Should you spend $5 or $50 on a tee shirt?

How do you choose between two shirts that cost the same?

Some points we consider when recommending a tee shirt include:

• Fit - not just to body shape, but also style including waist length
• Style - V, crew, ¾ sleeve, concealed stitching
• Shrink - once washed, a pre-shrunk tee should have minimal twist, shrinkage, creep
• Twist - a tubular tee has no side seams and won’t show twist
• Fabric - weight, enzyme wash, cotton mix, gauge and thread count plus more
• Colour - fastness, consistency, range, depth
• Print - process, ink type, drying method, temperature, underlay, handle
• Cost
• Cotton % - polyester, spandex, interlock, dry fit/cool dri
• Environment - organic materials, chemicals, bleaches
• Human rights - labour conditions, chemicals, wages
• New Zealand - made content, jobs, economy
• Labeling, sizes, care instructions

For further information please contact us:

Phone: (09) 815 6220
Email: marketing@embroideryspecs.co.nz

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For Assistance On All Types Of Tee Shirts

We will quote based on our best pick of these points. Please ask us if you would like more attention paid to any particular area.

• Even if you are envisaging a tee shirt will be worn only one time, do you want people to feel good in it?
• Would they want to wash it and wear it again, and would that increase the return on your marketing dollar?
• How important is your brand?

The difference between a good quality shirt and one that may disappoint is often only a few dollars.

As branders, our job is to display your brand. We know that out work can only be as good as the medium (tee shirt) that we start with.  And so, we constantly evaluate new tee shirts and look for the best quality and best value.

For further information please contact us:

Phone: (09) 815 6220
Email: marketing@embroideryspecs.co.nz

 

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Some Useful Notes In Response To Some Recent Enquiries

 

Caps and Tees - Quality

• There's a heap of cap and tees available.  We offer the ones we feel are best value - you can spend more or less!
• We strongly recommend that tees are pre-shrunk, dye fast, at least 180 gsm fabric weight, and a smooth cotton face with longer cotton strands so that they can be worn and washed many times and still keep your brand looking good and associated with quality.
• 100% cotton fabric is usually most comfortable for "all day" wear.
• Having a good range of colours, full-size range including ladies and kids, consistency from one dye batch to another and consistent sewing quality also sets our tees apart.
• Such a tee usually costs between $8.95 (per 100+ units) and $13.90 (10 units)

 

• Caps need to be structured and consistent, as embroidery onto these (curved) frames is more difficult.  Again, dye fast, washable, 100% cotton, heavy fabric and also the ease with which the cap can be adjusted to fit different head sizes are all really important.
• Adjusters are commonly velcro or metal buckle, colours can be plain or with a contrast peak.
• Such a cap costs between $7.45 (per 100+ units) and $10.90 (10 units) Flex fit, wool and specialty caps are available from $19.50

 

Life Expectancy

Like your car, your hairstyle or your shoes, garments will last longest if they are quality products and well cared for.
As above we always prefer to supply good quality products. Your brand depends upon it and the wearer usually notices the difference.

Some tips to achieve long garment life include:

• For drying avoid clothes dryers if possible
• Hang cotton garments in half, not by the corners
• Cold or warm wash polyester and cotton polyester products
• Wash and iron screen-printed garments inside out
• Use quality washing powders and softeners
• Take garments out of the washing machine as soon as the cycle is complete
• Make sure garments are fully dry before folding and storage
• Select weaves that suit your environment for example open weave for sports, knit for all day wear.

Brand Names

We make clothing ourselves.  We have even knitted a million meters of fabric, in New Zealand - enough to stretch to the moon!

This means we are tremendously good at recognising good products. We have made clothing for two or three companies that you will recognise. We supply some top brand names. One or two of these "names" now make overseas, and we feel the quality has declined! We also supply garments made in China, Bangladesh, India and the U.S.A.

Products supplied by us will have accurate, clear, detailed details in the labels, and we guarantee every garment and every branding application (including embroidery, screen print, dye sublimation, digital heat press and transfer) that we supply. We carry out all these applications in New Zealand in factories we own and manage. Where we use overseas manufacture we not only sample locally, we also send patters, programs, samples and specifications produced in New Zealand.

Are embroidery threads dye fast?

(Otherwise known as "will the colour in my logo stain my clothes when I wash them")
Most of the time we use Madeira polyester thread. This is a quality product which is consistent, vibrant, colour fast.
We use a Saba when a "matt" effect is required, and a Burlima wool and also steel threads on occasion.

Our embroidery usually outlasts the garment, and can be laundered at up to 80 degrees Celsius without risk of dye transfer. (Same cannot be said for most clothing!)

Occasionally where items may be sent to overseas commercial laundry facilities, temperatures may exceed 80 degrees. For these instances, we can offer a poly neon thread, (or even a fireproof thread!) which is basically indestructible.

This poly neon has a more limited colour range, but costs no more. The fireproof thread is p.o.a.