I agree with Kellyraek. We get our shirts from EPI and they are amazing. Our rep is incredible - we are located in Houston. They run a special every year for a white shirt with 2 color imprint for $2.99 (60 shirt minimum - mixed sizes - but that's easy to do with a large school and staff).
We did a new shirt design last year where I gave each teacher an envelope with enough blank index cards for each student. I asked them to have their students draw themselves with a black sharpie marker and write their name next to it. I took all the classes and scanned each picture into my computer by grade level. Then I created a shirt design with each grade with a heading across the top - Pine Shadows 1st Grade, Pine Shadows 2nd grade, etc. We had the teachers all draw themselves as well and they were included at the top of the shirt. Anyway...kind of hard to describe - but what we ended up with was each grade had their own shirt design with all the kids from that grade on it. As you can imagine - this was a huge hit. We sold more shirts than ever before. We sold them for $10 and made $7 profit on each shirt. Our profit was over $2,800. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. Our principal hopes to make it a tradition every year.
The product we recieved was high quality (we ordered one style of t-shirt and two styles of sweatshirts), the people were great to work with, and we can't beat the price in our area (it's currently $3.27 for a t-shirt! That's cheaper than a greeting card!!!)
I agree with what JHB posted. You should check out all your local sources to find the best deal. Normally they are cheaper anyway. Plus when you go with a local printer you do not need to pay for shipping. The local person who does our shirts delivers them to the school for us when they are ready.
There are tons of online vendors for this, but I'd really encourage you to consider local sources first. Most PTOs hope for a lot of community support, so I personally think PTOs should purchase locally when possible.
Look in your yellow pages under the following categories: T-Shirts, Speciality Advertising, Promotional Supplies, Screen printing. Once your find the right area, you'll probably see several vendors.
If possible, get word-of-mouth referrals. Practically any organization you can think of (sports teams, church, fundraising groups, schools, etc.) buy T-shirts. It's nice to get a personal opinion of quality/pricing/customer service.
Once you choose a supplier (or a few if you are asking for bids), you'll want to pay special attention to setup charges, timelines/deadlines, quality of the shirt, minimum quantities. Your supplier can usually help you with the design and artwork, but be clear on what is included and what's extra.
Can any of you give me suggestions on wear to look for school shirts? My local wants $8 each and I know I can find them cheaper. Any suggestions appreciated.
