Custom T-shirt Printing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Printing Technique (Screen Printing, Digital Printing, Plot Printing), By Design, By Sales Channel, By End Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

The global custom t-shirt printing market size was valued at USD 3.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9% from 2022 to 2030. Custom-designed t-shirts are increasingly being used by companies as a modern branding strategy to brand their company, products, or offerings. This technique is used by companies, especially start-ups, to increase their brand visibility and grab the attention of their prospective customers. Therefore, the growing use of customized t-shirts as a branding tool is expected to be a major contributor to market growth over the forecast period.

The fashion industry is witnessing a shift toward wearing customized clothing. Also, the increasing disposable income of consumers is enabling them to spend on customized clothes. As a result, people prefer wearing customized t-shirts with specific logos or slogans printed on them. The entertainment industry is contributing to the market growth with a large number of people, especially movie fanatics, buying apparel with slogans or logos printed on them.

For instance, television series such as Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory have a huge fan base. The fans willingly spend a good amount on buying t-shirts or other apparel with their favorite dialogues or slogan printed on t-shirts. This trend is expected to majorly contribute to the custom t-shirt printing industry's growth in the forthcoming years.

There is an increase in the use of custom printed t-shirts to create social awareness, raise a voice, and support a cause. However, specific designs and slogans printed on the t-shirts related to sensitive issues, such as diseases, gender, crime, and politics, are subject to criticism and legal actions. Further, customers from various industries, including hospitality, logistics, construction, industrial, and medical are increasingly providing custom printed t-shirts to their employees and customers which is used as a marketing technique.

Companies all over the globe are using custom-made t-shirts as an off-the-clock advertising tool. This advertising strategy has been observed to involve less investment as compared to other forms of advertising such as hoardings or T.V. Therefore, companies are providing customized t-shirts to increase their brand identity as well as customer loyalty. Additionally, providing t-shirts with good quality material increases their shelf life, thereby helping the companies to gain visibility for a longer period, which in turn is anticipated to boost the market growth during the forecast period.

Sports teams and clubs of almost all sports have started to design and wear custom-designed t-shirts and jerseys with their unique logo and design. Various sporting clubs are following this trend to increase the visibility of their teams and to provide a unique appearance to their team players. Sporting activities across countries such as China, India, and Germany are witnessing considerable growth with increasing investments by governments of these nations in sports-related activities. As a result, the demand for customized t-shirts is expected to increase in the years to come.

In the wake of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a significant disturbance in most industries across the globe. While few industries experienced a contraction in their productions and businesses, others faced severe outcomes such as the shutdown of businesses and movement restrictions. For instance, the travel, entertainment, and hospitality industries had the most retrenchments, and on the other hand, healthcare, technology e-commerce businesses had an upsurge in demand. However, during the pandemic, the fashion industry experienced both a surge and decline all at once.

While various outlets and large brand stores experienced a decline in customer footfall and clothing demand, it has been observed that there was an increase in the demand for custom t-shirts from the e-commerce industry. Besides, the custom t-shirt printing business also witnessed several new entrants in the custom t-shirt printing market during the pandemic.

Printing Technique Insights

The screen-printing segment held the highest revenue share of more than 56% in 2021. The segment's high share can be attributed to its increased adoption on account of various benefits, including high print quality and high color vibrancy as thicker ink is applied to the product, particularly dark-colored apparel. It can also print on several synthetic fabrics such as viscose, polyester, silk, and others. As a result, it is mostly the preferred technique among service providers.

The digital printing segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 10.9% from 2022 to 2030. The popularity of digital printing is on the rise among custom t-shirt printing service providers, considering it involves the use of a computer for processing and printing the artwork directly printed on the product’s surface, making it less time-consuming and affordable with a quick turnaround time. The technique is used where a high amount of detailing is required in the product's printed design. For instance, if a photographic print has to be applied to a light-colored t-shirt, the digital printing technique would be the best option as the photographic print will require a fair amount of detail.

Sales Channel Insights

The offline segment held the highest revenue share of more than 53% in 2021. The offline channel is the traditional choice for custom t-shirt printing. Consumers, especially from developing countries, prefer the offline channel over online purchases for customized clothing. Moreover, bulk orders for custom t-shirt printing, for instance, sports events, school uniforms, and club games are ordered mainly through an offline channel.

