In This Guide
- Why Getting the Design Brief Right Saves Time and Money
- T-Shirt Design Placement Guide — Where Your Logo Goes
- Print Size Specifications — Exact Dimensions by Position
- Artwork File Formats — What to Send Your Supplier
- Colour Modes — Pantone, CMYK, RGB Explained
- Design Types & Which Printing Method Each Requires
- Dark vs Light T-Shirts — Design Adjustments Required
- Name & Number Personalisation — How to Brief It
- 8 Common Design Mistakes That Cause Production Problems
- Complete Design Brief Template
- FAQ
Most production delays and quality disappointments in Singapore’s T shirt printing market are not caused by poor supplier execution — they are caused by incomplete or incorrect design briefs submitted by buyers. The artwork file is the wrong format. The logo is supplied in RGB instead of CMYK. The design is specified at 72 DPI when 300 DPI is required. The placement is described as “front, somewhere in the middle” rather than with exact dimensions.
Every one of these issues causes the same outcome: back-and-forth between buyer and supplier, artwork revisions, production delays, and in some cases a printed result that does not match what the buyer expected. For a custom T shirt Singapore order with a deadline — a corporate event, a school camp, a charity run — these delays have real consequences.
This guide gives you everything you need to submit a complete, production-ready design brief for your customised T shirt printing Singapore order — the first time, without revisions. Use it as your pre-submission checklist before sending artwork to any supplier.
The Time Cost of a Bad Brief
In Singapore’s tshirt printing market, artwork revision rounds add 1–3 working days per cycle. A typical brief with three issues — wrong file format, RGB instead of CMYK, no placement dimensions — can cost 5–7 days before production even begins. On a 10-working-day lead time, that leaves 3–5 days for actual production: entirely insufficient for most orders. The solution is not to rush the supplier — it is to submit a complete brief the first time.
Why Getting the Design Brief Right Saves Time and Money
A complete design brief for any custom T shirt printing order answers five questions without requiring the supplier to ask for clarification. When all five are answered upfront, production can begin within 24 hours of artwork approval. When any is missing, the revision cycle begins.
1 — What is the artwork file?
Format, resolution, colour mode. A 72 DPI JPEG logo in RGB is not production-ready for silkscreen. An AI vector file in Pantone spot colours is. The supplier cannot proceed until the artwork meets the technical requirements for the chosen printing method.
2 — Where does the design go?
Front chest? Full back? Left chest only? Centre front? Sleeve? “Somewhere on the front” is not a placement brief. Exact position with measurements from a reference point (collar seam, shoulder seam, centre line) eliminates ambiguity entirely.
3 — How large is the print?
Print dimensions in centimetres — width × height. “Make the logo as big as looks good” is subjective and will produce a result someone did not expect. Specific measurements ensure the print is exactly the size intended and that the artwork is supplied at sufficient resolution for that physical size.
4 — What are the exact colours?
Pantone code, CMYK values, or hex code. “The company blue” without a reference produces whatever blue the supplier’s monitor displays. Pantone codes eliminate colour ambiguity entirely for silkscreen orders. CMYK values are the standard reference for digital methods.
5 — Any personalisation?
If individual names, numbers, or messages differ per shirt, this must be declared upfront — not added after production has begun. Personalisation changes the production method, the timeline, and the cost structure. A late personalisation request after silkscreen production has started is either impossible or extremely expensive to accommodate.
T-Shirt Design Placement Guide — Where Your Logo Goes
Every placement position on a T-shirt carries a different brand signal and serves a different visibility purpose. These are the standard positions used in Singapore’s T-shirt printing Singapore market, with the context that makes each appropriate.
Position A — Left Chest
The corporate standard. Small logo above the left breast — visible in a face-to-face interaction, professional, understated. The default for staff uniforms, corporate tees, and any shirt used in a professional context.
Signal: Professional, corporate, formal.
Position B — Centre Front (Large)
Bold, high-visibility front print. Common for event tees, school camp shirts, class tees, and any T-shirt where brand or group identity from a distance is more important than corporate understatement.
Signal: Bold, event-oriented, high visibility.
