Custom Printed Slub Tees

A popular style of T-shirt that is perfect for custom screen printed transfers is a slub tee. But what is a slub tee? This type of shirt is made from slub cotton which, when spun into fabric, contains small lumps. These lumps are referred to as slubs. In the past, this type of cotton was not seen as desirable but today it has been popularized by high-fashion retail stores such as Express, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, and J. Crew. These shirts are designed to be worn slightly oversized and are not meant to look perfect, but they are very comfortable and multi-functional.

Popular slub tees decorated with custom screen printed transfers from Transfer Express. Basketball shirt is Anna font, clip art X15B-62, Dance shirt is Ballroom Tango font, layout QEV-98 and the Bridal party shirt is Mural Script font with clip art X17A-935.

The shirts pictured here are printed using Goof Proof® screen printed transfers. Custom T-shirt screen printing for any of these shirts is simple in our Easy View® designer. The designer is filled with Easy Prints® layout options that can be customized for use on these tees for events, businesses, or teams. Slub tees come in all sorts of different colors and have endless, fashionable possibilities!

The most important thing to consider when designing transfers for these shirts is the material. This is important because you will want to print lighter designs to help maintain the light and thin feel of the shirt even after heat printing. To make a design lighter, try using thinner fonts and objects that are outlined instead of filled with ink. This allows for a show-through effect, and again, keeps the original feel of the shirt intact.

Check out our other tips below for creating the perfect design.

Quick Tips:

• Some of these tees have a front pocket. If that is the case with your chosen shirt, be sure to adjust the size of your transfer accordingly. Depending on the thickness of the pocket, you also may need to raise the area of the shirt on which you are printing to ensure that the heat press comes in contact with the transfer. Increasing the pressure on your machine may solve this problem as well.
• A good rule of thumb when heat pressing is to position the transfer only a few inches from the neckline of the shirt. Shirt designs typically should not be centered vertically, but horizontally.
• The shirts pictured here contain grey accents. If the slub tee you choose to print on has similar accents, considering printing your design in that same color.
• Try using an ink color that is a lighter or darker version of the shirt itself to create a visually appealing color combination.