Pressed for Time? How to Make Ordering Custom Apparel Easier

Sep 2

5 min read

If you’re running a sports club, managing a business, organising a school group or planning an event, chances are ordering apparel isn’t the only thing on your to-do list.

You might need uniforms for an entire team, printed workwear for new staff, branded polos for an event or promotional tees for a fundraiser.

Then come the sizes, colours, quantities, logos, artwork, decoration choices and deadlines.

Suddenly, what sounded like a simple job can take up far more time than expected.

The good news is that ordering custom apparel doesn’t need to be complicated. A little preparation and the right supplier can make the whole process much easier.

1. Know What You Need Before You Start

You don’t need to have every detail worked out, but having the basics ready will save time.

Before requesting a quote, try to know:

What type of garment you need
Approximate quantities
Required sizes
Preferred colours
Where you'd like your logo or design
Your budget, if you have one
The date you need everything by

If you're ordering for a team, club or workplace, collecting everyone's sizes before placing the final order can prevent a lot of back-and-forth later.

And if you're not sure which garment or decoration method is right for you, that's okay too. A good supplier should be able to help you narrow down the options.

2. Start With Your Deadline

This is a big one.

If you need your apparel for a specific date, particularly a tournament, event, season launch, school function or promotion, tell your supplier at the beginning.

Custom apparel isn't simply picked off a shelf and posted.

Depending on your order, garments may need to be sourced, artwork prepared, designs approved and then embroidery, DTF printing, vinyl or another decoration method completed.

Starting early gives everyone more options and reduces the pressure of a last-minute deadline.

3. Have Your Logo or Artwork Ready

If your apparel is being branded with an existing logo, sending the best-quality artwork you have at the beginning can help speed things up.

Vector artwork is generally ideal for many decoration methods, but don't panic if you don't know what that means.

Send through what you have.

Your supplier can tell you whether it's suitable or whether the artwork needs some attention before production.

What you want to avoid is searching through old emails for a logo two days before you need to approve your order!

Keeping your current logos and brand information together in one easy-to-find folder can save a surprising amount of time.

4. Don't Give Yourself Too Many Choices

There are thousands of garments available.

That's great until you're trying to choose between 27 different black polos that all look almost identical online.

Instead of spending hours scrolling through catalogues, tell your supplier what you actually need.

For example:

"I need a comfortable black polo for our staff. It needs to wash well, be available in men's and women's sizing and stay around this price point."

That's much easier to work with.

A supplier who understands their products should be able to narrow the range down and recommend a few suitable options.

Sometimes less choice makes for a much easier decision.

5. Get Your Sizes Right

Incorrect sizing can turn an otherwise straightforward order into a headache.

Don't assume everyone is a medium because they normally wear a medium.

Sizing can vary between brands and garment styles.

Use the relevant size chart, and for larger uniform orders, ask whether samples or sizing garments are available.

Taking a little extra time to get sizing right before ordering can save considerably more time afterwards.

6. Consolidate Orders Where You Can

For clubs, teams and workplaces, collecting everyone's requirements and placing one organised order is generally much easier than sending through changes and additions one person at a time.

Set a cut-off date for:

Sizes
Names
Numbers
Garment choices
Personalisation

Then submit the information together.

It makes checking the order easier for you and your supplier and reduces the chance of something being missed.

7. Check Your Artwork Approval Carefully

When you receive an artwork proof, don't just glance at it and hit approve.

Take a minute to check:

Spelling
Names
Numbers
Logo placement
Colours
Garment colour
Quantities

If you're ordering for a club or business, make sure the person approving the artwork actually has the authority to sign it off.

That two-minute check can prevent a much bigger problem later.

8. Make Repeat Orders Easy

If you regularly order uniforms or branded apparel, you shouldn't need to reinvent the wheel every time.

Once you've settled on garments and branding that work, keep them consistent.

At Pressed for Time, repeat customers benefit from having established decoration details and previous orders to refer back to, making future orders much simpler.

For businesses, this can be particularly useful when you need uniforms for a new staff member without replacing everyone's clothing.

The same applies to sporting clubs that need additional garments during the season.

9. Choose Apparel for the Job. Not Just the Photo

A garment might look fantastic online, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right for your team.

Think about how it's actually going to be used.

For sportswear, consider movement, breathability and durability.

For workwear, think about the working environment, comfort, visibility and how often garments will be washed.

For hospitality, ease of movement, presentation and washability can be particularly important.

For promotional apparel, budget and the purpose of the event may carry more weight.

Choosing the right garment the first time means you're less likely to be replacing it sooner than expected.

10. Work With Someone Who Can Handle the Whole Job

This is probably the biggest time saver of all.

Buying garments from one place, organising artwork somewhere else and then finding another business to decorate everything creates more work for you.

Where possible, choose a supplier who can help with the entire process.

At Pressed for Time, we supply apparel and embellish garments in-house.

That means you can talk to one person about your garments, branding and finished product rather than trying to coordinate several different suppliers.

And when you're already pressed for time, that's exactly the point.

Less Time Chasing Uniforms. More Time for Everything Else.

Ordering custom teamwear, workwear or promotional apparel doesn't need to take over your week.

The biggest time savers are actually pretty simple:

Be organised.

Know your deadline.

Get your sizes together.

Provide your artwork early.

Check your proofs.

And work with a supplier who can guide you through the process instead of leaving you to figure everything out yourself.

Because whether you're running a club, a business, a school group or an event, you've probably got better things to do than spend hours chasing uniforms.

Pressed for time? That's where we come in.

Talk to Pressed for Time about your next teamwear, workwear, hospitality or promotional apparel order, and we'll help make the process as straightforward as possible.