Why Ordering Custom Team Shirts Early Saves You Stress This Holiday Season

The holiday season is magical, until you're scrambling to coordinate team outfits two weeks before your event. Last-minute orders mean rush fees, limited options, and that sinking feeling when your shirts won't arrive in time.

Here's the good news: a little early planning transforms your holiday experience from stressful to seamless.

The Hidden Costs of Waiting Too Long

November and December bring a surge in custom apparel orders. Corporate teams, sports leagues, nonprofits, and families all want matching shirts for holiday events. What does this mean for late planners?

Rush fees pile up. What could have been a standard order now costs significantly more just to meet your deadline.

Limited options narrow your choices. Popular colors, styles, and sizes disappear fast. That perfect festive red or cozy unisex fit crewneck? It might be out of stock.

Quality gets compromised. Less time to review proofs means shirts that don't quite capture your vision.

The Benefits of Early Ordering

Order your custom team shirts in September or early October and everything changes:

Perfect Your Design

When you're not rushed, creativity flows. You can experiment with designs, gather team input, and refine until it's exactly right.

Better Budget Management

Early orders mean standard pricing—no rush fees. You can allocate those savings toward higher-quality fabrics or additional customization.

Guaranteed Availability

Size runs are complete, color options are plentiful, and you have your pick of styles. Whether your team prefers fitted tees, hoodies, or polos, everything is available.

Flexibility for the Unexpected

Someone joins the team last minute? You need extra shirts? When you've ordered early, there's still time without panic.

How Custom Team Shirts Elevate Your Holidays

Beyond avoiding stress, custom team shirts create instant unity—whether you're volunteering, hosting a corporate gathering, or coordinating family photos.

They simplify coordination. No more group texts debating what to wear.

They boost morale. Custom shirts show you've invested in something special.

They enhance visibility. For charity events, matching shirts help your group stand out.

They're perfect for photos. Everyone looks coordinated without the awkward debate.

Your Stress-Free Timeline

September: Start brainstorming designs and gather team input.

Early October: Finalize your design and place your order.

Mid-October: Review your proof and request adjustments.

Late October/Early November: Receive your shirts with time to spare.

December: Show up relaxed, coordinated, and ready to enjoy the moment.

Why Choose Imperial Imprinting

At Imperial Printing, we understand your custom shirts represent more than apparel—they're about creating moments and building unity. Our experienced team in Vero Beach specializes in bringing your vision to life with quality craftsmanship.

We work with you through every step, offering expert guidance on fabric selection and color matching. Whether you need screen printing in Vero Beach for vibrant team designs or embroidery for a professional touch, we have the expertise to deliver exactly what you're envisioning.

With transparent timelines and personalized service, we make the process simple and reliable so you always know when to expect your order.

Make This Your Most Organized Holiday Yet

The difference between a stressful holiday season and a seamless one comes down to planning. Don't wait until the holiday rush overwhelms you.

Ready to get started? Visit Imperial today to explore our custom options, request a quote, and secure your spot ahead of the rush. Let's make this holiday season memorable for all the right reasons.

Pantone Matching

With years of hands on screen printing experience, we fully understand the importance of matching our inks to your existing logo. In order to provide a superior product, pantone color matching is available with customers provided swatches or pantone numbers. 

Still unsure what ink color is right for you? With digital mock ups prior to every new design, we give you the opportunity to view it before you buy it.
This way you are guaranteed to love your design! 

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Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

At BELLA+CANVAS, we always say there are two crucial factors to consider when selecting a tee—the fit and the feel. In this guest post, we are giving you some insight into all the things that come into play when evaluating a t-shirts fit, which in our opinion is a make it or break it factor when it comes to your t-shirt being worn. After all, what’s the point of putting your awesome and thoughtful designs on a t-shirt the end customer doesn’t want to wear?

Men’s and Unisex Fits

Oftentimes men’s and unisex tees are lumped into one category. Why is this? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward—Ladies can fit into men’s tees, but men can’t fit into ladies’ tees. So if a company only wants to create one shirt, then their best option is to go with the men’s-oriented unisex styles that you see prevalent in the market. But while women can make do with a “unisex” style, these tees aren’t ideal in terms of fit (we’ll get come back to this topic!).

So what makes a good fitting men’s tee? First and foremost, side-seams. There are two basic types of construction when it comes to a basic tee—side-seamed and tubular. Tubular tees are cheaper to construct because they require less sewing. But while you may shave some pennies off the price, tubular tees don’t really fit right on people because our bodies aren’t tubes.

On the other hand, side-seamed tees create the tailored structure a tee needs to fit correctly. Although more expensive to make, these are the only type of tees you’ll find in a retail store, so selecting a side-seam tee is a no-brainer in today’s day and age.

Once you have narrowed down to a side-seamed tee, you’ll have to choose between a boxy fit and a more tailored fit. This really comes down to personal preference. Men’s fashion has swung in the direction of a more slim-fit look, but we are seeing a resurgence in oversized styles—as evident by the popularity of the Men’s Long Body Tee.

Ladies’ Fits

20 years ago, a women’s market did not exist in the wholesale industry. BELLA+CANVAS (or “Bella” back then) started the company by introducing the first wholesale tee made specifically for women. The founders saw the incredulity in the fact that women were just supposed to wear an oversized “unisex” tee and understood the importance of catering to women, specifically. They introduced quality tees, tailored the fit to a women’s body—tees that flattered and showed off their curves.

Since then, there has been explosion of women’s styles, satisfying a variety of tastes and preferences.  Slim-fit tees gained massively popularity in mainstream fashion of the late 90’s and early 2000’s and we saw this translate big time into the wholesale industry. Since then, there’s been a gradual shift towards a more relaxed look. Women now seem to want t-shirts that are a bit looser that don’t accentuate every curve.

BELLA+CANVAS has continued to expand it’s collection of women’s styles to evolve with the changing tides of fashion, developing entire collections based on different fit preferences. TheRelaxed Fit is a collection of looser-fitting retail jersey tees—a feminine take on your boyfriend’s favorite tee. The Slouchy Collection is comprised of stylish cuts that hang away from the body and the Flowy Collection is made up of draped, fashion-forward silhouettes designed to flatter all body types.

Choosing the right fit should never be about chasing the latest fad. It’s about finding a style that flatters your body and makes you feel confident. Make sure to evaluate the range of options out there, order samples of different styles, and then narrow down to your favorites.  A great-fitting tee is the foundation for your designs and ultimately the foundation of your business, so take the time to consider the various factors we just outlined and choose wisely!

Friday...is that you?

Weekends were made for relaxing and getting in your most comfortable clothing for those 48 short hours.

Bella+Canvas keeps their clothing line fashion forward by offering current trends with stylish colors, cut & fabric without having to compromise on your comfort. While other companies may be lagging behind, Bella+Canva continue to strengthen their impact in the fashion industry by showing the value of comfort with design. 

Need ideas for your next shirt style? Check out our online catalog or contact us and we can assist you along the way. 

The weekend starts now...so go ENJOY!