Position C — Full Front
Maximum front coverage — design fills most of the front panel. Used for artistic tees, promotional merchandise, roadshow crew, and any order where the T-shirt itself is the campaign creative.
Signal: Maximum impact, artistic, campaign-oriented.
Position D — Upper Back / Back Yoke
Just below the collar on the back. Standard position for staff names, numbers, department labels, and secondary branding. Most effective when paired with a front placement — front for brand, back for identification.
Signal: Identification, personalisation.
Position E — Full Back
Large design across the entire back panel. Used for sports team numbers, campaign taglines, sponsor logos, event participant names in a list format, and school anniversary designs where the back tells a story.
Signal: Bold, commemorative, team-oriented.
Position F — Sleeve
Secondary placement on the upper arm sleeve. Used for sponsor logos, secondary brand marks, event year or location text, and accent design elements. Adds production complexity — always confirm with your supplier before including.
Signal: Sponsor visibility, secondary branding.
Most common combination for Singapore B2B orders:
Left chest logo (front) + upper back name or tagline (back). This pairing is used by the majority of Singapore corporate uniform programmes, school tees, and event shirt orders. It gives the shirt both brand identity and participant identification without over-designing the garment.
Print Size Specifications — Exact Dimensions by Position
These are the industry-standard print dimensions used in Singapore’s custom shirt Singapore market. Specifying dimensions in centimetres rather than “make it look good” eliminates ambiguity and ensures the print is positioned and sized consistently across the entire run.
| Position | Standard Width | Standard Height | Reference Point | Min Text Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left Chest | 8–12 cm | Proportional to logo | 7–9 cm from left shoulder seam | 6 mm |
| Centre Front (Medium) | 20–28 cm | Proportional | Centred, 8–12 cm below collar | 8 mm |
| Full Front | 28–36 cm | Up to 40–45 cm | Centred, 5 cm below collar to 5 cm above hem | 6 mm |
| Upper Back Yoke | Up to 22 cm | 3–5 cm (names) | Centred, 4–6 cm below collar seam | 8 mm |
| Full Back | 30–38 cm | 35–48 cm (adult) | Centred, 5–7 cm below collar seam | 8 mm |
| Sleeve | 5–9 cm | Proportional | Mid-sleeve, centred on arm | 6 mm |
⚠️ Size Varies Across T-Shirt Sizes
The dimensions above are for adult M–L sizing. On XS or children’s sizes, the same absolute print dimension will look proportionally larger — which may be intentional for left-chest logos but can look oversized for full-front prints. For orders with a wide size range (XS to 3XL), consider specifying two print dimensions: one for adult S–XL and a slightly reduced version for children’s or XS sizes. Discuss this with your supplier when ordering across a broad size range.
Artwork File Formats — What to Send Your Supplier
The format of your artwork file is the single most common cause of production delays in T shirt printing Singapore orders. Here is exactly what each printing method requires — and why.
Vector Files — AI, EPS, PDF
Vector files define designs using mathematical paths and shapes rather than pixels. They can be scaled to any size — from a 2 cm sleeve badge to a 3-metre banner — without any loss of quality. This is why vector is mandatory for silkscreen and embroidery printing.
Required for: Silkscreen (mandatory), Embroidery (strongly preferred), Laser engraving
Accepted for: DTF, DTG, Heat transfer, Sublimation
Key requirement: All fonts must be outlined/converted to paths before sending. Fonts not outlined will appear as default substitutes if the supplier’s system does not have your font installed.
Raster Files — PNG, JPEG, TIFF
Raster files are pixel-based — they have a fixed resolution and lose quality when enlarged. At the correct resolution (300 DPI minimum at intended print size), PNG and TIFF files produce excellent results for digital printing methods. JPEG introduces compression artefacts that become visible in fine detail at high resolution.
Suitable for: DTG, DTF, Heat transfer, Sublimation
Not suitable for: Silkscreen (cannot separate spot colours from raster), Embroidery
Key requirement: PNG is strongly preferred over JPEG — use PNG with a transparent background for all digital printing methods. Never send a JPEG with a white background for dark-shirt orders; the white rectangle will print as a white rectangle.
