Custom T-Shirts for Austin Businesses

How Austin Businesses Actually Use Custom T-Shirts (and What Makes Them Work)

We print shirts for a lot of Austin businesses — restaurants, breweries, construction companies, gyms, food trucks, real estate teams, and more. After seeing what actually gets worn versus what ends up in the back of a storage closet, we’ve formed some opinions.  

The Shirts That Get Worn Are the Ones People Actually Like

This sounds obvious, but it gets skipped more often than you’d think. A shirt that’s stiff, boxy, or has a massive logo plastered across the front tends to stay in the break room. A shirt that fits well, feels soft, and has a design that’s cool enough to wear on a Saturday gets worn constantly — which means your brand is out in the world for free. If you’re ordering shirts primarily for employees or as customer giveaways, invest a little more in the blank. The difference between a $5 economy shirt and an $8 premium shirt is significant in terms of how often it actually gets worn. That’s not upselling — it’s just what we see happen.  

Your Logo Probably Needs to Be Adjusted for a Shirt

Most business logos are designed for a screen or a business card, not a screen-printed shirt. Fine lines, gradients, and small text don’t always translate well to ink on fabric. Before we print, we review your artwork and flag anything that’s going to cause problems — thin strokes that will fill in, text that’s too small to read, or color separations that don’t work for the printing method. If your logo needs to be simplified for apparel, we can help with that. It’s a common thing, and it usually doesn’t take long.

What file format works best?

Vector files — AI, EPS, or a print-ready PDF — are ideal. If you only have a PNG or JPEG, it needs to be at least 300 dpi at actual print size. When in doubt, send us what you have and we’ll let you know right away what’s workable.  

Order More Than You Think You Need

The most common regret we hear is “I wish I’d ordered more.” Printing is cheaper in larger quantities, and running a second batch later costs more per shirt than ordering extras upfront. If you think you need 48, order 60. The extras will get used. This is also why it pays to get organized early — collecting sizes from a group takes longer than anyone expects, and last-minute additions always come up.  

Think About Where People Will Actually See Them

A restaurant’s front-of-house staff in clean, well-fitted shirts with a subtle logo looks professional and reinforces the brand every time a customer walks in. A gym’s staff in matching shirts makes the place feel more cohesive. A contractor’s crew in branded tees looks more established than a group in random t-shirts. The ROI on a well-made uniform shirt is real — it just doesn’t always show up in a spreadsheet.

What we see working by business type:

• Restaurants and food trucks: Soft, fitted tees in a brand color with a small chest logo. Comfortable enough to work in all day.
• Construction and trades: Heavier cotton that holds up to job site conditions. Crew neck, durable, easy to reorder.
• Tech companies and startups: Premium tri-blends that people actually want to wear outside of work. The Bella+Canvas 3001 is our most popular choice for this.
• Nonprofits and events: Bold, simple designs that photograph well and create a sense of belonging. The Ten Give Ten shirts we printed for Wilson’s Community School are a good example — clean design, great fit, worn proudly.

 

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re thinking about shirts for your Austin business and want to talk through what would actually work, reach out and get a quote. We’re happy to give you an honest recommendation before you commit to anything.