T-Shirts, T Shirts or Tees are all available at Stitchy Lizard

A T-shirt (or t shirt, or tee) is a style of unisex fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. It normally has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a crew-neck which lacks a collar. T-shirts are generally made of a light fabric and are easy to wash. Typically made of cotton in a jersey knit it has a distinctively pliable texture compared to shirts made of woven cloth. Most modern versions have a body made from a continuously woven tube such that the torso has no side seams.

The T-shirt evolved from undergarment used in the 19th century and, in the mid-20th century, transitioned from undergarment to general-use casual clothing. 

A V-neck T-shirt has a V-shaped neck-line as opposed to the round neckline of the more common crew neck shirt. V-necks were introduced so that the neckline of the shirt does not show when worn beneath an outer shirt, as would that of a crew neck shirt.

The classic white tee remains the most simple, yet essential and staple piece of clothing in fashion history. It is a basic, plain white cotton jersey crew-neck, featuring short sleeves. Over time, the basic white tee is being adopted by fashion designers, celebrities and the public in general.

In the early 1950's, several companies started to decorate T-shirts with different resort names and various characters. Today Stitchy Lizard can decorate T-shirts with your own logo.

In the 1960's, the Ringer T-Shirt appeared and became a staple fashion for youth and rock-n-rollers. The decade also saw the emergence of tie dying and screen printing on the basic T-shirt and the T-shirt became a medium for wearable art, commercial and promotional advertising, souvenir messages, and protest art messages.

Screen Printing on T-Shirts

The most common form of commercial T-shirt decoration is screen-printing. In screen-printing, a design is separated into individual colours. Inks are applied to the shirt through mesh screens which limits the areas where ink is deposited. In most commercial T-shirt printing, the specific colours in the design are used. To achieve a wider colour spectrum with a limited number of colours, process printing or simulated process is effective. Process printing is best suited for light coloured shirts. Simulated process is best suited for dark coloured shirts.

Screen Printing Inks used on T-Shirts

In 1959, the invention of plastisol provided an ink more durable and stretchable than water-based ink, allowing much more variety in T-shirt designs. Very few companies continue to use water-based inks on their shirts. The majority of companies that create shirts prefer plastisol due to the ability to print on varying colours without the need for colour adjustment at the art level.

Heat Tranfers decorating option for T-Shirts

Another form of T-shirt decoration is heat transfer vinyls. These allow people to make short runs of printed shirts using plotter cut vinyl that they can then heat press onto the garment. They are made in a multitude of colors, patterns, and styles.  Both screen printing and heat transfers are used at Stitchy Lizard to provide you with the best quality custom t-shirts.

Stitchy Lizard has been screen printing T-Shirts for over 15 years. Stitchy Lizard is a Canadian Company located in Toronto, Ontario.