4 Events Where Custom T-Shirts Are A Must-Have

We live by two rules here at Good Ink. One: if you're the one to empty the water jug, replace it (kill it, fill it, as they say), and two: don't threaten customers.

That sounds like an extremely weird rule; not weird in the sense that we shouldn't have it but weird in the sense that it kind of goes without saying. But the title of this blog and one of our popular pillars of customer service is "you don't need t-shirts...yet" because let's face it, everyone needs a t-shirt at some point in their life. Out of context, it sounds like I'm some weird sort of textile supervillain (I'm shopping that around with the MCU), but on a more literal scale, it's very much the truth. We don't want to pressure you into buying t-shirts on the spot when you hear from us; we just ask you to keep us in mind, because when the time comes that you do need t-shirts, Good Ink is here to print.

Like any consumer facing industry, we face seasonal and cyclical peaks and valleys, but we don't know for sure when you need t-shirts, hoodies, hats, stickers, etc. Heck, you might not even know when you need t-shirts, but there will be a time for it eventually, I promise (not a threat!). Allow me to provide some examples of when you might need t-shirts, citing some very real people, businesses, and events.

Fundraisers or Community Engagement

Even the most buttoned up of working environments will do what they can to raise money for certain causes or improve the community's quality of life by giving back where they can. And of course they're not going to be doing that hard work in their suits and work clothes, so where do they turn? Bulk custom t-shirts of course!

I have two examples for this category, the first being a small local government that claimed they could build a whole playground in a single day, an operation called "Kaboom It". Typically these office workers are required to dress professionally (AKA not a t-shirt), but for this specific event, they ordered matching t-shirts so all of the volunteers and employees feel like they're a part of a bigger team. Not just the team building the playground, but Team Pawnee!

Look how great they look, the whole team matching. One aspect I like about this event is that they have different color garments as an indicator of their role on the project. Purple is administrative and oversees the project and red is a hands-on volunteer who is local to the community.

The second example of this category is a paper company, specifically a branch in Pennsylvania, that raised money for a co-worker who was diagnosed with an illness. They had t-shirts printed and did a Fun Run 5000K (that's how the client asked for it at first, believe me) that raised money for her hospital bills and general awareness for the disease.

Even though this photo doesn't capture the entire group, it goes to show how great a team can look in custom apparel.

Company Outings or Special Events

A few years after their Fun Run, the same paper company had a company wide picnic that had shirts printed for every branch, which came in handy for meeting new people, seeing old friends, and also acted as uniforms for the games and competitions. 

The best part is every t-shirt looks great with any outfit and can be worn any way you want! If you normally work in an environment with a dress code, you'll more likely than not have a chance to go to a year-end party, a company outing, or a some sort of team-building event. Why not dive in and look the part?

Achievements or Celebrations

If you hit a big sales goal, run a successful marketing campaign, or climb some other great mountain that's worth celebrating, why not remember the journey with some gear? We didn't print these, but I remember hearing about a small tech startup in Silicon Valley that celebrated their second round of funding with custom jackets. We wouldn't be able to print this much detail (well, we would but it would cost a small fortune with all the colors and embroidery), but either way celebrating with some sort of "I did it!" apparel is always worth it.

You don't get joy like that just from anywhere.

Training Programs

Football teams, new hires, or professions with continuing education all have consistent training camps or courses that would make for some great custom orders. 

A training program for new employees or course to help with a certain certification can be a great way to make sure everyone is on a level playing field and in it together.

If you haven't noticed by now, these are obviously television shows and we didn't print any of the apparel seen in this shots, but joking aside, these are all very real examples of shirts we've printed for businesses and groups that are not the most traditional targets for custom apparel. Companies and offices go to a lot of team building activities or off-site outings (I used to work for a Minor League Baseball team, those types of outings kept the lights on) that are really taken to the next level with some matching t-shirts. Another popular one is teachers celebrating the end of the school year with their class by getting the the students to sign within a design.

Whatever your event or your reason, you'll probably need t-shirts at some point in your career and your life. That's where we come in!