Merch production
Custom merchandise. From tour shirt to team hoodie.
Custom merchandise can be made with us from 10 pieces per style, with your own label inside and a technique that suits your artwork. Not a giveaway shirt for a drawer, but merch people want to wear.
- T-shirt from 10, with print
- €29.99
- Hoodie from 10, with print
- €39.99
- Sample, after payment, from €150
- At least 5 to 6 weeks
- Bulk production, after payment
- At least 5 to 6 weeks
Tees and hoodies. The basis of your merch.
Made in our own workshop.
Black t-shirt, custom print
Matching hoodie and tee
Hoodie with large back print
Hoodie with an embroidered logo
First the goal. Then the product.
Sell
To your audience. Then margin and quality count.
Give away
As a giveaway. Then recognisability and budget count.
Wear
By your team. Then fit and wash resistance count.
Your artwork. The right technique.
A line drawing needs something different from a photo print. You see the result first on your sample.
Screen print
Solid areas, larger runs
One screen per colour, opaque and wash-resistant.
DTF
Small series, many colours
Print on film, for colourful designs and small series.
Puff print
Relief, for larger series
Swells up as it dries, raised above the fabric.
Embroidery
Small, sharp and hard-wearing
In thread, the strongest for small logos on caps and chest.
All-over print
Statement pieces, from 250 pieces
Your artwork across the whole piece, from 250 pieces per style.
Guide
Custom merchandise
1 min read
What is the difference between making merch and printing it?
With printing, you buy existing blanks and have a logo put on them. When you have merch made, you decide more of the product: from 10 pieces your print and the label in the neck on our base style, and with larger quantities also the fabric, the weight, the fit and the packaging. If you deliberately choose organic cotton or recycled fabric, read more about sustainable clothing production.
Your own production takes more preparation, because you start with a sample and a minimum run. You feel the difference straight away, and your audience feels it too.
Torn between the two? Our page on custom-made or printed clothing puts both routes side by side.
Who do we make merchandise for?
Merch has long stopped being just something for bands. The goal differs per group, and that goal determines the rest: which items fit in your mix, how big the run per style becomes and which technique your artwork deserves.
- Artists, bands and labels: tour and release merch that your audience buys rather than gets.
- Companies and scale-ups: team clothing and corporate gifts that don't feel like a promotional item. If it's clothing for every working day, custom workwear or corporate uniforms are a better fit.
- Events and conferences: crew clothing, visitor merch and giveaways for one specific date.
- Clubs, associations and charities: items that members wear and that make your cause visible. If your team plays sport in it, read more about custom sportswear.
- Webshops and communities: drops in a limited run, which you close afterwards.
How many pieces of merchandise should you have made?
The run size determines more than your invoice: it steers the technique, the production country and the planning. These are the four situations we see most often.
10 to 50 pieces
Crew, test or first exploration
Crew clothing, a test drop or a first run to gauge your audience. With a minimum of 10 pieces per style, that's possible without leftover stock in your storeroom.
50 to 200 pieces
The first real drop
Enough for a good size split and a drop you can sell out. Combine two or three styles in one production to keep your process efficient.
200 to 1,000 pieces
Event, tour or webshop
Enough for several colourways side by side, and for techniques that aren't possible with small quantities, such as all-over print from 250 pieces.
1,000 pieces and more
Scale and complex branding
We place large runs with complex branding at the factory that is strongest at it; for this size we also coordinate production in China.
How does making merchandise work?
A merch project is manageable if you take the decisions in the right order. We arrange the process; you stay at the wheel at every point.
- 01
Merch plan
We set out the goal, your budget per piece and your sales channel.
- 02
Item mix and run size
Which styles and colours, how many pieces per style and a realistic size split.
- 03
Technique per design
For each artwork we choose technique and placement, and we check the files you supply.
- 04
Tech pack and sample
Everything goes into a tech pack with the production specifications; then you approve a physical sample.
- 05
Production
After your approval and payment, production starts, in at least 5 to 6 weeks.
- 06
Delivery and repeat
Delivery to your address. Your specs are kept, so a reprint comes out identical.
Frequently asked questions about custom merchandise
From how many pieces can I have merchandise made?
From 10 pieces per style per colour for T-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies and sweaters on our base style, in black, cream or white. You can combine styles within one production, so a first merch line of 10 hoodies and 10 tees is perfectly feasible. Embroidered caps on an existing style are possible from 150 pieces.
What is the difference between custom merch and print-on-demand?
With print-on-demand, an existing blank is printed per order. You have no stock, but also no say over fabric, fit, label or margin, and your item looks like everyone else's. With your own production you decide the product and keep more margin, in return for a preparation process and a minimum run.
How long does custom merchandise take?
Allow at least 5 to 6 weeks for the sample, usually with one or two correction rounds, and then at least 5 to 6 weeks of bulk production, each after payment, depending on style, country and run size. If you have a release date or event, plan well ahead: the planning is in your quote.
Can my own label go in the merch?
Yes. A printed neck label and your own care label are part of the process; a woven label is possible at an extra cost, your own hangtags from 500 pieces and packaging with your logo from 5,000. That makes it your brand's merchandise, and not a printed blank from a wholesaler.
What if I only have a logo and no design?
Then we start with that. We think along about placement, size and technique and translate your logo into a tech pack with all production specifications. You see the result on a sample before the bulk starts.
What does custom merchandise cost?
That depends on three things: the item, the fabric and weight, and the run per style. From 10 pieces a T-shirt costs €29.99 and a hoodie €39.99 per piece, with your print and a printed neck label, excluding VAT; embroidery costs €5 extra. A sample costs from €150, depending on the style. Tell us what you want to make, for whom and in what run size, and you get a quote with the price per item.
More about producing with MakeaLabel
Your logo. We make the merch.
Tell us what you want to make and for whom. We produce in Turkey, Italy, Portugal and China, most of it in our own workshop in Turkey.