Product Info

Yeah, we're kinda wise-ass and flippant about our marketing, but we really don't skimp much on quality. These t-shirts are produced by us, one at a time, so they're essentially as hand-made as a digitally printed item can be. The artwork is all produced by us, using traditional and digital techniques, and is owned and copyrighted by us. The bottom line is that if you see these sold elsewhere, and they don't have the "copyright Conceptsmart, Inc." tag line on 'em, the artwork (or at least the idea) was probably stolen from us. We're as close to starving artists as regular morons get, so you can feel all charitable and benevolent while you make your purchase.

OUR PRINTING PROCESS: Our shirts are printed using a heat transfer process. No, these are NOT "iron-on" appliques. These are produced--one shirt at a time--using special polymer carriers, imprinted with archival, pigment-based inks. We print using a six-color process, for brilliant, rich colors. The heat transfers we produce are applied to the garment using a professional heat press, which allows for a permanent bond to the fabric. Since we offer only black and athletic gray shirts, we use a white backing polymer so the colors really "pop" off the shirt. You may be familiar with traditional methods of printing on shirts, including screen printing. Frankly, our main reason for not screen printing these is volume. Screen printing is an expensive process, and we would need to sell hundreds of each design every week to justify the expense. Another drawback of screen printing is that so-called "full" color shirts are printed using only four process inks, and seldom have the detail and vibrant color that our technique allows. Because of the white polymer undercoat we use, the imprinted areas on our shirts have a bit of a "stiff" feel when you first receive them. There is some amount of dimension to the ink and polymer, but this softens after a few washings. Screen printing on dark garments has the same issues as heat transfers, and requires an initial coat of opaque white ink to be applied and flash-dried before the additional colors can be applied, so we don't feel as if you're getting an inferior or "substitute" product in any way. We just want to make sure you understand that the imprints on our shirts have a bit of a "hard hand", especially before washing. Speaking of washing, please see (and follow) our special washing instructions below.

OUR GARMENTS: Our tees are all top-quality, heavyweight, 100% cotton garments. Currently, we are using Gildan Ultra Cotton shirts, but our garment brands may change from time to time. They will always be of comparable quality.

WASHING INSTRUCTIONS: Despite what the collar tag on the t-shirt itself may say, our printing process requires somewhat different care. The garments themselves are 100% cotton, and may shrink up to a half size after the first couple of washes and drys. We warrant that the imprints on our shirts will last through a "reasonable" number of washings without pronounced fading or cracking if you follow our washing instructions. We assert that "reasonable" is 20 to 30 wash and dry procedures. If you wear this shirt every day, and wash it every day, then you'll get a month or two out of it. More typical use should give you a couple of years of nice-looking wear. The inks will bleed and/or crack if washed in hot water, if dried on high heat, or if washed with dissimilarly colored fabrics. For best results, wash in cold water, with similar-colored fabrics. Always turn the garment inside out before washing, and leave it turned inside out when drying. Always dry these garments on your dryer's lowest heat setting. Do not iron these shirts! As we mentioned, they're imprinted using a heat transfer process, so you can imagine what damage you'll do by applying high heat to the imprint area. We've washed these shirts several times in HOT water, with the dryer turned up high, and they survived just fine. We simply want you to get the most wear possible, and to have reasonable expectations about imprinted apparel in general.