This guide goes by the old standard "Buyer Beware".

I have some expierience with t-shirts and printing t-shirts over the past few years. One thing that I have noticed is that "transfers" are becoming more and more popular to sellers. They are easy to make, and look nice at first... but like I said buyer beware. here are some things to note.

Transfers are basicly an "iron-on". Mostly printed from a computer printer and then a heat press is used to apply the print to the shirt. This is how someone can easily get a full color image or a photographic image on a shirt. While they will look nice at first, they will begin to fade much faster then a screen printed shirt. With a screen printed shirt you get a better quality print and a longer lasting print over time.

Now how can you tell the difference while you are shopping? The biggest giveaway is when someone will give you the option of what size you want it in within one auction. They will say something along the lines of "After you buy the shirt, you pick the size you want". This is because all they are doing is picking a blank shirt from thier inventory and heat pressing the image you want to the shirt. They will also typicaly list the "sizes available" and have it available in more then one color or on more then one item (ie: T-shirt, Sweatshirt, Jacket, Hat, etc).

When it is a screen printed shirt the size will already be listed in the auction since the person has to print the shirts in advance. When in doubt just ask the questions. Is it a screen printed shirt? or a transfer? Some of you might say that this really isn't that big of a deal, but it can be. You can see an obvious difference between the two styles of printing.

It all comes down to just asking questions. Ask if they are making it themselves and how they are doing it. Screen printers take a big risk when making shirts, if they do not sell them they are stuck with the printed shirts. Whereas with transfers, if the design dosen't sell, they still have a box of blank shirts and can put anything on it. Screen printing is an old art, with history and quality behind it. If you care about quality, buy screen printed items.

Just one last note. This guide also applies to things like trucker hats, bags, jackets, hoodies, etc.