FAQs

General Questions

What is Print Social?

Print Social is a garment pre-sale platform, which makes it easy to retail high quality printed garments without paying anything upfront. Once the pre-sale period has expired Print Social will print and ship everything out to customers. All profit made by the seller gets paid directly into their bank or Paypal account.

What are the benefits of using Print Social?

The traditional way of selling garments involves investing in a bulk order and paying for it upfront often with little guarantee about which products and sizes will be popular whilst also having to be responsible for inventory, customer service, dispatch and holding excess stock.
Print Social removes all these issues by allowing anyone to retail products through the platform without paying anything up-front whilst also handling production, customer service and shipping leaving the seller with more time to create designs and promote their product. If the campaign is successful (selling 1 or more products) the design will go to print leaving the campaigner with all of the profit.

What is a pre-order t-shirt campaign?

A pre-sale platform is undoubtedly one of the most effective and efficient ways to promote and sell custom t-shirts online without risk. Limiting the time frame for gathering sales on a product gives you a number of useful tools and tricks that go a long way to helping you kill it with promotion, and ultimately, sales. Not just a marketing tool, these campaigns are one of the best ways to ensure that costs stay down, maximising your profits in the process.

After the campaign is finished, we will collect all of the presales, and only order in the exact number of sales so there is no waste left over.

What kinds of garments do you use?

We have a long-lasting relationship with our suppliers who source our garments for us. Therefore, we have every trust in the stock we use.
Our platform is designed to empower creators therefore we want to give creators the freedom to express themselves when it comes to picking their own garments that are best suited for their brand. We do offer 100% transparency when it comes to this and we will always give an unbiased point of view.

The cheapest options across t-shirts, sweats and hoodies are Gildan and AWDis. If you’re looking for high quality ethical and organic garments use Continental Clothing or Stanley and Stella and if you’re after a fashion fit or tri-blends for sportswear we suggest Bella and Canvas or Anvil.

If you would like to use a particular garment but can’t see it on the website please get in touch and we might be able to add it for you..

Which printing processes do you use?

Print Social is based in our sister branch - 3rd Rail Clothing which is a screen printing studio with over 15 years experience. Print Social, mostly carries out the seller’s jobs in-house that is carried out by a team of highly experienced screen printers and a quality check production team.

Wherever possible we’ll aim to screen print your artwork however in cases where there are more than 8 colours in the design or there's been a low number of sales we’ll use retail quality Direct to Garment (DTG) printing.

What is the difference between Direct to Garment (DTG) and Screen Printing?

Printing is done using one of two methods – the method that’s used depends on your design and on how many items you sell.

DTG PRINTING

We use Direct to Garment (DTG) to print really short runs, giving every seller the opportunity to get their designs out there. DTG works similarly to a desktop printer, but with the fabric being used in place of paper. We use DTG on smaller orders with more colours because the setup costs with screen printing do not make it possible to use on these orders. The quality is always high and they have a quicker turnaround and room for flexibility.

SCREEN PRINTING

We use screen printing for larger runs and fewer colours. We screen print 90% of our jobs.
Screen printing involves applying ink directly on the garment. We digitally transfer your choice of image to a very fine fabric mesh – or ‘screen’ – that has been stretched on a frame. The areas that aren’t to be printed are blocked off so that the mesh behaves like a stencil. Applying pressure using a squeegee, we wipe the ink across the screen and, as it finds its way through the unblocked pores on the mesh, the chosen colour of the design appears on the material.

What is your quality check process?

We do all of our screenprint inhouse and have a quality control team who double-check each garment when they come out of the dryer to fold and bag.


STEP BY STEP PROCESS OF PRINT SOCIAL: A Mini Guide to Success to Shipped!

If you’d like help to get started then don’t hesitate to contact us. Email our support team on support@weareprintsocial.com who can assist you with any questions you may have and get your design live on the website.

Step One: Send in your design to Print Social. Once we have it, we will need these details:

Campaign Name
Campaign Description
List of garments: We can do t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, kids, and tote bags!
Selling Price of each garment
Duration of your campaign (Pick between 1-30 days)
Any other supporting imagery

Step Two:

Your work gets uploaded onto our platform by giving you your own personal log in details (you're more than welcome to change this after it has been launched)

Step Three:

We’ll save it in the draft and send you the login details for you to approve - if all is good you can hit that launch button.

Step Four:

Your campaign will be live. This is your time to promote it as much as possible - share it with your friends, family and followers (we will do the same here!)

Step Five:

If you make 1 sales or more, your campaign will go to print.

Step Six:

If your campaign does go to print, we will start off with production and create spec sheets for our production team to go by.

Step Seven:

We will ship out all of the garments to your customers via Royal Mail.

Step Eight:

We will also deal with the finances, and we will send out your profit share with attached statements and invoice.

Step Nine:

Your customers will receive their t-shirts in around 7 days of when your campaign ends!

Sellers

How do I launch a new campaign?

If you have your design ready just click here to get started. For more information about the process visit our how it works page. If you have any other pending questions that are not listed in our FAQ’s or would like us to set you up then please email us on our support email support@weareprintsocial.com

How much will it cost me to launch a campaign?

