U.S. Custom T-shirt Printing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Printing Technique (Screen Printing, Digital Printing), By Design (Graphic Design, Artwork), By Sales Channel, By End-use, And Segment Forecasts, 2024 - 2030

U.S. Custom T-shirt Printing Market Trends

The U.S. custom T-shirt printing market size was valued at USD 857.5 million in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.8% from 2024 to 2030. The rising demand for custom T-shirt printing for producing customized clothing such as t-shirts, jerseys, and sweatshirts, and the inclination toward fashion apparel and unique products are fueling the demand for custom printing is driving the market growth. Furthermore, the U.S. market is poised for unprecedented growth in the coming years owing to the rising trend of wearing custom-designed t-shirts with unique designs and logos of sports teams. Thus, the growing popularity of sports is also expected to increase the demand for custom-printed t-shirts, which in turn is expected to fuel market growth.

In 2023, the U.S. market accounted for approximately 18.18% share of the global custom T-shirt printing industry. Print-on-demand platforms provide custom-design printing solutions to customers. Various artists and merchants owning a print-on-demand business and who want to sell their designs can connect their existing online store or set up a new one depending on the platform. Print on demand comprises an order fulfillment allowing to print items instantly without a minimum order restriction. increasing internet penetration and smartphone adoption, inclination toward fashion apparel and unique products, and rising disposable income are fueling the demand for custom T-shirt printing. The growing e-commerce sales are also fueling the growth of the market.

The entertainment industry is significantly contributing to the custom T-shirt printing industry's growth. The movie, T.V. show, and game fans willingly spend a lot on purchasing accessories and apparel with their favorite logos, characters, and slogans printed on t-shirts. This trend is expected to majorly contribute to the growth of the custom printing industry over the coming years. Gaming companies, sports organizations, music facilities, and cinema producers are rapidly utilizing customized t-shirt printing for advertisement & promotional campaigns. The growing popularity of sports is also projected to increase the demand for custom-printed t-shirts, as there is a rising trend of wearing custom-designed jerseys and t-shirts with unique designs and logos of sports teams.

Material constraints, machinery limitations, and design complexity are key factors impeding market growth. In addition, significant initial investment presents a major challenge due to increasing material prices, limited availability, and higher costs associated with custom printers. Moreover, extensive customization with intricate designs, along with increasing equipment and input material expenses, collectively contribute to heightened product costs. These aforementioned factors are hindering the growth of the market.

Market Concentration & Characteristics

The growth stage for the custom T-shirt printing industry is high and the rate of growth is accelerating. The custom T-shirt printing industry in the U.S. is fragmented. Several companies, both large and small, are competing to expand their market share. The market is experiencing heightened merger and acquisition activity as companies seek to consolidate their market presence or acquire access to cutting-edge innovations in custom printing techniques and related technologies.

Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing technology is gaining popularity because it uses specialty inks that are absorbed into the fibers of the garment. The continued integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into printing equipment is facilitating new, innovative applications, such as managing various production units via connected printers, thereby minimizing human interference and enhancing productivity. The printing industry is adopting innovations in eco-friendly inks such as soy-based ink, water-based inks, and more that are emerging as sustainable alternatives. Therefore, the custom printing industry is witnessing a high degree of innovation as more and more R&D investment is being made for developing new techniques in printing as well as for refining them.

There are hardly any direct substitutes for custom printing present in the market. Hence, the threat of substitutes in the custom printing market can be considered low. Nevertheless, there are immense opportunities for internal substitution. Conventionally, screen printing has been the most preferred technique for custom t-shirt printing owing to the convenience, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness associated with it.

Printing Technique Insights

The screen-printing segment dominated the market in 2023 with the largest revenue share of more than 56%. The segment's large share is due to the fact that screen printing is widely utilized for apparel and textile printing as it facilitates excellent detailing for custom and complex designs. The popularity of screen-printing can be attributed to a variety of reasons, the most appealing of which is the wide range of colors that may be employed in screen-printing. Versatility and better print quality are also among the numerous advantages associated with screen printing, which are expected to play a decisive role in driving the growth of the segment.

The digital printing segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR of 12.8% over the forecast period. The growth of the segment is attributed to the advantages offered such as it provides more options, functionality, and flexibility over conventional printing technologies, such as offset printing and flexographic printing. It is less labor-intensive and allows producing multiple designs in small batches. The advent of on-demand printing, coupled with a significant push toward environmental and sustainable operations incorporating the use of safer chemicals and mild solvents as compared to those used in conventional printing technologies is playing a vital role in driving the growth of the segment.

Sales Channel Insights

The offline segment held the largest revenue share of more than 50% in 2023. The offline channel is the conventional channel for custom t-shirt printing. The majority of the bulk orders for custom t-shirt printing, such as sports events, club games, and school uniforms, are ordered primarily through an offline channel. Even with the convenience offered by online ordering, some consumers still prefer the offline channel over online purchases for customized clothing as it offers them a more comprehensive experience.

