How to Design and Manufacture All Over Print Shirts

21 Oct, 2022 By Samantha Warren 313 Views

We’re willing to bet you have at least one all over print shirt in your closet.

You know the ones. They’re the shirts with the wacky, multi-colored designs that often feature pop culture references or current trends.

They’re loud, proud, and definitely not for everyone. But for those of us who like to make a statement with our clothing, all over printed shirts are the way to go. We’ve all seen them, and you may even own more than one. After all, they’re always in style.

If you’re dying to manufacture an all over print shirt for your clothing brand, you’re in the right place. At Scrappy Apparel, we specialize in producing all over print garments that look practically seamless.

What Are All Over Print Shirts?

All over print shirts are pretty much what they sound like – shirts with a design that covers the entire garment. The design is printed on the shirt’s front, back, and sleeves.

What Patterns Work Best For All Over Print Shirts?

Now that you know all about all over print shirts, it’s time to start thinking about designs. If you’re going to invest in an all over print shirt, you want to make sure you have a dope design that your customers will love.

Fortunately, there are a few patterns that work particularly well for all over print shirts. Here are a few of our favorites:

  • Tie-dye: Tie-dye is a classic pattern that never goes out of style. Tie-dye all over print shirts are bold and fun, and they can be worn for various occasions.
  • Floral: Floral all over print shirts are perfect for spring and summer. They can be dressed up or down. You can make your floral shirt look feminine or tropical, depending on the vibe you’re going for.
  • Abstract: Abstract all over print shirts are perfect for those who want a more unique look. Abstract designs can be anything from geometric shapes to swirls and curves.
  • Animal print: Animal print all over print shirts are bold and attention-grabbing. They’re perfect for making a statement, and they can be worn for a variety of different occasions.
  • Solids: Solid all over print shirts are simple but effective. They’re perfect for those who want a more understated look.

If you use a pattern for your all over print design, we strongly suggest that you make it clear and easy to follow. You want your shirt to be eye-catching but not too busy or overwhelming.

seamless patternWhat is a Seamless Pattern?

A seamless pattern is a design that can be repeated over and over again without any visible seams. Think t-shirts, wallpaper, gift wrap, and other products… you’ve probably seen seamless patterns many times without even realizing it!

If you have no idea how to create a seamless pattern, don’t stress. We have a tutorial to share with you:

How To Successfully Create a Seamless Pattern

Creating a seamless all over print shirt design can seem challenging at first. But it’s not impossible, and with a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to create unique all over print shirt designs that are sure to turn heads.

Here are a few tips for creating seamless all over print shirt patterns:

Use Adobe Illustrator or a Similar Vector Program.

Vector graphics are perfect for print shirts because they can be scaled up or down without losing quality. This means you can create a design that’s exactly the right size for your all over print shirt, and you won’t have to worry about the design being pixelated or blurry.

Use Bold, Bright Colors or High Contrast.

Patterned shirts are all about making a statement, so you want to use striking colors in your design. This will make your all over print shirt stand out, and it will ensure that your design is attention-grabbing.

If you’re not sure how to create contrast in your designs, we recommend consulting a color wheel. Colors that are on exact opposite ends of the color wheel have the highest possible contrast. These are called complementary colors.

Here’s a quick list of complementary colors for your reference:

  • Red and green
  • Orange and blue
  • Yellow and purple

You can also use black and white to create a stark contrast in your design.

When in Doubt, Keep Your Design Simple.

It’s important to remember that all over print shirts don’t have any breaks or seams, which means the design must be continuous. This means you should keep the design simple, so it’s easy to follow.

You’ll also want to consider how your design will look from a distance. If you want your artwork to stand out from several feet away, you should use a simple design, large elements, and high contrast.

Read Our Step-by-Step Tutorial.

If you decide to use Adobe Illustrator, we have a detailed tutorial that will show you exactly how to design all over print shirts in Illustrator. It has screenshots, so you can see exactly what to do.

Check out our seamless pattern tutorial.

How to Manufacture Your All Over Print Shirts

Once you’ve created your seamless pattern, it’s time to find a manufacturing partner who can successfully bring your artwork to life.

Not all custom apparel partners are created equal. You want to choose a company that will use the optimal printing techniques and inks for all over print garments. At Scrappy Apparel, our experts will be happy to help you make the best decision for your project based on your custom apparel goals.

We use a state-of-the-art printing process called all over sublimation printing, which allows us to add your design onto the garment’s front, back, and sleeves.

What to Know About All Over Sublimation Printing

If you want to print a seamless pattern or another all over design, sublimation is the printing technique we recommend.

Sublimation is a stellar printing technique. But like any process, it has benefits, drawbacks, and limitations.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons:

Pros of Sublimation

Sublimation works well for complex designs. With sublimation, you can print any design, even if you have many colors or intricate details within the artwork.

