# What process and/or company can I go to to get a design like this?



## STOSIC7 (Dec 25, 2012)

I am trying to make some shirts and I want them to look like this:









I have a couple of questions based on this. 

1. Where can I get this print done where I can avoid voids? 

2. What is the process called? 

3. The designer spoke about a super soft poly cotton blend process of some sort. Is this what I would have to get done? 

4. Finally, will this require a manufacturer? If so, can some people point me out to US manufacturers? 

I am starting a clothing line and want the T-Shirts to be very high-end and not just screen printing or dye sublimation that causes voids. Those processes will be used on other shirts. Thank you for your time guys.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

This process is called cut and sew. The material is printed first, then sewn together. That's why there are no voids.

Cut and sew can be done with any fabric, from 100% cotton to 100% polyester.


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## STOSIC7 (Dec 25, 2012)

splathead said:


> This process is called cut and sew. The material is printed first, then sewn together. That's why there are no voids.
> 
> Cut and sew can be done with any fabric, from 100% cotton to 100% polyester.


Can you please email me? [email protected] , I want to produce some shirts using this method and would like to learn more about it and maybe be pointed to the right manufacturer.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Hopefully others will chime in. I have no sources for cut and sew production. 

Suffice to say the process is time consuming and detailed. Down to providing your own measurements and patterns (if applicable) for the cutting process.


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## STOSIC7 (Dec 25, 2012)

splathead said:


> Hopefully others will chime in. I have no sources for cut and sew production.
> 
> Suffice to say the process is time consuming and detailed. Down to providing your own measurements and patterns (if applicable) for the cutting process.


Ok. Thanks bro. At least now I know one thing about it.


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## beanie357 (Mar 27, 2011)

You could get close with someone with a neoflex who has made bigger pallets.
Try glupo on this forum.
We have a pallet big enough, but do no white unerbase on our neo.


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## BandPrints (Feb 4, 2007)

Yeah that is cut n sew for sure, I have a few contacts here in LA that we work with to get these done. But the minimums are about 150-250 units to get a price worth selling if not higher depending on what end unit price you want. Will it be going over the seams? If not you could actually jumbo screen print the product with discharge inks keeping in mind that you need to use different print sizes such as (S & M) (L & XL) and so on.

Cut n sew jobs are pretty tuff and take a lot of knowledge on the purchaser's end as far as the finished garment specs they would like. If you have a particular brand you already like such as American Apparel 2001 the pattern can be made very similar. 

Some great features of cut n sew are that you can choose your type of neck tag easily such as tag-less and also you can mix your designs on a large run. For example, make 1000 cut n sew tees total but use 4 different designs between them. This decreases the cut n sew costs drastically since they are the same pattern.


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## Max Dos (Aug 28, 2010)

The white fabric en the back of the shirt makes me think of sublimation.

There are some members of the forum that make cut(print)sew jobs. This thread has good info on some of them:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/t149485.html

This kind of work has a higher price point, and rightfully so.

Good luck!


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

We've been discussing getting into cut and sew in the Chicago market with a roll printer. The biggest issue is cost, certainly.

Consider the process:

1. Roll cotton is expensive. $1.50 a square foot, including all the scrap waste. A typical unisex medium shirt might use up to 15 square feet of fabric. $22.50 in fabric alone!

2. printing itself is cheap, around $0.25 per square foot. That's about $4 for printing.

3. The printed cotton needs to be steam set. Those machines are about $25,000. The labor portion is probably $1-2 a shirt. Ignoring paying back the steamer.

4. Having a local seamstress cut and sew the shirt brings another hour of labor. If she's an employee, call it $22. A contractor might be cheaper or way more expensive.

5. Errors and loss adds another 5-10%.

So for a one-off cut and sew t-shirt, you're looking at $60. This is with 100% American cotton and American labor.

Now, quantity brings cost down significantly, but that's not the market we want to pursue. Basically, people want proofs or model photo one-offs. $60 is a steal for this market. The downside is the market is tiny, so the investment brings a lot of risk.

Long term, there could be a solid gain by increasing overall volume and efficiency. I would love to target a one-off price of $25 for a medium unisex tee on U.S. cotton. Beats dye sub and you won't need gross polyester.


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