Custom Work Shirts, Trade by Trade
Custom work shirts by trade: choose the garment by what the job does to it, stain-hiding colors, print placement, one-at-a-time reorders. No minimum.
Shirts for Auto Repair Shops
Shirts for Construction and Trade Crews
Staff Shirts for Daycares and Preschools
Food Truck Shirts Built Around the Service Window
Shirts for Gyms, Studios, and Personal Trainers
Work Shirts for HVAC, Plumbing, and In-Home Service Techs
Shirts for Landscaping and Lawn Crews
Shirts for Pet Groomers and Dog DaycaresWhat ruins a work shirt tells you which one to order. Fryer oil and tomato take out a white tee by week three. Bleach strips color out of a salon shirt for good. Grease never really leaves an auto shop shirt. Dog hair shows on everything except the one color that hides it. And a technician at a stranger's front door needs the shirt to say who sent him before he says a word.
That is the decision most shops are actually making, so this page starts there and then points to a guide for each trade.
Choose the garment by what the job does to it
General guidance, by the hazard that wears a shirt out first:
- Heat. Kitchens, food trucks, roofs and summer job sites. The Performance Tee is 100% polyester and moisture-wicking, so it dries fast instead of hanging wet.
- Grease and oil. Shops, kitchens, equipment yards. Pick a dark shirt and accept that grease is permanent; the color's job is to hide it, not survive it. See the color section below.
- Bleach and chemicals. Salons, cleaning crews, pool service, groomers. A bleach drop takes the dye out of a dark cotton shirt and leaves a pale spot that never comes back. Dark shirts hide everything except bleach; light shirts hide bleach but show everything else. Many salons choose Black and keep a spare at the station.
- Outdoor sun. Landscaping, construction, events. The Adult Long Sleeve covers the arms and prints the largest front and back area in the range, 15 x 17 inches, so the company name reads from the road. It runs small; size up.
- Being seen. Retail floors, gyms, events, daycare pickup. Here the color matters more than the fabric: a bright shirt and a big back print let a customer find staff from across the room.
None of these garments is flame resistant or safety rated. Where a job requires protective clothing, wear what the regulations call for and treat our shirt as the layer under it.
Colors that hide the work
| Job hazard | Usually works | Usually shows |
|---|---|---|
| Grease, oil, engine grime | Black, Navy, Maroon | White, Sport Gray, Gold |
| Food, sauce, coffee | Black, Navy, Maroon, Forest Green | White, Sport Gray |
| Dirt, mud, grass | Forest Green, Navy, Black, Maroon | White, Gold |
| Pet hair (light fur) | Sport Gray, White | Black, Navy |
| Pet hair (dark fur) | Black, Navy | White |
| Bleach spots | White, Sport Gray | Black, Navy, Royal, Red |
| Sweat marks | Black, Navy, White | Sport Gray |
The Adult Tee comes in Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White, Sport Gray, Forest Green, Gold, Maroon, Purple, Orange, Carolina Blue and Kelly Green. The Performance Tee adds Silver and Iron Gray. The polo is in Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White and Athletic Heather. The color guide shows the full palette.
Front of house and crew: one design, different garments
Most businesses have two kinds of staff: people customers talk to, and people doing the physical work. They can share one design on different garments.
| Role | Garment | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Owner, manager, sales, front desk | Adult Polo, $25.63 | a collar reads as "in charge"; logo on the left chest |
| Servers, counter, retail floor | Adult Tee at $14.38, or Women's Tee at $19.99 | cheap enough to give two or three per person |
| Kitchen, shop floor, field crew | Adult Tee, or Performance Tee at $30.99 | the tee you don't mind ruining, or the one that dries |
| Outdoor crew, cool mornings | Adult Long Sleeve, $22.99 | sun and wind coverage, biggest print area |
| Winter, early shifts, the walk-in | Adult Hoodie at $37.99, or Adult Crewneck at $34.99 | warmth over the work shirt |
The Women's Tee is semi-fitted with cap sleeves, sizes S-2XL. Offer it beside the Adult Tee and let staff pick.
Print placement: left chest and a big back
The layout most trades settle on:
- Front, left chest: the logo, small. On the polo it prints up to 3.9 x 3.9 inches.
- Back, large: the business name, the phone number and the website, sized to read from a parking lot or across a dining room. The Adult Tee back prints up to 13.2 x 16.4 inches.
A truck parked outside, a crew on a ladder, a server walking away from a table: most people see the back of a work shirt. Put the thing you want them to remember there, and keep it to three lines.
Every price includes one printed surface. The back beside a printed front is an extra surface: the Adult Tee, Long Sleeve and Hoodie add $8.99; the polo and the Women's Tee add $9.99; the Performance Tee adds $10.99. A sleeve print (an Adult Tee sleeve is 3.2 x 3.2 inches) is another surface.
Staff names: a name under a left-chest logo shares the printed front, and the lettering itself is free from a pasted list (free names and numbers).
