Dark Apparel

Why is Dark Apparel such a big deal?

We've been making t-shirts on-demand for a long time. We're experts at turning your ideas into a finished product in 24 hours. But printing on black t-shirts has always been a challenge. Our original printing methods bond the ink to the fabric in a way that absorbs some of the color on the fabric. Think of printing an image on your typical office printer, for example. In addition to white paper, you can put in light colors like pink and baby blue, and the prints will still look good. Now, try putting in a black piece of paper... You're not going to see much of that image after it's printed.

So in 2005, we worked with some amazing new technology to launch the very first-ever digital dark apparel products. While we have been very happy with the product, we had kept it in beta for a long time, because it was not always the same or better than what you could find in a store. That wasn't good enough for us.

Now, this has all changed. We turned our research and development team of chemists, physicists, and mechanical engineers loose on the problem. They've developed a whole new process, from inks through the printers, and the heating, cooling, and baking. We can finally say that every dark apparel shirt you purchase at Zazzle will be just like you'd ever expect from a store and hopefully even better.

Does lighter apparel (whites and light colors (pink, yellow, etc.) use the same technology?

No. At Zazzle, we have use a few different printing methods - each is optimized for the type of shirt we're printing on. Our light apparel printing creates vibrant colors without any decal feel. It bonds the inks directly to the fabric to create a shirt that will last for a long time without fading. For dark apparel, we use a special new method described here. The dark apparel printing will have a more decal-like feel that softens after the first washing.

Why is printing on black and other dark colors really that difficult?

Our team of engineers and experts have spent thousands of hours testing equipment, inks, and specific temperatures, treatments, and detergents. There's some genius involved, but a lot of it is really hard work and testing to get it right. To us, quality is the most important thing, and we don't stop until we're sure we'll get it right.

How do I design for dark apparel?

Designing for dark apparel is pretty easy. All you need is a PNG file with transparency. The transparency tells us what areas of the shirt to not print. We'll print any color in the spectrum instead of screen printing, which limits you to a few colors, we can print literally millions of colors. (please note: partial transparency is not supported). Read the image guidelines »

What is your return policy on t-shirts?

The Zazzle Promise: If you don't love it we'll take it back. We strive to exceed your expectations with every product you receive. All products are made-to-order with the best materials and our special digital printing technologies, and generally shipped within 24 hours. If you are not satisfied for any reason, you may return any unused products for a replacement or refund within 30 days of receipt.

Do I have to print with Zazzle, or can I save and export my designs for another site?

You can try out Zazzle's design tools at any time and see what you think. You'll have to pay for what you want to print but we even have volume discounts that start as low as 5% off 2 or more shirts.

Can I make money selling t-shirts?

Yes. Create designs and then post them for sale in the Zazzle Marketplace. You'll automatically receive a Zazzle Gallery to showcase the products you've created too. You can choose how much you make on each and every purchase. And we have tools to help you sell your shirts on your blog, profile, or anywhere else you can think of!