Through usage of a modernized technology, many familiar logos and phrases are worn on all our backs. From visiting concerts, to visiting Hell, to making political statements, T-shirts have grazed our backs since their debut by European soldiers in World War I. Not until after World War II were T-shirts considered acceptable to where standalone (not under another shirt) when such pioneers as John Wayne, Marlon Brando, and James Dean were famed to have worn them on nationally syndicated television. Since it’s debut, the T-shirt has gone through many different variations including tank tops, “wife beaters” muscle shirts, scoop neck shirts, and V-neck shirts. Throughout all this, transition from one style to the next, the concept of the T-shirt and the T-shirt printing process has remained the same.

The commonly used process for T-shirt printing has been silk-screening, although other processes have arisen with menial popularity and success. Processes such as airbrush, appliqué, embroidery, and ironing, have cropped up and still exist in specialized capacity. However for the mass production of T-shirts the process of silk screening still reigns supreme. Through the process of separating different pigments of ink into CMYK, and RGB, then forcing them through the silk screen onto a polyester T-shirt, the familiarized garment of choice is born. Through this process many company logos, popular slogans, humorous and/or ironic sayings, and designer logos have been flaunted for generations and continue to display on the backs of millions. As cost effective form of advertising, T-shirt printing brings together profitability and marketability for different aspects of business.

Combining desirable aspects of business, with the ability to mass produce logos and statements, pave a great road to success for many capitalistic minds. Averaged over the cost of production and the overall cost of marketing, T-shirt design and printing is a grandiose way of marketing any given product, name or logo, and gaining exposure to millions. The most reputable usage of such a marketing technique is applied to younger generations who spend their hard earned dollars on concert tickets and T-shirt memorabilia to commemorate the times they shared at any given event.

Such headlining events as Ozzfest, Live Aid, and other reputable national, and international tours, provide necessary, and even excess fund beyond that of ticket and concession sales. Although the marketability is strong with these types of events, the practical usages do not stop here. Any given business trying to gain product recognition for a new or existing product should highly consider T-shirt printing, sales, and even giveaways to increase the outward exposure to grow business. The application of T-shirt printing can even extend into home usage, with the development of iron-on T-shirt transfers to be printed from a home PC, even average “Joe consumer” can produce his or her own work to share with the world.

Clearly the applications for T-shirt printing are limitless, from a small home user who just wants to make a statement to the headliners on a given music tour, or corporations looking to gain exposure for marketing campaigns, everyone can get a piece of the proverbial T-shirt pie.

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