FAQ’s & T&C’s: Direct to Garment custom orders, Print-on-Demand and fulfilment.
What is DTG?
Direct to Garment printing (AKA DTG) is a method we use to print clothing which allows us to apply the design directly to the T-shirt rather than screen printing or using a transfer or cadcut vinyl.
DTG is a digital print method which means we can easily transfer your design from computer screen to garment and has great flexibility, we can print quantities as few as 1 garment which makes it ideal for POD & drop shipping.
Traditionally DTG printing utilises 5 colours, White / Black / Cyan / Magenta / Yellow, here at Ethical Tee Company we use an improved colour range of White / Black / Cyan / Magenta / Yellow / Red / Green, this means we can better match what you see on screen and print with a much wider gamut
What is drop shipping?
Drop shipping is where you receive customer’s orders, send them through to us, either automatically or manually, then we print, pack and post the order out to the customer.
For you this means you do not need to hold any stock, or deal with any couriers.
How does drop shipping work?
Step 1: A customer places an order
Step 2: You import this order into your account, through a range of methods either automatically or manually
Step 3: Our production staff print, pack and send the order
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE UP UNTIL THE PACKAGE LEAVES OUR WAREHOUSE, THE SERVICE WE SUPPLY IS ARRANGING THE SHIPMENT FOR YOU. WE WILL OF COURSE ASSIST YOU WITH ANY MISSING ITEMS OR DELAYED ITEMS BUT WE CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR DELAYED OR MISSING STOCK.
Which e-commerce platforms can you integrate with?
Currently, we can integrate with Shopify and Woo Commerce accounts and we are working on expanding this to other platforms.
If you do not have one of these stores not to worry, you will be able to use our app. to manually submit your orders onto our system.
Do you keep garments in stock?
Yes, we keep stock of a range of garments, but we can order a wider range for custom orders.
What garments can you print on?
As always at the heart of our business is using the most ethical apparel we can supply.
For Print-on-Demand / Drop shipping
See our POD catalogue via the app. (you can register, view catalogue via app, see menu)
Earth Positive is our highest recommended range.
100% Organic Cotton - Certified by GOTS
Climate Neutral - Certified by the Carbon Trust
Sweatshop Free - Audited by www.fairwear.org with a LEADER status
Stanley Stella have a great range of apparel.
100% Organic Cotton - Certified by GOTS
Sweatshop Free - Audited by www.fairwear.org with a GOOD status
For custom orders (10+ or more) We can print on a whole range of garments, from t-shirts to aprons but we are limited on which materials we can print on.
We suggest DTG printing only for garments with a organic cotton content above 70%.
Unbleached cotton (natural canvas) is not recommended due to staining.
Can you fulfil / drop ship pre-printed/supplied items?
Yes we can, along side having your POD items we can also stock and fulfil pre-printed items. For example Vinyl, CD’s, Art Prints, accessories. There will be storage charges for stock that is static.
What is the minimum order amount?
The minimum for custom orders is 10. If you are printing multiply designs (at least 2 designs) at the same time we can print as little as 5 units per design.
For fulfilment customers, we have no minimum orders
What is your turnaround time?
Our turnaround time is 3-4 working days (Monday – Friday) to dispatch.
Is there a subscription charge when you set up an account?
Nope! You will simply be charged for your orders, no extra costs are involved with your account.
How do I need to prepare my artwork?
DTG printing is all digital so we can print from a range of file types but to keep things simple we ask that you provide it in the following way:
300 DPI file (For a crisp print)
PNG with transparent background (If you turn the transparency off you will likely get a white box around the print)
Sized to print
For detailed information, please read through our artwork guidelines - see drop down menu.
What is the largest print size?
We have a maximum print area of 40cm x 50cm, however this is specific to garment. Some garments and sizes will not fit on our large pallet. If they have to go on the small pallet then the maximum artwork size is 27cm x 30cm.
What packaging do you use?
We use a 100% recycled and recyclable polythene bag. We have had a look at all the options and when we calculate the end user into the equation the closed loop option of a 100% recycled and recyclable polythene bag we feel is the most ethical option.
Which delivery services do you use?
For UK delivery we use Royal Mail, with 3 services available. You can choose from the below;
First Class
Tracked 48 Hr.
We also use DPD as a tracked courier option. This is for packages 1.5k and above.
For outside of the UK we have a tracked postal service available. We do not use an untracked service for outside the U.K.
We can use a courier service for heavier items, on request.
What do I do if my order has not arrived / not been delivered?
If you have used a tracked service then please email richard@ethicalteecompany.com for the tracking information.
If your order has been sent untracked, then please allow the 4 week Royal Mail timeline for the order to arrive before querying delivery. We will be able to check the address, or if it has been sent back to us, but we cannot claim for lost untracked orders.
Invoicing
If you are a fulfilment customer you will apply credit to your account via the app. or make a payment via the app. when submitting your orders to production. We will provide invoice paperwork once a month.
If you are a one-off custom you will receive an invoice and make a payment via bank transfer or PayPal.
Aside from DTG printing, which other services do you offer?
To help with your branding we can press in your own neck labels for an extra £1 per item. These need to be supplied, we can help with the production, MOQ 250 units.
We also have an in-house mug press, and currently stock ceramic and enamel mugs.
If you have your own mailing bags to use, that’s no problem, we’d be happy to use these to add to your customers shopping experience.
We can also add swing tags, stickers, flyer inserts.
We also have full screen printing, embroidery, bulk order fulfilment facilities and we can source a full range of eco accessories.
Returns
We do not except returns on behalf of our partner stores. You are the store front and any retiurns need to be returned to your address.
Any damaged or incorrect items please contact your account manager at Ethical Tee Company.