Custom T-shirt Printing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Printing Technique (Screen, Digital, Plot), By Design (Graphic Designed Shirts, Artwork), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027

Report Overview

The global custom t-shirt printing market size was valued at USD 3.4 billion in 2019 and is expected to register a CAGR of 9.6% over the forecast period. 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, 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 growth over the coming years.

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 in order to increase their brand identity as well as customer loyalty. Additionally, providing t-shirts with good quality material increases its shelf life, thereby helping the companies to gain visibility for a longer time period, which in turn is anticipated to boost the market growth over the forecast period.

Sports teams and clubs of almost all the sports have started to design and wear custom designed t-shirts and jerseys with their unique logo and design. The trend is nowadays being followed by every sporting club to increase the visibility of their team 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 on sports related activities. As a result, the demand for customized t-shirts is expected to increase in the years to come.

Printing Technique Insights

On the basis of the printing technique, the market has been segmented into screen printing, digital printing, and plot printing. Screen printing is a technique that uses a stencil to print the design on the apparel. This technique offers various benefits including high vibrancy as thicker ink is applied to the product, particularly dark colored apparels. As a result, the screen printing segment held the largest revenue share in custom t-shirt printing market.

Digital printing involves the use of a computer for processing the artwork, which is then directly printed on the product’s surface. The technique is used where a high amount of detailing is required in the printed design of the product. For instance, if a photographic print has to be applied in a light colored t-shirt, the digital printing technique would be the best option as the photographic print will require a good amount of detail. The segment is expected to expand at a significant CAGR owing to the benefits of digital prints such as shorter time and fewer efforts with good quality print.

Design Insights

On the basis of design, the market has been segmented into graphic designed shirts and artwork. The graphic design shirts held the majority of the market share in 2019. These shirts involve the printing of an already existing design that does not involve any further modifications. Such t-shirts with pre-printed graphic designs are preferred by people who want the product immediately at a lesser price.

The artwork segment is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment registering the fastest CAGR of more than 10% over the forecast period. The artwork segment involves a custom artwork created by an individual to be printed on the product. Consumers who wish to print their designs or have a clear picture of desired print are the prospective buyers of artwork designed for t-shirts. Although these t-shirts require more printing time and are costlier than graphic design shirts, the growing inclination toward using t-shirts to deliver a message or support a cause is expected to result in the high growth of this segment. 

Regional Insights

In terms of revenue, Asia Pacific dominated the market in 2019 and is anticipated to continue its dominance over the forecast period. Countries such as China and India are witnessing a high proliferation of e-commerce activities, which is contributing in spreading fashion awareness among masses. Also, this region is well known for encouraging various sports events, which is further expected to spur the demand for customized t-shirts in the region.

Europe is anticipated to hold a significant share in the market in 2019 and is expected to register a CAGR of more than 8% over the forecast period owing to increasing investments and developments in printing technologies in the region. Moreover, North America is expected to witness sluggish growth over the forecast period. However, the popularity of outdoor sports in North America is expected to increase the demand for custom t-shirts in the region.

Custom T-shirt Printing Market Share Insights

Prominent players in the market are Vistaprint B.V.; Threadbird LLC; Printful Inc.; CafePress, Inc.; Blue Gecko (UK) Ltd., among other major players. These market participants are focusing on several strategies in order 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. Additionally, the companies are trying to expand their business operations in order 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 with an aim to serve European customers in a better way and to meet the demand for faster shipping.

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 2027. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global custom t-shirt printing market report on the basis of printing technique, design, and region:

• Printing Technique Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Screen Printing

  • Digital Printing

  • Plot Printing

• Design Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Graphic Designed Shirts

  • Artwork

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • U.K.

    • Germany

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East & Africa