New hires and turnover: order one shirt at a time
A restaurant or a landscaping crew rarely needs twenty shirts at once. It needs one, the week someone starts. There is no minimum, so a single shirt is a real order at that garment's one-piece price, and it prints from the same saved design as the first batch. Shipping is free to any US address.
- Keep two spares in the most common sizes, so a new hire can start in uniform on day one while their own shirts are printing.
- Give two or three per person. One on, one in the wash, one in the car.
- Ordering again? Returning customers can use REORDER10, and first orders WELCOME10. One code per order, codes do not apply to polos, and a code does not stack with a bulk price; the order gets whichever takes more off.
- Bigger restocks reach bulk prices automatically, counted on each item's own pieces across colors and sizes.
- Several locations can come from one order shipped to up to 10 addresses (ship to multiple addresses).
For a new-hire bundle with a mug or a tote, see new hire welcome kit ideas.
Budget per employee
A starter set for one person, from catalog prices, one printed surface each:
| Set | Per person, US dollars |
|---|---|
| Three Adult Tees | 43.14 |
| Two Adult Polos | 51.26 |
| Two Performance Tees | 61.98 |
| One Adult Hoodie | 37.99 |
Add $8.99 to $10.99 per piece for a back print, depending on the product. Bulk prices lower these once an order reaches each item's tier: the Adult Tee is $10.90 from 12, the polo $23.31 from 12, the Performance Tee $18.77 from 12 and the hoodie $25.64 from 12. The cost guide works through more examples.
Quotes, POs and invoices
A bookkeeper or a general contractor's office can download a quote PDF from the cart, good for 30 days, add a PO number and pay by invoice. Details are on quotes and purchase orders.
Branded goods for the shop
The same logo works beyond the uniform:
- Hats: the Dad Hat at $18.79, the Foam Trucker at $18.94 and the Surf Cap at $23.59, printed on the front. Hats don't take per-item names.
- Mugs: the Ceramic Mug at $11.30 (11 oz) or $13.30 (15 oz), with each employee's name under the design free (custom mugs with names).
- Tumblers: the 20 oz Steel Tumbler at $30.21, UV printed, with a free name per tumbler. Keep the logo toward the front, since the print does not wrap all the way around.
- Totes: the canvas tote at $13.33 for customers and trade shows.
Find the guide for your trade
Food and drink
- Custom Restaurant & Kitchen Staff Shirts - Front of house reads at twelve feet; the line wears what survives.
- Custom Brewery & Taproom Shirts, No Minimum - The rare staff shirt customers also want to buy.
- Custom Food Truck Crew Shirts, No Minimum - Two or three people in a hot box, and a shirt doing the work of signage.
Personal service
- Custom Salon & Barbershop Shirts - Read at arm's length, and threatened daily by lightener.
- Custom Gym, Studio & Trainer Shirts - Findable on a busy floor by a member who needs help.
- Custom Shirts for Pet Groomers & Dog Daycares - Fur, water, and colors that hide both.
- Custom Daycare & Preschool Staff Shirts - Paint and glue daily, and parents identifying staff at pickup.
Trades and service calls
- Custom HVAC, Plumbing & Service Tech Shirts - The shirt is the credential at a stranger's front door.
- Custom Shirts for Construction & Trade Crews - Telling your crew apart from three other subcontractors on site.
- Custom Landscaping & Lawn Crew Shirts - All-day sun, and a crew that grows in spring and shrinks in fall.
- Custom Auto Repair Shop Shirts & Polos - Grease decides your color palette for you.
Client-facing offices
- Real Estate Agent Polos & Open House Shirts - Obviously the agent among strangers touring a house.
For the general version of all this, see staff uniforms for small businesses; for one-off event apparel, see conference and trade show shirts. Finished designs to start from are in work crew ideas and small business ideas.
How to order with Remi
Open the designer and describe the shirt in plain English: "our logo small on the left chest, and on the back 'Ridgeline Heating & Air' with the phone number and website, white ink on a Navy tee." Or upload your logo as a PNG or SVG. Refine it by chat, see it on the tee, the polo and the hoodie in the colors you're considering, and pay at checkout. Designing is free and needs no card. Printing takes up to 10 business days after checkout, plus transit, and the cart shows expected arrival dates before you pay.
Questions about work shirts
Do you sell hi-vis or ANSI-rated safety shirts?
No. We don't stock ANSI-rated high-visibility safety apparel or flame-resistant clothing. Where hi-vis is required, our shirt is the one worn under the vest, not the vest.
Can I order one shirt for a new hire?
Yes. There is no minimum, and one shirt prints from the same design as your first order and ships free.
Do bigger sizes cost more?
No. Every size of a garment costs the same, S through 2XL.
Can we put each employee's name on their shirt?
Yes. The lettering is free from a pasted list. A name under the left-chest logo shares the front; a name on the back of a front-printed shirt is the extra-surface price.
Can I use a discount code on polos?
No. Codes do not apply to polos, and a code does not stack with a bulk price.
What if a shirt arrives misprinted?
Send a photo within 30 days of delivery for a reprint or refund. A size ordered wrong or a change of mind is not returnable.