Resolution guide — how to check if your file is high enough resolution
The 300 DPI requirement is measured at the intended print size, not the file’s current size. A logo saved at 300 DPI at 5 cm × 5 cm will become 150 DPI if you want to print it at 10 cm × 10 cm — because doubling the print size halves the effective DPI. The formula: Pixel width ÷ Print width (inches) = Effective DPI.
Example: A PNG logo 1,200 pixels wide printed at 4 inches (10 cm) wide = 1,200 ÷ 4 = 300 DPI. This is exactly the minimum. For a 300 DPI print at 20 cm (8 inches) wide, you need a file at least 2,400 pixels wide. If your file does not meet this threshold, request a higher resolution version from your designer or brand team before submitting to the supplier.
Colour Modes — Pantone, CMYK, RGB Explained
Colour mode is the most common source of “the colours don’t match” complaints in custom T shirt printing orders. Understanding which colour system each method uses prevents this entirely.
Pantone (PMS)
Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a standardised colour reference system used globally by printers, ink manufacturers, and brands. A Pantone code like PMS 286 C refers to a specific, physically reproducible ink colour that looks identical regardless of which supplier or printer produces it.
Used for: Silkscreen printing (mandatory for accurate colour matching)
Tip: If your brand has a Pantone code defined in its brand guidelines, always supply that code for silkscreen orders. If it does not, ask your supplier to mix the closest match and approve a physical strike-off before bulk production.
CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (Black) — the four-colour printing model used by all physical printing processes. CMYK mixes these four inks at different percentages to produce a wide range of colours. All digital printing methods (DTG, DTF, sublimation) use CMYK as their native colour space.
Used for: DTG, DTF, heat transfer, sublimation, full-colour printing
Key note: Artwork created in RGB must be converted to CMYK before submission. Colours often shift noticeably during RGB-to-CMYK conversion — particularly vibrant blues, reds, and neon colours. Check the conversion in your design software before sending.
RGB
Red, Green, Blue — the colour model used by screens (monitors, phones, tablets). RGB produces a wider range of vibrant colours than CMYK but many of those colours cannot be physically reproduced by ink. A vivid screen-blue in RGB may print as a noticeably duller, greener, or darker blue in CMYK.
Problem: Logos created in Photoshop, exported from Canva, or downloaded from a website are almost always in RGB.
Solution: Convert to CMYK in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop before submitting. Tell your supplier the intended colours in Pantone codes so they can verify the conversion is accurate.
⚠️ The Most Common Colour Problem in Singapore T-Shirt Orders
A company logo saved as a JPEG at 72 DPI in RGB, exported directly from a website or PowerPoint slide, submitted as artwork for a silkscreen order. This file cannot be used for silkscreen at all — it is RGB (not Pantone), too low resolution, and in the wrong format. The supplier will reject it or convert it imprecisely. Always request vector artwork from your designer or brand team for any tshirt printing order. If you only have a JPEG or PNG, tell the supplier upfront — they may be able to assist with vectorisation for a fee.
Design Types & Which Printing Method Each Requires
Not all designs work with all printing methods. Here is how to identify your design type and which method it requires for your T-shirt printing Singapore order.
Type 1 — Simple Logo (1–3 solid colours)
Clean corporate logo, text mark, or simple icon in 1–3 flat colours with no gradients or fine photo-realistic detail. The most common design type for custom T shirt printing orders.
✓ Best methods: Silkscreen, Embroidery, DTF
Type 2 — Multi-Colour Illustration (4+ colours, no gradient)
Complex logo or illustration with 4+ distinct flat colours — characters, mascots, detailed brand marks, school anniversary artwork. No gradients but significant colour complexity.
✓ Best methods: DTF, DTG (cotton), Sublimation (polyester)
Type 3 — Gradient / Photo-Realistic Design
Designs with smooth colour transitions, drop shadows, glow effects, photographic images, or realistic artwork. Cannot be reproduced by silkscreen or embroidery.