The online segment is anticipated witness the fastest CAGR of 11.8% from 2022 to 2030. The online sales channel allows an individual to select designs, colors, fabrics, and sizes for the t-shirt through an application or website. The online channel offers the convenience of browsing through all the products and provides information about the product. Consumers are increasingly inclining towards online purchases owing to the easy visibility of choices, cost-effectiveness, home-delivery of the product, and the interactive and user-friendly nature of online platforms.

End-use Insights

The commercial segment held the highest revenue share of more than 68% revenue share in 2021. The high revenue share of a commercial segment can be attributed to the increasing demand for custom printed t-shirts in sectors such as hospitality, media, and retail to cater to its increasing demand for company branding through logos printed on t-shirts. Personalized t-shirts with company logos or brand names are increasingly becoming popular as corporate gifting, which also duals up as off-the-clock marketing. The increasing demand for sports uniforms from sports clubs or teams is a major contributor to the commercial segment growth.

The personal segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 10.5% from 2022 to 2030. The popularity of buying custom printed t-shirts is on the rise among individuals, especially for the slogan printed t-shirts. Along with the slogan printed t-shirts, there is also a growing demand for TV show-based theme t-shirts. TV series such as Game of Thrones, Friends, and Suits, are the most popular among buyers for slogans or character-based t-shirts. The personal end-use segment is further sub-segmented based on age group into below 15 years, 15-40 years, and above 40 years. The 15 to 40-year segment contributed the largest market share in the personal segment in 2021.

Design Insights

The artwork segment is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing segment, registering a CAGR of 10.5% from 2022 to 2030. The growing preference of customers toward using t-shirts or other apparel to support a cause or deliver a message is expected to contribute to the high growth of this segment. The artwork segment involves a custom artwork created by an individual to be printed on the t-shirt. Consumers who wish to print their designs or have a clear picture of the desired print are the potential customers of artwork designed for t-shirts.

The graphic design shirts segment held the largest market share and accounted for more than 57% of the global revenue in 2021. The high share is attributable to the rising demand for custom t-shirts with pre-printed graphics. Graphic design t-shirts involve the printing of an existing design that does not require any further modifications. Such pre-printed graphic design t-shirts are preferred by customers who want the product immediately at a lesser price.

Regional Insights

The Asia Pacific region dominated the market for custom t-shirt printing and accounted for over 38% of the global revenue share in 2021 and is anticipated to continue its dominance during the forecast period. The growth is primarily attributable to the growing popularity of fashionable apparel among the young population. In addition, the region's growth is also driven by the high proliferation of the e-commerce industry in the region.

Countries such as China and India are witnessing a rapid growth of e-commerce activities. Moreover, with the presence of a huge young population and the positive outlook for the apparel industry, several startups offering personalized printed t-shirts and other customized accessories have emerged in India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries. This region is also well known for encouraging various sports events, which is further expected to propel the demand for customized t-shirts in the region.

Europe held the second-largest revenue share of the market in 2021, owing to increasing investments and developments in printing technologies in countries such as the U.K., France, and Germany. The growth of the region is also attributed to the presence of prominent market players such as Vistaprint., Spreadshirt, and CafePress Inc. On the other hand, North America is expected to witness significant growth in the forthcoming years. The popularity of outdoor sports in North America is expected to increase the demand for custom t-shirts in the region.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Prominent players in the market are Vistaprint B.V.; Threadbird LLC; Printful Inc.; CafePress, Inc.; Blue Gecko (U.K.) Ltd., among others. These market participants are focusing on several strategies to gain a higher market share. Mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and other contractual agreements are being announced by these market players to emerge as the top custom printing companies. Moreover, these players are investing in research and development activities to bring new products to the market. The companies are trying to expand their business operations to serve more customers with shorter delivery times. For instance, in October 2019, Printful Inc. announced the opening of its second fulfillment center in Europe to serve European customers in a better way and to meet the demand for faster shipping. Some prominent players in the global custom t-shirt printing market include:

• CafePress Inc.

• CustomInk, LLC.

• CustomThread

• Printful Inc.

• RushOrderTees.com

• Spreadshirt

• THEBLUEGECKOPRINTING

• THREADBIRD

• UberPrints, Inc.

• Vistaprint

Custom T-shirt Printing Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2028. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global custom t-shirt printing market report based on printing technique, design, end use, sales channel, and region:

• Printing Technique Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Screen Printing

  • Digital Printing

  • Plot Printing

• Design Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Graphic Designed Shirt

  • Artwork

• Sales Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Online

  • Offline

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • Commercial

  • Personal

    • Below 15 years

    • 15 - 40 years

    • Above 40 years

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • U.K.

    • Germany

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East & Africa