirts are a quick click away at one of the sites we’ve discussed here. Just be sure to choose the one that best suits your needs, and refer back to this article as you work. Before you know it, you’ll be showing off your new designs!