Production
Nothing here sits in a warehouse waiting for you. Every shirt, hoodie and hat is printed after you order it — which means the way we print matters more than it would for a brand shipping out of a stockroom.
Most apparel brands make ten thousand shirts and hope they sell. We do the opposite. When your order comes in, a blank garment gets pulled, printed with your design, cured, folded and shipped. That's it.
That approach has real advantages, and it comes with a few honest trade-offs. This page walks through the whole process: how the ink actually gets onto the fabric, what separates a print that lasts from one that flakes off in a season, why the color on your screen and the color on your chest are never a perfect match, and exactly how to wash the thing so it survives.
No sales pitch. Just how it works.
Every product on this site is printed on demand — created only when someone orders it. Here's the full path from checkout to doorstep.
Order
Your size, color and design are locked in and sent to production. Because our production partners begin processing quickly, this is the only window where changes are possible. If you need to fix something, email customerservice@tryhardtees.com immediately — once an order enters production, we can't alter items, sizes or shipping details.
Blank Garment
Not a generic blank. The specific style you selected — softstyle tee, heavy cotton tee, long sleeve, midweight hoodie, heavy blend hoodie, foam trucker hat — in your size and color. Every product page lists the exact fabric spec, from the 4.5 oz ring-spun cotton in our unisex softstyle tee to the 8.4 oz cotton-poly fleece in the midweight hoodie.
Printing
The blank is loaded onto the press, aligned to the correct print position, and the design goes down. Which printing method gets used depends on the garment and where the design sits — that's the part most brands never explain, and it's covered in detail below.
Curing
Printed ink is not finished ink. Heat curing is what bonds pigment to fiber. Skip it or rush it and you get a print that looks fine on day one and starts breaking down by the third wash. This step is the single biggest determinant of how long your graphic lasts.
Quality Check
Production typically takes 3–7 business days. Total delivery time — production plus transit — is typically 7–14 business days. You'll get a tracking link by email once it ships.
Shipping
We work with multiple U.S. fulfillment partners, and items are sometimes produced at different locations. A two-item order can generate two tracking numbers and two deliveries. That's normal, not a mistake.
All of our products are printed to order in the United States. Every order is printed, packed and shipped from our U.S.-based fulfillment partners.
What print-on-demand means for you: no overstock, no waste, no warehouses full of last year's leftovers, and no design getting killed because it didn't move enough units. It also means production time is real time — we can't pull your shirt off a shelf, because there is no shelf.
Printing Method 01
That analogy is worth sitting with, because it explains almost everything about how a DTG print behaves.
Where DTG is used: flat, cotton-rich, press-accessible areas — which in practice means the front and back of shirts and hoodies. Our unisex softstyle tee product page lists Direct-to-Garment for front and back prints.
Printing Method 02
Where DTF is used: placements DTG can't reach, and fabrics DTG can't bond to. Our unisex softstyle tee product page lists Direct-to-Film for sleeve and inner neck prints, where applicable.
The trade-off: because the design is a layer applied on top of the fabric rather than absorbed into it, a DTF print has slightly more presence to the touch than a comparable DTG print.
Because a t-shirt and a hoodie sleeve are not the same manufacturing problem.
There is no single decoration method that is best for every fabric, every placement and every design. Any brand claiming one method does everything perfectly is either simplifying or selling you something. The honest version is that the garment dictates the method.
Direct-to-Garment
Direct-to-Film
Check the product page. Print method is listed under Product features on the product pages that specify it. Our unisex softstyle tee, for example, lists Direct-to-Garment for front and back prints and Direct-to-Film for sleeve and inner neck prints where applicable.
Not every product page lists a printing method, and methods differ by garment and placement. A foam mesh trucker hat is a completely different construction from a ring-spun cotton tee — our hats are built with a thicker laminated polyester front panel specifically chosen to hold a crisp print. Where a product page doesn't specify the method, the product features and care instructions on that page are the authoritative source for that item.
If you want to know the method for a specific product before you buy, email customerservice@tryhardtees.com. We'll tell you.
"High quality print" is a phrase that means nothing on its own. Here's what actually determines whether a graphic holds up.
Sharpness comes from resolution and registration. Resolution is the artwork itself — every design is prepared at print resolution, so edges stay clean at full scale rather than going soft when the file gets stretched to eleven inches wide. Registration is alignment: on a dark garment, the white underbase and the color layers have to land on top of each other precisely. Misregistration is what produces that faint white halo around a graphic on a black shirt.
Color depends on the ink system, the underbase, and the fabric underneath. On a white shirt, ink color is close to true. On a colored shirt, the underbase is what stops the garment color from bleeding through and shifting the design warm or dull. This is also why the same design genuinely looks slightly different on Natural than it does on Black — and why we shoot product photography across the actual color range rather than mocking one color and calling it done.