Zero. Nothing. Zilch. That’s it, Print Social is 100% free and you will never be asked to pay anything upfront to get started.

I’m not based in the UK, can I still use Print Social?

Of course. Anyone in the world can use Print Social.

Which file types do you accept when uploading a design?

We accept PNG, JPEG and SVG file types if your design has a transparent background we recommend saving your work as a PNG which can be done through Photoshop.
To guarantee the best print quality please make sure your file is at least 300dpi at the intended print size.

If there are issues with your file a member of our support team will always get in touch before your product goes to print.

Placements

Where can I place my design on a t-shirt?

Usually, most people pick a front centre design. But you’re also more than welcome to have back print and a left breast to go with it - This would be two prints instead of one.

How big should I make my artwork?

We have a dedicated team to advise and to assist you with this, as we always create specs sheets that the printers will use when the design to go to print. So this part is very essential to sellers.

The most common sizes for artwork (depending on placement) is 25xm 30cm wide. However, sellers can go as big as 40cm x 50cm wide - keeping a mental note that they may get XS sizes orders which will be a tight fit!

If you’re designing a breast pocket, we recommend somewhere between 5cm - 10cm wide.

What are your screen sizes?

Maximum Screen Sizes
The maximum printable areas of the screens we offer are:

Standard Screens: 40cm x 54cm
Oversize Screens: 40cm x 67cm
Inside Neck: 11cm x 10cm
Sleeve: 12cm x 41cm
However, generally, the limiting factor is the print area of the garment.

This is an important factor to consider when ordering large prints and you have smaller garments in your order, as it’ll be limited by the smallest item. A 34cm wide print for men's t-shirts will not fit on a 3-4 kids t-shirt – the design simply will not fit, it would be wider than the t-shirt.
By going from our guide on the above, this will give you an idea of what print sizes will be achievable on certain garment sizes.

Can I start a design and finish it later?

Yes! Just click the ‘save draft’ button in the top left corner of the Campaign Creator and your progress will be saved. To access your draft at a later date log in to your dashboard and navigate to the Overview, from there click on Drafts. You’ll be able to make changes pick up where you left off.

Can I use someone else’s design on my garments?

If you choose to include artwork that is not your own you must receive written permission from the designer in order to be able to use it. Alternatively, you must alter it so that it’s substantially different from the original. You will be held responsible for any breaches of intellectual property rights.

For more information about intellectual property refer to this link: www.gov.uk/intellectual-property-an-overview/what-ip-is.
Please note that the rules may vary depending on your region.

Can I protect a design I created?

Unfortunately, Print Social can’t provide protection against theft of artwork, this can only be guaranteed by obtaining a copyright or trademark.

How much money will I make?

That’s up to you as the seller determines the retail price of each item. Print Social has set a base cost for each garment dependent on the quantity of sales, the seller keeps 100% of the gross margin which is the retail price minus the base cost. You can use our handy price profit calculator to see how much you will make depends on how many you sell.

Of course, If you want to make more money, you can always increase your profit margin by raising the retail price. Remember you don’t want to set it so high that you alienate potential customers. Normally t-shirts sell for around £18 to £25 and sweatshirts for £29 to £40.

How do you make your money?

Effectively we get paid the same way as the seller as everything is retailed on a pre-sale basis. Costs relating to production, garments, packaging and fulfilment and use of our service are covered by the base cost of each garment. As with bulk orders the more you sell the more your base cost per item decreases.

There is complete transparency during the product set-up process so you always know what the base cost is and how much profit you’re getting. We will never take a percentage of your profit and by allowing you to set your own retail price we also leave you in full control of how much that will be.

How long does the pre-sale period last?

The pre-sale period can last for anything from 1 to 30 days and everything is printed and shipped out once this expires. If you need your buyers to receive their product for a particular date please ensure your pre-sale ends at least 2 weeks prior to allow us enough time to process the orders and make sure international orders are received on time.

Can I modify the campaign design after I’ve launched?

You can modify elements of a campaign once it has been launched including the title, description and supporting images. To do this navigate to the campaign in your dashboard and click the ‘Edit Campaign’ button.

Unfortunately, you are not able to change the retail price, design or garments available once the product has launched if you need to modify any of these things you’ll need to set up a new campaign.

How do I advertise and promote my campaigns?

There are different ways to promote your campaign. Most people post on social media, such as Instagram. However, you can also promote it in your newsletters or by word of mouth! Your friends and family will always be your biggest supporter (remember that!)

Will Print Social promote my campaign?

Print Social will always promote campaigners when we can, this will be done in newsletters and on social media platforms. Please be aware, we can not promote every t-shirt we have.

What happens if I don’t sell at least 1 units?

Your order will only go into production if you sell at least 1 units. If you sell under this threshold the campaign will fail. You'll be notified if that's the case.

Can I delete a campaign?

Of course! You are always in control of your campaign. To do this, simply go on to your dashboard and hit the little x next to your campaign. A message will pop up confirming if you want to delete it. If you press confirm, then this action is more reversible and you’ll need to set up your campaign again. Please note, if you wish to delete your campaign and you've sold units, we can not delete your campaign: See our terms and conditions for more info: https://www.weareprintsocial.com/info/terms-and-conditions on this.

