How to make custom all-over-print shirts

1. Sign up for Printify

Create a free Printify account to start crafting all-over-print designs for your custom t-shirts.

Do it all for free, or upgrade to Printify Premium to get up to 20% off product costs for maximum profits.

2. Choose your products

Browse our Catalog and explore various high-quality men’s tees and women’s t-shirts.

Once you select a product, click Start designing to bring your idea to life.

3. Make your all-over-print design

Upload your logos, photos, or artwork directly to our Product Creator. Align your placement and try our free graphics, customizable fonts, and layer management to refine your design.

Check out these free t-shirt designs or use our Shutterstock integration for quality visuals. Alternatively, leverage our AI Image Generator to create original graphics based on your prompts.

AOP design tips:

• Cover all areas. Add a background color or custom design pattern to avoid blank spaces on the shirt.
• Check the bleed area. Extend your design to the grayed-out bleed area in the mockup preview, but keep important elements (like text or logos) away from the edges.
• Preview every side. Check the front, back, and sleeves to see if your design aligns seamlessly.
• Use high-resolution images. Upload files at a resolution of at least 300 DPI to maintain sharpness.
• Choose bold colors. Bright and contrasting colors work best on polyester for vibrant prints.

Hit the Preview button to see how your design will look on the finished product. Once you finalize the details on your custom all-over-print t-shirt, order a sample to check the quality and delivery times.

See how the shirt looks after a machine wash, tumble dry, and a low-heat iron before publishing it to your store.

1. Choose your sales platform

Decide where to sell your custom all-over-print t-shirts. Printify offers seamless integrations with popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify and marketplaces such as Etsy and Amazon.

eCommerce platforms:

• Pros:
  • Full control over the store design, branding, and customer experience.
  • Scalability to expand with new products, features, or services.
  • No sales commission fees, letting you keep more profits.
• Cons:
  • No built-in audience, needing more effort to drive traffic.
  • Subscription fees, paid themes, and plugin costs can add up.
  • Requires time to set up and manage compared to marketplaces.

Online marketplaces:

• Pros:
  • Established customer base actively searching for products.
  • Quick setup with minimal technical requirements.
  • Excellent for testing new designs or niches with less marketing effort.
• Cons:
  • Limited branding and store customization options.
  • Marketplace fees or sales commissions reduce profit margins.
  • Highly competitive, making it harder to stand out without strategic pricing or ads.

For a simple and fast solution, consider a Printify Pop-Up Store to start selling quickly – no need for additional software. Printify’s free plan lets you connect up to five stores, while Printify Premium supports up to ten stores.

If you’re a website owner and want complete technical control over your storefront, integrate with Printify’s custom API.

2. Set up your online store

Showcase your all-over-print t-shirts strategically to attract buyers. A well-organized store helps customers browse products, understand their value, and trust their purchase decisions.

To achieve this, you’ll need clear descriptions, engaging visuals, and a thoughtful user experience that reflects your brand’s personality.

Write clear product descriptions:

• Specify the apparel material (e.g., 100% polyester or blends) for complete transparency.
• Highlight the benefits of all-over-print designs, such as bold colors, seamless patterns, and durability.
• Include a size chart to prevent confusion and reduce potential returns.

Use high-quality visuals:

• Upload realistic mockups from Printify’s Product Creator or take product photos from sample orders.
• Include lifestyle photos to show customers how your t-shirt will look when they wear it.
• Provide multiple angles (front, back, sleeves) to give a comprehensive view of your products – especially crucial for all-over shirt printing.

Build trust with policies and branding:

Your store’s policies, user experience, and brand identity directly impact how customers perceive your business.

Here’s how to establish credibility for your t-shirt store:

• Set transparent store policies: Provide clear information on shipping costs, delivery times, and return options. A well-written FAQ helps address common concerns like care instructions or production timelines.
• Focus on the user experience: Create intuitive navigation with clear product categories, like Bestsellers or New Arrivals. Make sure the store loads quickly and is mobile-friendly for seamless browsing.
• Enhance brand identity: Use consistent colors, fonts, and logos to reinforce your branding. Write a compelling About Us page to share your story and resonate with the audience.

3. Integrate with Printify

Connect your sales channel to Printify for streamlined order processing and fulfillment with no minimum order quantities.

Follow these steps to sync your custom AOP t-shirts to your store:

1. Log in to your Printify account:
   Access your dashboard and navigate to the Manage my stores section.
2. Select your sales channel:
   Choose the platform you’re using from the available integrations.
3. Follow the integration instructions:
   Check out our Shopify integration guide, Etsy integration playbook, or WooCommerce integration manual. Not using these sales channels? Find detailed instructions for other platforms here.
4. Sync products and automate orders:
   Use our Product Creator to export designs to your store along with their descriptions, images, and pricing. Enable order automation to route customer purchases directly to our production and fulfillment centers.

4. Market your AOP shirts

Effective marketing is key to driving traffic and turning visitors into loyal customers. Use these strategies to promote your custom all-over-print shirts.

Social media

Showcase high-quality product photos and videos to drive traffic to your store. Share behind-the-scenes content to connect with your audience and collaborate with influencers to strengthen your brand identity.

Consider also selling on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok to expand your reach.

Email marketing

Create a mailing list to keep customers engaged. Announce new collections, exclusive discounts, and seasonal promotions to drive repeat purchases and keep your brand top of mind.

SEO and content marketing

Optimize your product listings by using relevant keywords in titles, descriptions, and tags to increase organic traffic.

Use tools like eRank, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner to track search trends for your niche. Adding alt text to images further enhances the user experience and search engine readability.

Create engaging content like blog posts on styling tips, design inspiration, or the story behind your creative process. Highlight what makes your AOP shirts unique to build authority as a brand.

Paid advertising

Leverage platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and TikTok Ads to target specific demographics. Pinpoint audiences that align with your niche, set up a campaign period, and set a budget.

Customer reviews

Ask buyers for feedback and showcase positive reviews on your store to build credibility and trust. Reviews not only help convert potential customers but also improve your visibility on marketplaces.

Use high-resolution graphics

Increase the resolution of your image using graphic design tools or software to get the best prints possible. Generate high-quality mockups that display the whole shirt to give an accurate example of the printed product.

Know when to avoid all-over-print

All-over-print clothing has limitations. Not every design is suitable for full-print shirts, so steer clear of common design mistakes that might produce low-quality results.

An all-over-print shirt is not the best choice for t-shirts with custom designs that target a specific area of the shirt – like cuffs and collars. The manual cut-and-sew process can result in slight shifts in print placement. 

Sublimation ink also only works on white fabric, so any white in your designs won’t show. Darker designs may also result in some white streaks. To avoid this, choose cut-and-sew-style AOP shirts.