T-Shirt Print Size Guide — How Big Should a Print Be?

Most disappointing shirts got the size wrong, not the design. Here are the numbers we use in the workshop.

Standard print sizes

• Full front / full back: 25–28cm wide is the classic "band tee" size. Our maximum print area is roughly 28 × 38cm.
• Left chest (logo): 8–10cm wide — the polo-badge convention. Bigger looks like a mistake, smaller disappears.
• Small centre chest: 15–18cm wide — the modern minimal look, halfway between badge and billboard.
• Back neck ("locker patch"): 6–8cm — nice for a brand mark or web address.
• Names and numbers: numbers 20–25cm tall, names 5cm tall in an arc — see team printing.

Placement rules of thumb

• Front prints start roughly 7–10cm below the collar — higher looks choked, lower looks like a belly print
• Centre the design on the body, not the shirt laid flat (sleeves mislead the eye)
• On children's shirts, scale everything down — a 28cm print swamps a 5-6 year old's tee

You don't have to decide alone

The designer's print area is true to scale, so what you see is what prints. And if a size looks odd to our team during the artwork check, we'll flag it before it goes near a press.