I’ve set my design upon several garments, do I need to sell 1 of each for them to go to print?

Nope! The 1 unit minimum encompasses the total sold across a single design on a single campaign. For example, if you sell 3 t-shirts and 2 sweatshirts they will still go to print.

My pre-sale period has ended, what happens now?

As soon as your pre-sale expires all customers are notified via email that the item has gone into production. We then order the garments and start printing your order, we aim to turn everything around in 7 to 10 working days.

Your customers receive another email once their item has been shipped out, shipping times vary depending on location but UK orders take 2-3 working days to arrive and international orders can take up to 2 weeks or more if you’re in Australia! .

Make sure that you fill in either your UK bank or Paypal details so that we can process your payment. A statement and payment will be issued after your pre-sale period ends.

What happens if a customer wants a refund?

Refunds are handled by the Print Social support team on a case by case basis if the garment is faulty or materially different from the image on your pre-sale page. Any refund costs are absorbed by Print Social and will not affect your total payout.

Will my order arrive in time for Christmas?

With campaigns that end in the month of December, we will do everything we can to get orders printed and shipped as fast as possible to give them the best possible chance of arriving in time for Christmas. However, due to the exceptionally busy time, postal services are under a lot of strain and as a result we cannot guarantee that orders will arrive in time for Christmas. This year campaigns need to end before December 1st 2024 to be guaranteed to ship before we close for the Christmas break. Campaigns that end after November 30th 2024 midnight GMT will be shipped in the new year.

How and when do I receive my profits?

Once your pre-sale period ends the profit owed will appear in your dashboard in the payouts section. This is also where you tell us how you want to be paid, please fill in either your bank or Paypal details as soon as possible.

You’ll receive a statement via email and payment 7-10 working days after your pre-sale has ended, please note it can take up to a further 5 working days for the amount to appear in your bank account.

How can I re-launch a pre-sale?

Once your pre-sale ends you can easily run it again by clicking the ‘Re-launch Campaign’ button in your dashboard. Please note, this will automatically launch for 15 days. Alternatively, you can reupload you launch a fresh campaign with the same artwork.

Do I need to declare the money I make from Print Social on my tax return?

Sure you do, it's income the same as any other. For advice on this, you can check the HMRC website at https://www.gov.uk/income-tax/overview or your country's equivalent if you are outside the UK.

Buyers

When will I be charged?

You will be charged as soon as you place your order. You will also receive an email letting you know that your order has gone through. If you are experiencing an error message, please double-check you have filled out the required fields as well as make sure your payment details are correct and up to date. If you have any further issues please contact us via email.

When will I receive my item?

We aim to print and ship everything out within 5-10 working days. You’ll get an email once your order has gone into production and another once it has been posted out.

Shipping times depend on the service you selected and your location. Customers in the UK can expect their order 1-3 working days after they’ve received their Item Sent confirmation email. For international orders, the wait can be up to 2 weeks.

How is my t-shirt sent?

Your t-shirt will be sent in an eco-friendly dissolvable lining bag, and a recycled GreenPE mailing bag.
We post your t-shirt via Royal Mail.

How much does the postage cost?

We have several postage options available which are priced as follows:
UK Standard - £3.95
UK First Class Recorded - £5.95
International Standard - £7.00
International Tracked - £11.00

Which methods of payment do you accept?

We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express card payments through Stripe (an online and secured bank), our secure payment processing partner.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes, we can ship to almost anywhere in the world, see above for more details about our shipping charges.

I just realised I ordered the wrong size, can this be modified?

If the pre-sale is still running someone from our support team will be able to modify your order for you, send details of your updated size and colour to support@weareprintsocial.com.

If the pre-sale has finished our ability to make changes to your order depend on whether or not the item has been printed, our support team will be able to advise if there is still time to make adjustments.

Do you offer refunds or exchanges?

Refunds will be handled on a case by case basis by our support team if a product is damaged or materially different from what is displayed on the campaign page. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds or exchanges if you change your mind and decide that you no longer want the item as everything is printed to order. Please use our size guides to ensure you are ordering a garment in the correct size. All refund requests must be made within 42 days from the date of shipping. Refund requests made after this time period will not be refunded.
Purchases made using a non-tracked shipping service will not be refunded for non-delivery as we are not able to obtain proof of said delivery.

I received the wrong size/colour. Can you fix this?

Sorry about that, yes you can. Just send an email to support@weareprintsocial.com and someone from our support team will be able to help you resolve it.

I haven’t received my order. What shall I do?

Oh no, sorry to hear you haven’t received your order yet. Sometimes delivery can take a while, especially if you’re overseas. If you haven’t received your order and your UK base, possibly double-check your local post office, alternatively double-check what address you’ve entered when you’ve ordered the t-shirt. If you’ve tried all of the above, feel free to email into support@weareprintsocial and we can chase that up for you.

How do I wash my order?

We recommend all orders are washed inside out and at no more than 40°C (30°C would be perfect!). Do not tumble dry and do not iron directly onto the print.