Sublimated designs do not fade, crack, or peel. You’ll be impressed by the longevity of your garment when you choose all over sublimation printing.

Sublimation has a low minimum order quantity (MOQ). At Scrappy Apparel, sublimation has a low MOQ of only 24 pieces. Many of our other printing techniques have higher MOQs, so sublimation is a good option if you need a smaller number of shirts.

Sublimation is an ideal process for printing on polyester garments. If you love polyester, this technique is for you!

Our sublimation program is the best in the industry. We don’t sublimate on wholesale blanks. Instead, we use a cut-and-sew manufacturing process that provides more accurate design placement and higher quality garments overall. (We’ll share more about our sublimation program in a bit!)

Cons of Sublimation

Sublimation is not ideal for printing on cotton. The quality won’t be as good. Therefore, we strongly recommend using polyester fabric with all over sublimation printing.

Already excited to start manufacturing your all over print shirts? Grab your free quote, and our team will happily walk you through the process.

Speaking of processes…

How the BBP Streamlines the Production of All Over Print Shirts

BBP stands for Brand Building Process.

The BBP is our proprietary process that we use to streamline the custom apparel manufacturing process. To sum it up, the BBP makes your life easier and ensures that your order turns out exactly how you imagined it would.

Here’s how it works:

get your free quote

1. Get Your Free Quote

The first step is to get your custom apparel quote. In this step, we will collect your design file and iron out the basic details of your order so we can provide an accurate estimate. All orders include free shipping to your doorstep plus free folding and polybagging. Your garments will arrive retail ready.

connect with scrappy sales rep

2. Connect with your Scrappy Sales Rep

Once you’ve gotten your all over print shirt quote, you’ll meet your designated Scrappy Sales Rep. This is your point of contact throughout the entire manufacturing process. Your Scrappy Sales Rep will answer all your questions and coordinate the production of your order.

pre-production layouts

3. Approve Your Pre-Production Layout(s)

Based on the design you submit, we will create pre-production layouts that confirm the placement of your design on the garment. You will approve everything about your order before it goes into production, so there will be no surprises when you see the finished products.

sit and relax

4. Sit Back And Relax

After you review and approve your pre-production layout, your work is done, my friend. Now, you can relax and wait for your order to arrive on your doorstep. Our turnaround times are quick, so you won’t be waiting for very long.

It’s that simple! With the BBP, you can rest assured knowing that your all over print shirts will make your brand the star of the show.

Why Scrappy Apparel’s Sublimation Program is the Best in the Industry

Like we mentioned earlier, our all over sublimation printing process is unique. People say it’s important to prioritize “quality over quantity,” but you can have both with Scrappy Apparel.

How Our Sublimation Process Works

1. We cut the fabric into the necessary pieces to make the garment.

2. We use sublimation printing to add your design all over the exterior of each piece.

3. We sew the garment together for the perfect finish.

The result is a garment that looks picture-perfect. No misplaced elements. No blurry or fuzzy designs. No mistakes or lines that shouldn’t be there.

Why Choose Scrappy Apparel?

One thing that sets us apart from others in our industry is our commitment to our customers’ projects. We’re not just an apparel manufacturer. We’re a true partner that can help you scale your clothing brand. With over 16 years in the industry, our experts will help you make the best decisions for your project based on your goals, preferences, and budget.

Our Scrappy Sales Reps are passionate about custom apparel. Our customers frequently tell us that our team is a joy to work with, and it’s because we genuinely care about the success of the brands and businesses we partner with.

We know it can be difficult to find a reliable manufacturer. That’s why we created our BBP and customer-centric systems. We provide the best experience possible for our partners so they can focus on other areas of their business rather than worrying about manufacturing logistics.

When you work with us, you can rest assured that you won’t pay any hidden fees, your orders will always arrive on time, and you’ll have a custom apparel partner that can scale up with you as your brand grows.

We have robust manufacturing capabilities that can produce thousands of garments at once. So, when your brand goes viral on TikTok, you’ll already have the infrastructure in place to turn around the inventory you need to fulfill the orders that come in.

Finally, we source the highest-quality materials for the garments we produce. This is paramount. Nobody likes wearing a cheaply made, scratchy shirt. There are thousands of clothing brands in the U.S., so you must delight your customers at every opportunity to stand out in the competitive apparel market.

At Scrappy, we pride ourselves on offering our customers the best of the best.

Scrappy Apparel is the Right Choice for Your All Over Sublimation Project.

Ready to get your all over print shirts ASAP? We have great news. Our turnaround time for all over sublimation printing is only 20 to 25 business days. That means by next month, your shirts will be in your hands and ready to sell.

If you want to learn more about our processes and manufacturing capabilities, request a free quote from our team.

We are excited to begin your project!

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