Smile Orange understands that every client's needs are different. Some people want cheap, disposable, promotional t-shirts where a rock-bottom price is key, whilst others need a high-quality, fashion item which best reflects their brand. We have written this guide to help you decide what is right for you but, at the end of the day, if you have specific questions, just pick up the phone or drop us an email and one of the team will be happy to answer any further questions you may have.

Choosing the right t-shirt

Firstly, decide what you need the t-shirt to do. What image does it need to convey, does it need to last a long time, does it need to be light or heavyweight, does it need to come in multiple colour ways, does it need to be unisex or do you need specific men's or women's styles, does it need to be organic or ethically produced ? The key is knowing what you want and for what purpose.

Lightweight T-Shirts

Good for promotions, classic shape, bulk order, low prices

Heavyweight T-Shirts

Good for clubs, teams and companies, last longer, large range of colours

Fashionable T-Shirts

Good for those wanting a more fitted look, style, modern colours

Organic T-Shirts

Good for those with a green heart or corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy

Printing the t-shirt

Secondly, you need to print the t-shirt(s) you have chosen. You can mix and match styles, colours and brands but we do have a minimum order of 20 items. This is because our method of choice for printing is screen printing which has a time consuming setup process. This is the default technique for us as it is the most superior by far. The colours are bright and vibrant, the quality excellent and washed at 40 degrees without problems. Digital, sublimation and heat transfer techniques, whilst getting better year by year, cannot compete with screen printing.

To read more about screen printing and how it works along with print prices then please check out the screen printing guide.

Beyond T-shirt printing

Smile Orange is far more than a t-shirt printer. We can print or embroider literally thousands of different products from caps and bags, polos and sweatshirts, jackets and fleeces. We also can supply you with other promotional merchandise. we are dedicated to raising the standard of customer service in the industry by going the extra step for our clients when they need it. We offer an average lead time of 10 working days regardless of qty, we run an express service of 5 working days but this is at a cost of 25% extra of the order value, this is ideal for tighter deadlines if required