Custom Family Reunion Shirts in Nevada
The hard part of a reunion order is never the design. It is the sizes. Forty relatives, eleven different sizes, three people who have not replied, and one aunt who will change her mind at the campsite.
We print reunion shirts in Yerington, Nevada, and we have seen every version of this. Below is how to run the order so it arrives right, plus what actually drives the price.
Running the size collection
- Collect sizes in writing, once, with a deadline. A shared spreadsheet or a simple form beats a group chat, because a group chat produces forty messages and no list.
- Ask for size, not for a guess at their size. ‘Same as the shirt you wore last year’ is not a size. Post the blank's size chart — we will send it — and have people pick from it.
- Order spares in the middle sizes. Five to ten percent overage in L and XL costs little and covers the late reply, the miscount and the cousin who turns up unannounced.
- Youth and adult are different garments. Youth sizes stop around a youth XL, which is smaller than an adult S. For a wide age range you are ordering two styles that happen to share a design.
- Extended sizes cost more. 2XL and up carry an upcharge from the mill, on every brand. It is not a decorator markup and it is normal to pass it through.
One design across a full family range is entirely normal for us. Toddler 2T through adult 5XL in the same order is a Tuesday. Browse youth and toddler blanks if you want to pick the small sizes yourself.
Design decisions that matter
One colour goes a long way
Screen printing is priced per colour per location. A one-colour design — family name, year, a simple graphic — on coloured shirts looks intentional and costs meaningfully less than a four-colour design. If the budget is tight, spend it on a better blank rather than on extra ink colours.
Same shirt colour, or a spectrum?
Two popular approaches. One shirt colour for everyone photographs as a block and looks deliberate. Alternatively, one shirt colour per household or per branch of the family — the design stays identical, only the garment colour changes — which costs the same to print and makes the group photo far more interesting. The second option is more fun and no more expensive. Tell us if you want it.
Names and numbers
Adding a first name to each shirt is per-piece work, so it changes the pricing structure. Common arrangements: first names on the back, a branch or household name, or a year on a sleeve. Send us the name list as a spreadsheet and we will proof it back for you to check spelling before printing.
Printing on dark shirts
A light design on a dark shirt needs an underbase — a white layer printed first so the colours stay bright instead of going muddy. That is an extra screen and it is normal. Anyone quoting a light design on black without it is either very good or about to disappoint you.
Screen print or DTF
Screen printing is the best cost per shirt once you are past 48 pieces per design, and the most durable finish. If your reunion is over about fifty people, this is the answer.
DTF transfers have no minimum, handle full colour and photographs, and have no per-colour cost. For a reunion of twenty, or for a design with a family photograph or a watercolour crest, DTF is usually both cheaper and better.
If you are somewhere in the middle we will quote both and show you the crossover point rather than pushing you into the process that suits us.
The timeline
Standard turnaround is about 28 days (four weeks) from an approved proof. Add the proof round trip, and add time for collecting sizes, which always takes longer than anyone expects. Five to six weeks before the reunion is comfortable. Two weeks is a rush and may not be possible in the blank you want.
Summer is our busiest season for exactly this kind of order, and it is also when popular blank colours go out of stock at the distributors. Earlier is genuinely better, not a sales line.
Minimums and pricing
Screen printing has no hard minimum, but we recommend 48+ pieces per design. Embroidery, DTF transfers and laser engraving have no minimum at all. Standard turnaround is about 28 days (four weeks) from an approved proof. Rush is available when blanks are in stock and artwork is print-ready, and it is quoted per job.
What drives the number: the blank you choose, the number of ink colours and print locations, whether dark shirts need an underbase, extended-size upcharges, and any per-piece names. Tell us your headcount and a budget per shirt and we will build something that fits rather than quoting one option and hoping.
Get a quote on this style
Every order here is decorated in our Yerington shop. Need blanks only? Many styles are also sold on their own in our store. Tell us about the project and we will come back with firm pricing, usually within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
How many shirts do we need to order?
Screen printing has no hard minimum, but we recommend 48+ pieces per design. Below that, DTF transfers have no minimum and are usually the better economics anyway. There is no upper limit — we run production orders in the hundreds regularly.
Can you do toddler through adult sizes in the same order?
Yes, and it is very common. Toddler, youth and adult are different garments that share a design, so we match the blank family across the range so the colours line up. Youth XL is smaller than adult S, which is the usual source of confusion when collecting sizes.
Can every family have a different shirt colour?
Yes, and it costs the same to print. One design, different garment colours per household or branch. It makes a far better group photo than a single colour and it does not change the print price at all.
Can you put names on the shirts?
Yes. Names are per-piece work, so mention it at quote time because it changes the pricing structure. Send the list as a spreadsheet and we will proof it back for spelling approval before anything is printed.
How far in advance should we order?
Five to six weeks before the reunion is comfortable: about 28 days (four weeks) of production from proof approval, plus the proof round trip, plus however long it takes to collect sizes. Summer is peak season and popular blank colours run out at the distributors, so earlier is genuinely better.
Why do 2XL and larger cost more?
Because the garment mills charge more for extended sizes, on every brand. It is passed through rather than added on. We will show it as a line on the quote so you can see exactly what it is.
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