A racing-team long sleeve approved at the first sample
A brand liked a yellow-and-black direction for its long sleeve but wanted the shirt to feel more like a racing-team piece. Our designer answered its request for graphics on the front and the back with two layouts. The first sample followed a merged layout of Options A and B and was approved without changes.
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Sleeve lettering
Option B had larger sleeve lettering and a stronger back graphic than Option A. The brand picked B as the closer of the two to its brief. Asked whether the lettering should read from the shoulder down or from the cuff up, the brand chose the cuff-up direction for both sleeves.
White distressed lettering on the washed-black sleeves sits in a starburst-tipped red frame that starts about a quarter of the way up from the cuff. Two screens, white and red, were all it took to screen-print the left and right sleeves. With the sleeve and front panels printed before the shirt was sewn, the brand got a more exact placement and a smoother print.
Muted blue topstitching
We chose a muted blue for the topstitching because the brand asked for blue stitching that would show without looking too bright. The sample is topstitched at the armholes, the hem, the black collar and the cuffs. The mustard waffle-knit body and the blue stitching look brighter on camera than they are in person.
Chest badges and a plain back
From Option A, whose chest was clean apart from two red badges, the brand wanted only those badges in the merged layout. Their distressed red is the same as the sleeve frame's, but the front panel was printed apart from the sleeves and needed a third screen. In the end, the brand decided against a back graphic.
Costs and sign-off
Screens like the three this shirt needed usually cost $15 to $45 apiece and are paid for once per design. Printing is $0.50 to $1.20 a piece per color, per print position. This shirt has one color on the chest and two per sleeve.
The sample was cut only after the brand had checked the size of the badges and the lettering on our merged layout. Because racing graphics often include team and sponsor marks, the artwork sent for screen printing had to be final and licensed.
The brand used neither of the two revision rounds included in our $80 to $150 Custom (Made to Order) development fee for tees and long sleeves. A round of changes would have added 8 to 13 days to the schedule.