Durability is decided at the curing stage, not the printing stage. Ink that is properly heat-cured is chemically bonded to the fiber. Ink that isn't sits there waiting to come off.
After that, durability is mostly in your hands. The two things that degrade a print fastest are heat and friction. Hot water, high-heat drying and direct ironing on the graphic all break down the bond. Washing a printed shirt right side out drags the graphic against the drum and against every zipper and button in the load. Cold water, inside out, low heat — that's not boilerplate care copy, it's the actual mechanism.
Prints are produced on commercial printing equipment at our U.S.-based fulfillment partners, on blanks chosen for how they take ink. Fabric construction matters more than most people expect: our unisex softstyle tee is 100% ring-spun cotton at 4.5 oz/yd², built with a tubular knit and no side seams. Ring-spun cotton is spun with the fibers twisted tighter, which produces a smoother, more tightly packed surface — a better surface to print on than standard open-end cotton, which is fuzzier and scatters fine detail.
Our midweight hoodie runs 8.4 oz with an 80% ring-spun cotton / 20% polyester blend and is produced under OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and FLA/WRAP-certified manufacturing.
Because nothing is pre-printed, nothing has been sitting in a box for eighteen months with the graphic slowly pressing into the garment folded underneath it. Your print is days old when it reaches you.
Some honest expectation-setting, because this is the single most common surprise in printed apparel.
Your screen is lit. Your shirt is not. A monitor produces color by emitting light — it mixes red, green and blue light directly into your eye. Fabric produces color by absorbing some wavelengths and reflecting the rest. These are fundamentally different physical processes, and there are colors a screen can display that no ink can reproduce. Bright, saturated blues, greens and oranges are the usual culprits.
No two screens agree with each other either. Your phone, your monitor and your laptop are all showing you slightly different versions of the same image right now, depending on panel type, brightness, night mode and color profile.
The fabric underneath changes the result. Ink on Natural reads warmer than the same ink on White. Ink on Sport Grey sits on a heathered surface with visible fiber variation. This isn't a flaw in the print — it's the garment showing through, and it's part of why a design can look genuinely great on one colorway and merely good on another.
Lighting changes what you see. Warm indoor bulbs, cool office fluorescents and daylight will each render the same shirt differently. If a shirt looks off when you first unbox it under a lamp, take it to a window before you draw conclusions.
Production batches vary. Blank garments are dyed in lots, and dye lots have tolerance. Two Black tees ordered six months apart may not be identical.
Slight variations in color, fit, garment details and print placement can occur depending on style, size, screen settings, lighting and production batch. These are a normal part of print-on-demand manufacturing and aren't considered defects. What is a defect — a genuine misprint, damage, or a production error — is covered, and we'll fix it. See the FAQ below.
Open the package expecting a brand new printed garment, not a garment that's already been through a laundry cycle. A few things are completely normal on arrival:
Some new items have a slight smell out of the bag. It comes from the pretreatment and curing process and from being sealed in packaging shortly after production. It washes out.
You may see a faint discoloration or a slightly off-white cast around the printed area, particularly on White, Natural and Light Pink. This is residual pretreatment fluid — the clear coating applied so the ink can bond. It's not a stain and it's not damage. It comes out in the first wash.
Cured ink can catch the light slightly differently than the surrounding fabric. This settles as the garment is worn and washed.
Cotton and cotton-blend fabrics can shrink a little after the first wash and dry. Washing cold and drying low keeps it minimal. This is also the practical argument for reading the size chart rather than guessing: every product page lists measurements with the manufacturer's tolerance noted, typically 1 to 1.5 inches depending on the product.
What should not happen after the first wash: cracking, peeling, significant fading, or the graphic lifting at the edges. If any of that occurs, something went wrong — get in touch.
The general rules below apply to most of our printed apparel. Each product page lists care instructions specific to that item, and those instructions take priority — a foam trucker hat and a cotton tee have nothing in common in the laundry.
Cold water, maximum 30°C / 90°F. Heat is what breaks down the ink-to-fiber bond, and it's also what shrinks cotton.
This is the highest-value habit on this list. It puts the fabric, not the graphic, against the drum and against every other item in the load.
Less agitation means less friction on the print.
Chlorine bleach attacks both the pigment and the fibers. Our general guidance is to avoid bleach entirely. A small number of product pages permit non-chlorine bleach as needed — if yours does, that's the exception, and chlorine bleach is never appropriate on a printed garment.
Hang drying is the gentlest option and the best thing you can do for a graphic you want to keep for years. If you use a dryer, keep it on low.
Direct heat on a cured graphic will melt, gloss or distort it. Iron on low heat, and either work around the design or turn the garment inside out and press from the back.
The solvents used in dry cleaning are not friendly to printed graphics.
