How to Pick the Right Size for Your Custom Order

Why sizing is worth getting right before you order

Here's the thing about custom printed and embroidered apparel: once your design is on it, it's yours. Decorated items can't be returned or exchanged the way a plain blank could be, so the size you pick at checkout is the size you're committed to. That's not us being difficult — it's just how custom work has to go, since nobody else can buy a shirt with someone else's name or logo already on the back. The upside is that a few minutes with a tape measure before you order saves a lot of hassle after.

Start with the size chart on the product page, not the label

Every product on the site has a real size chart underneath the description — a measurements table plus an image straight from the garment's manufacturer. That's the one to trust over the S/M/L/XL label itself, because "Medium" isn't standardized across garment styles. A medium T-shirt, a medium hoodie, and a medium polo won't necessarily measure the same, even within the same order. The chart gives you actual numbers in inches (chest width, body length, and sometimes sleeve length) so you're comparing real measurements instead of guessing from a letter.

How to measure yourself (or the shirt that already fits well)

Two ways to do this, and either works:

• Measure your chest. Wrap a tape measure around the fullest part of your chest, under your arms, and keep it level. Then compare that number to the chart — most charts list "chest width," which is half the total chest measurement (since it's measured flat, side to side), so check which convention a given chart is using before you compare.
• Measure a shirt you already own and like the fit of. Lay it flat, measure straight across the chest from armpit to armpit, and double that number. Compare it to the chart's chest measurement for each size. This is usually the faster, more reliable method if you have a go-to fit in mind.

If your measurement lands right between two sizes, it's worth thinking about how you want the piece to fit — true-to-size and snug, or roomier and more relaxed — and sizing up if you prefer the latter.

Fit varies by garment type, even in the same order

If you're doing one design across a few different garments — say a hoodie and a tee with the same print — don't assume the same size number will fit the same way on both. Heavier fleece hoodies and lighter cotton tees drape differently, and some styles run roomier through the body than others. The safest approach is to check the chart for each product individually rather than carrying over a size from one style to the next.

Kids, baby, and youth sizing

Kids' and baby sizing runs on its own scale (think months for infants, then youth S/M/L), and it's easy to overestimate how fast a size needs to scale up. The chart on each kids' or baby product works the same way as the adult ones — measure the child (or a well-fitting piece they already wear) and compare actual numbers rather than guessing from age alone, since kids of the same age can vary a lot in size.

Caps and one-size items

Caps are mostly adjustable, so there's less to measure — check the product page for whether a specific style is one-size/adjustable or offered in fitted sizes, and go from there.

Team and group orders: everyone can have their own size

If you're ordering for a team, school group, or company, you don't need to pick one size for everyone. The sizes-and-quantities step lets you mix sizes within the same order — so your roster of a dozen people in five different sizes is one normal order, not five separate ones.

One thing that doesn't change: the print or embroidery itself

Whichever size you land on, the decoration method won't affect fit — a DTF print or an embroidered logo is applied to the finished garment at the size you ordered, it doesn't change how the piece fits or drapes.

Still not sure?

If you've measured and you're still on the fence between two sizes, reach out before you order — a quick message through WhatsApp or email is faster than guessing, and it's a lot easier to sort out before a custom design is already on the garment. Everything ships from our shop here in Oakville, so once an order's placed it's on its way — getting the size right up front is the part that's in your hands.