Design Your Own T-Shirt for That Next Special Occasion

Do you have a special occasion coming up? How would you like to have something special to wear for your special day? How about making your own decal t-shirts? They are very easy to do and cost a lot less than having t-shirts decaled by a company. We recently had a family reunion and I made 25 t-shirts for my immediate family to wear. They were a great hit and you can even do this for an organization or a school project.

Here is what you need to purchase and how to make them.

First you have to have a t-shirt. I went to Michaels and purchased all 25. I made all of ours using white t-shirts but Michaels has a large assortment of colors and the good thing is they are always on sale for around $2.50.

The next item you need to purchase is iron-on-transfers for inkjet printers. I have tried several different brands but the one I like the best is Print 'n Press.

Now you have to design what you want to have on your t-shirt. You can have pictures, sayings, what ever you like. I'm not very computer savvy so I used word to make what we wanted our t-shirts to say for our family reunion. I'm sure if you have more knowledge with design programs you can make some great stuff but I do have to say I think ours came out great.

Once you have the design that you want your t-shirt to have on it. Make sure your color and black ink cartridges are full. It's a good idea to have two new ones on hand because you are going to print out your design and you want your design to look its best.

Next, open the print 'n press package. Take a transfer sheet out, you will see a line down one side of the sheet; this is the side that has to be facing up as you place the sheet in your printer tray.

Now you are ready to print your design onto the transfer sheet but wait don't just click print quit yet. If you have a saying in your design then you are going to have to click on "mirror image." Go to file and click, the drop down will open and click on print. After the print box opens you need to do two things. 1. Click on properties, if your print quality comes up first click on best. 2. Click on features then click on mirror image. This is what reverses your words so when you transfer the design to your t-shirt it will read in the right direction. Now you can click print. If you are a little nervous about this them just use a sheet of computer paper for a practice run but it will come out just fine.

Two pointers - 1. You want to us the best quality print because if you don't you will have lines running through your words and/or picture. 2. Always double-check the mirror image selection. I can't tell you how many times I thought I click on it when I didn't. After I had made several I was on a roll, just going to fast and not paying attention.
After you have your design on the sheet of transfer paper, lay it aside for a while. The ink needs to dry before you iron.

Now you need to cut your design out. Here's a tip for you that choose a white t-shirt. You just have to cut around the whole design. You don't have to cut out every word or picture because the transfer sheet is clear and you won't see anything in between the letters. If you choose a colored t-shirt then you need to cut everything out because what doesn't' have words or pictures will come out shinny. The color material picks up the shine when the white material doesn't.

Now that you have your design cut out; the next step is to have your ironing board and iron ready. You DO NOT want steam. Empty all the water out of your iron. Turn your iron on the hottest setting it has, let it heat up. Now you will need something fairly hard, I used a piece of cardboard, to slide inside the t-shirt. Position the cardboard where you want to have your design on the t-shirt.

Now take your design and position it where you want it by laying it up side down. You are going to iron on the side that has the line down it. For our family reunion t-shirts I centered the design between the shoulder seams and four inches down from the center of the collar. If you have several pieces, arrange where you want them, then take off all but one. Now you're going to iron the design on.

The trick is not to iron like you normally do. Don't move your iron back and forth; you are going to go in little circles. Hold your design in place while you come in contact with the iron until you have the whole design covered with the iron. Be careful not to burn your fingers! Start by moving your iron in little circles and adding a little pressure. Do this for at least 2 minutes. Now check your design by trying to lift the edges. If you can then you need to apply the iron again. You should not be able to lift an edge with out working at it.

Once the design is on good, let it set for a minute or two. Next you are going to remove the paper backing, the surface of the design that you ironed on. Don't try to pick at an edge just yet. If you do your design will not adhere to the material very well.

After a minute or two has elapsed then start trying to remove the paper backing, go very slowly. As you remove the paper backing you shouldn't see any ink on the underside of the paper backing. If you do, immediately place the iron back on!

Now you have the paper backing peeled off and you have a wonderful new personal designed t-shirt for that special occasion!