Do
Don't
Our foam mesh trucker hats aren't washed — they're spot cleaned. Use warm water and dish soap to clean spots off the hat. There's no need to soak the whole item. For stubborn spots, use a soft bristled brush. Putting a structured foam-front hat through a washing machine will destroy its shape.
To show how much: our unisex softstyle tee lists do not bleach, while our midweight hoodie lists non-chlorine bleach as needed and specifies a gentle cycle. Same brand, same order, different instructions. Check the Care instructions section on the product page for what you actually own.
A properly cured print shouldn't crack or peel under normal wear. Curing is what bonds the ink to the fabric, and it's built into production. What causes cracking after the fact is heat and friction — hot washes, high-heat drying, and ironing directly on the graphic. Wash cold, turn it inside out, dry on low, and the print should stay intact for the life of the garment. If a print cracks or lifts early, that's not normal wear, and we want to hear about it.
Any printed garment fades gradually over years of washing — that's true of every graphic tee ever made. What you control is the rate. Hot water and high-heat drying accelerate fading dramatically. Cold water and low or no heat drying slow it to the point where it's barely perceptible over normal ownership.
It depends on the garment and the placement. Print method is listed under Product features on the product pages that specify it. Our unisex softstyle tee, for example, uses Direct-to-Garment for front and back prints, with Direct-to-Film for sleeve and inner neck prints where applicable. Methods differ across garment types — a foam trucker hat isn't produced the same way as a cotton tee.
DTG sprays water-based ink directly into the fabric's fibers, like an inkjet printer on paper — it produces a very soft hand feel and works best on cotton. DTF prints the design onto a transfer film first, then heat-presses it onto the garment — it works on almost any fabric and can reach placements a DTG press can't, like sleeves and inner necks.
All of our products are printed to order in the United States. Every order is printed, packed and shipped from our U.S.-based fulfillment partners.
Production typically takes 3–7 business days. Total time from order to delivery is typically 7–14 business days, including production and shipping. Some products take slightly longer during periods of high demand or seasonal spikes. You'll receive a tracking link once your order ships.
We work with multiple fulfillment partners, and items are sometimes produced and shipped from different locations. You may receive separate tracking numbers and separate shipping emails for each package. Nothing is missing — the rest is on its way.
Both come from the printing process. New items can carry a faint odor from pretreatment and curing, and you may see slight residue around the print, which is more noticeable on lighter colors. This is residual pretreatment fluid, not a stain. Both typically disappear after the first wash.
Cured ink reflects light slightly differently than untreated fabric. It's a normal result of the printing process and it settles with wear and washing.
Cotton and cotton-blend fabrics can shrink slightly after washing and drying. Washing cold and drying on low keeps shrinkage minimal. Every product page includes a size chart with the manufacturer's tolerance noted — typically 1 to 1.5 inches depending on the product.
Machine wash cold, inside out, on a gentle cycle with similar colors. Tumble dry on low or hang dry. Avoid bleach, and never iron directly over the printed design. Always check the care instructions on the specific product page, since they vary by garment.
Yes, on low heat — but never directly on the print. Turn the garment inside out and press from the back, or work around the design. Direct heat on a cured graphic can gloss, melt or distort it.
Screens emit light; fabric reflects it. They're different physical processes, and some screen colors simply can't be reproduced in ink. Screen calibration, room lighting, the garment's base color and the production batch all shift the final result slightly. Minor variation in color, fit, garment details and print placement is a normal part of print-on-demand manufacturing.
Contact us within 30 days of delivery at returns@tryhardtees.com with your order number, a brief description of the problem, and clear photos showing the issue. Once reviewed and approved, eligible cases receive either a free replacement or a refund — and you don't need to return the item. Claims are processed within 5–7 business days. Please don't send anything back before contacting us. Note that minor variations in color, fit, garment details or print placement don't qualify as defects, and items ordered in the wrong size or color aren't eligible.
No. Because each item is printed on demand to your specifications, we aren't able to offer exchanges — there's no pre-printed inventory to swap it with. This is the honest trade-off of made-to-order production, and it's why we put full measurement charts with tolerances on every product page. Check the size chart before ordering. If you're between sizes, we recommend going one size up.
Not at this time on apparel items. For bulk or group orders for gaming events, teams or streamers, we do offer discounts — email sales@tryhardtees.com with your quantity, items of interest and timeline for a custom quote.
We're a small, family-owned business. The name came from a kid yelling "Dad, you're such a try hard" across the house at someone who was too loud and way too committed to log off — and the kid was right.
Power to the Gamer — every player free to express their identity through clothing that's bold, funny and unapologetically them.
Every design on this site is printed to order in the US, on garments chosen for how they take ink, and shipped with care instructions specific to what you bought.
Free U.S. shipping on orders over $75. Questions about a specific product's printing? Email customerservice@tryhardtees.com — we usually reply within 24 hours.