✓ Best methods: DTG (cotton), DTF, Sublimation (polyester)
Type 4 — All-Over Full Coverage Design
Design that covers the entire T-shirt surface — seam to seam, front and back, including sleeves. Sports jerseys, bold campaign tees, and event crew shirts with full-coverage brand environments.
✓ Only method: Sublimation (requires 100% polyester / dri-fit fabric)
Type 5 — Text Only (Names, Numbers, Slogans)
Individual staff names, sports jersey numbers, event slogans, campaign taglines. Particularly common for the back yoke position on uniform and sports shirts.
✓ Best methods: Heat Transfer (most flexible), DTF, Embroidery (for premium feel)
Type 6 — Premium Embossed / Textured Look
Logo that needs to be felt as well as seen — the raised, tactile quality that signals premium. Cannot be faked by any printed method. Only achievable through physical thread stitching.
✓ Only method: Embroidery
Dark vs Light T-Shirts — Design Adjustments Required
The colour of the T-shirt fabric has a direct impact on how your artwork prints. Specifying the same artwork file for both a white and a black T-shirt without any adjustment is one of the most common design brief errors in Singapore’s custom shirt Singapore market.
Light Coloured T-Shirts (White, Cream, Light Grey, Pastels)
- Full-colour artwork prints directly onto the fabric without a white underbase
- Dark design elements appear clearly against the light background
- DTG produces its best, most vibrant results on white cotton without pre-treatment
- Sublimation dye produces accurate, vivid colours on light polyester
- Design with light or white elements will be invisible — remove white strokes and fills from artwork before submitting for light-shirt orders
Dark Coloured T-Shirts (Black, Navy, Dark Grey, Forest Green)
- A white underbase layer must be printed beneath any colour design — without it, all colours appear as dark tones against the dark fabric
- DTG requires pre-treatment liquid before printing on dark garments, adding cost and potentially affecting hand-feel
- Sublimation cannot be used on dark dri-fit T-shirts — the dye is transparent
- For silkscreen, a separate white underbase screen is required as an additional colour — increases setup cost and colour count
- White and light-coloured design elements show clearly — often more striking on dark backgrounds than on light ones
Practical rule: Always specify the exact T-shirt colour (e.g. “Navy Blue Pantone 289 C” not “dark blue”) when submitting your brief. Provide one version of the artwork optimised for the chosen shirt colour — either with white fills removed for light shirts or with a white underbase area defined for dark shirts. If you are unsure how to adjust the artwork, ask your supplier to advise before production begins.
Name & Number Personalisation — How to Brief It Correctly
Individual name and number personalisation is a standard feature of Singapore’s corporate and school T-shirt printing market — jersey numbers for sports teams, staff names on uniform backs, participant names on charity run tees, department labels on corporate shirts. Here is exactly how to brief it without causing production delays.
The Name List Spreadsheet
Submit a clean Excel or Google Sheets file — one row per shirt. Columns: Name | Number (if applicable) | Size | Colour (if multiple colours) | Position. Do not submit a PDF, a photo of a handwritten list, or a WhatsApp message with names.
Confirm capitalisation — ALL CAPS or Title Case? This must be specified. “JOHN TAN” and “John Tan” are different outputs.
Font & Colour for Names
Specify the font and colour for personalised text. If the font must match your brand typeface, provide the font file or confirm the exact font name. For heat transfer name additions, avoid very thin serif fonts — fine strokes do not cut cleanly in vinyl.
Recommended: bold or semi-bold sans-serif fonts for heat transfer; any font for DTF or DTG name additions.
Timing — Submit the List Early
Name lists submitted after artwork approval delay production by 1–3 days at minimum. For orders with 100+ names, allow an additional 2–3 working days for name processing. Submit the confirmed name list at the same time as your order confirmation — not as a follow-up.
Late name lists are the single most common cause of delays in personalised custom T shirt Singapore orders.
8 Common Design Mistakes That Cause Production Problems
Submitting a 72 DPI logo from a website
Screen logos are 72–96 DPI. Printing requires 300 DPI minimum. The same logo file will look sharp on your monitor and blurry when printed at full size. Always use the original vector artwork from your designer.