The online segment is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment registering the fastest CAGR of 12.9% from 2023 to 2030. The online sales channel offers comfort, convenience, and choices to the customers. It allows the customers to customize various parameters such as fabrics, sizes, designs, and colors for the t-shirt through a mobile application or website. The increased penetration of smartphones has proved to be very beneficial for the online sales channel. Consumers are increasingly inclined 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 largest revenue share in 2023 at more than 65%. The substantial revenue share is due to the rising need for custom-printed t-shirts across industries such as hospitality, media, and retail. This demand is driven by factors such as enhancing company branding through logo placement on apparel. Personalized t-shirts featuring company logos or brand names are gaining popularity as corporate gifts, serving as effective off-duty marketing tools. In addition, the growing demand for sports uniforms from sports clubs or teams significantly bolsters growth within the commercial segment.

The personal segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR of 12.3% over the forecast period. The rising disposable incomes, increasing smartphone penetration as well as trends in fashion favoring more customized and unique designs are anticipated to drive the segment growth over the coming years. The rising demand for merchandise, such as printed T-shirts showcasing favorite characters, heroes, taglines, and other elements from a range of entertainment titles including movies and web series, is a key factor propelling growth in this segment. 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 15-40 years segment contributed the largest market share in the personal segment in 2022.

Design Insights

The artwork segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR of 12.3% from 2024 to 2030. The increasing inclination of customers toward utilizing t-shirts and other apparel as a means to endorse a cause or convey a message is anticipated to drive significant growth. The artwork segment encompasses personalized designs crafted by individuals for printing on t-shirts. Prospective clientele for artwork tailored for t-shirts primarily consists of consumers seeking to imprint their designs or those with a precise picture for their desired print.

The graphic design segment held the largest market share of more than 57% in 2023. Graphic design helps in communicating information in an easy-to-understand manner, for instance, through infographics. As such, graphic design can play a vital role in branding and advertising. Graphic design involves printing an existing design on a T-shirt without any further modifications. Such t-shirts are preferred by customers as they can receive these T-shirts immediately at a lower price. These aforementioned factors are driving the segment growth.

Key U.S. Custom T-shirt Printing Company Insights

Some of the major companies include Vistaprint, Threadbird, and Printful Inc., among others.

• Vistaprint provides customized printing solutions to its customers and has marked its presence across several regions, including North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Vistaprint offers multiple high-quality customized products, such as personalized clothing, visiting cards, and gifting products, for entrepreneurs, individuals, and business owners.

• CustomInk, LLC designs and markets custom-designed promotional products and one-on-one design service support. The company offers high-quality custom-printed t-shirts, drinkware, embroidered caps, bags, accessories, stationery, athletics apparel, towels, hats, office supplies, and promotional products. The company’s design page offers diverse options such as adding art, adding text, adding names, adding notes, uploading images, choosing colors, and special print areas on fabric. The company specializes in on-demand printing, custom apparel, and mass customization services.

RushOrderTees.com and THREADBIRD are some of the emerging companies in the U.S. market for custom T-shirt printing:

• RushOrderTees is a nationwide leader in custom apparel. The company runs both brick-and-mortar screen printing outlets and online t-shirt design studios. Through these channels, they provide services such as vinyl numbering and lettering, embroidery design and printing, and direct-to-garment printing. This empowers customers to create their own designs and place orders for customized apparel items tailored to their preferences.

• THREADBIRD is a leading provider of custom apparel solutions, offering a comprehensive range of printing and design services. With a focus on quality and innovation, THREADBIRD operates state-of-the-art screen-printing shops and online design studios. Specializing in vinyl numbering, lettering, embroidery, and direct-to-garment printing, they enable customers to create their designs.

Recent Developments

• In June 2023, Printful, a leading global e-commerce platform specializing in on-demand merchandise production, Printful, has completed the acquisition of Snow Commerce. Snow Commerce is renowned as a managed service provider, entrusted with designing and managing the ecommerce operations for esteemed brands such as Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and NBCUniversal. By joining forces, Snow Commerce and Printful will offer a comprehensive e-commerce solution encompassing program strategy development, website and product design, customer engagement initiatives, and on-demand international production and distribution services.

• In December 2023, Custom Ink, a prominent online provider of custom apparel and accessories for various organizations, groups, and communities, unveiled Swag Space. This comprehensive platform caters to promotional product distributors, offering a customizable white-label solution. Swag Space is meticulously crafted to address the diverse business requirements of distributors, covering aspects such as catalog creation, order handling, inventory management, production oversight, distribution logistics, and storage solutions. Leveraging the advanced technology and robust infrastructure pioneered by Swag.com, acquired by Custom Ink in 2021, Swag Space ensures top-tier performance and reliability.

U.S. Custom T-shirt Printing Market Report Scope

U.S. Custom T-shirt Printing Market Report Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at a country level and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2017 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the U.S. custom t-shirt printing market report based on printing technique, design, sales channel, and end-use:

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

  • Screen Printing

  • Digital Printing

  • Plot Printing

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

  • Graphic Design

  • 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