Fonts not outlined in the vector file
If your AI or EPS file contains live text that has not been converted to outlines/paths, the supplier’s system will substitute a default font if they do not have your exact font installed. The result looks completely different from the intended design. Always outline fonts before sending.
Sending RGB artwork for silkscreen
Silkscreen uses Pantone spot colour inks, not RGB values. An RGB file has no defined spot colours — the supplier must guess at Pantone equivalents, which frequently produces a noticeably different shade than what was intended. Supply Pantone codes explicitly.
JPEG with a white background for dark shirts
A JPEG file does not support transparency. Submitting a logo JPEG with a white background for a navy T-shirt will print a white rectangle around the logo. Always use PNG with a transparent background for dark garment orders.
Requesting sublimation on a dark dri-fit T-shirt
Sublimation dye is transparent — it cannot block out a dark fabric colour. On black or dark navy polyester, sublimation produces no visible result. Sublimation only works on white or light-coloured polyester. For dark dri-fit tees, use DTF instead.
Very fine text below 6mm height for silkscreen
Fine text below 6mm height becomes illegible when silkscreen-printed — the mesh screen cannot hold that level of detail. Taglines, registration numbers, and fine-print elements below 6mm must be either enlarged, removed, or switched to a method with finer resolution (DTF, DTG).
No placement dimensions specified
“Front, roughly in the middle” produces a print that is positioned where the supplier’s default template places it — which may not be where you expected. Specify position in centimetres from a reference point (collar seam, shoulder seam, centre line). A physical mockup or annotated diagram eliminates all ambiguity.
Submitting name list after production begins
For orders with personalised names or numbers, the name list is part of the artwork brief — not a follow-up item. Silkscreen production for shared elements can begin without it, but heat transfer name addition cannot. Submitting the list 3 days after confirming the order delays personalisation production by exactly that much, pushing delivery past the event date.
Complete Design Brief Template
Copy and fill in this template when briefing any customised T shirt printing Singapore order. It contains every piece of information a supplier needs to begin production without back-and-forth.
ORDER BRIEF — CUSTOM T-SHIRT PRINTING
── GARMENT ─────────────────────────────────────
T-shirt style: [ Round neck / V-neck / Polo / Dri-fit / Other ]
Fabric: [ 100% cotton / Combed cotton / Dri-fit polyester / Cotton-poly blend ]
GSM: [ e.g. 170 GSM ]
Garment colour: [ Exact colour name + Pantone code if available ]
Size breakdown: [ XS:__ S:__ M:__ L:__ XL:__ 2XL:__ ]
Total quantity: [ ___ pieces ]
── ARTWORK ──────────────────────────────────────
File format: [ AI / EPS / PDF / PNG / JPEG ]
Fonts outlined: [ Yes / No ]
Colour mode: [ Pantone / CMYK / RGB ]
Colour references: [ Pantone codes or CMYK values for each colour ]
Design type: [ Simple logo / Multi-colour / Gradient / All-over / Text only ]
── PLACEMENT ────────────────────────────────────
Position 1: [ Left chest / Centre front / Full front / Full back / Back yoke / Sleeve ]
Print width: [ ___ cm ]
Print height: [ ___ cm ]
Distance from ref: [ e.g. 8 cm from left shoulder seam, 7 cm below collar ]
Printing method: [ Silkscreen / DTF / DTG / Heat transfer / Embroidery / Sublimation ]
Position 2 (if any): [ Position / dimensions / method ]
── PERSONALISATION ──────────────────────────────
Individual names: [ Yes / No ]
Name position: [ e.g. Upper back yoke, centred ]
Name font: [ Font name ]
Name colour: [ Pantone / CMYK value ]
Capitalisation: [ ALL CAPS / Title Case ]
Name list file: [ Attached / To follow by: date ]
── TIMELINE ─────────────────────────────────────
Event / required date: [ dd/mm/yyyy ]
Artwork approval by: [ dd/mm/yyyy ]
Name list confirmed by: [ dd/mm/yyyy ]
Delivery address: [ Full address ]
── ADDITIONAL NOTES ─────────────────────────────
[ Any special requirements, care label instructions,
packaging requests, or quality reference samples ]
