Custom Printing & Personalised Products Policy

01. Scope of This Policy

This policy applies where T-Shirts South Africa supplies goods or services involving customer-specific requirements, including:

• Screen printing
• Digital printing
• DTF or transfer printing
• Embroidery
• Sublimation
• Names and numbers
• Custom logos
• Corporate branding
• Personalised apparel
• Special colour or garment requirements
• Garments sourced specifically for an order
• Products altered specifically for a customer

02. Special-Order & Personalised Goods

A customised or personalised product may constitute a special-order product where it is procured, created, altered, printed, embroidered or otherwise prepared specifically to satisfy a customer's requirements.

Examples include:

03. Order Specifications

Before production, customers must confirm the material specifications of the order.

These may include:

• Garment style
• Garment colour
• Fabric composition
• GSM where relevant
• Sizes
• Quantities
• Artwork
• Logo
• Print method
• Print colour
• Print dimensions
• Print position
• Embroidery position
• Names or numbers
• Special instructions

The confirmed quotation, artwork approval and related written instructions may collectively form the agreed specifications for the custom order.

04. Customer Responsibility

The customer is responsible for supplying accurate information required for the custom order.

Before approval, please check:

• Spelling
• Names
• Telephone numbers
• Website addresses
• Email addresses
• Dates
• Sizes
• Quantities
• Garment colours
• Print colours
• Logo versions
• Artwork orientation
• Print position

Any mistake identified before production should be communicated to us immediately.

05. Artwork Requirements

Customers should supply artwork of sufficient quality for the requested production method.

Depending on the printing process, suitable artwork may include:

• Vector artwork
• High-resolution raster artwork
• PDF
• AI
• EPS
• SVG
• High-resolution PNG
• Other formats approved by us

Low-resolution, compressed or poor-quality artwork may result in reduced print quality.

Where artwork requires rebuilding, redrawing, vectorisation or significant preparation, additional artwork charges may apply where agreed.

06. Customer-Supplied Intellectual Property

By supplying a logo, artwork, photograph, trade mark, character, design, slogan or other protected material, the customer confirms that they have the authority required to reproduce it.

T-Shirts South Africa may request proof of permission before reproducing third-party intellectual property.

For further information, please read our:

Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy

07. Artwork Proofs

Where applicable, T-Shirts South Africa may provide a digital proof, mock-up or artwork preview before production.

A proof is intended to assist the customer in checking:

• Artwork
• Logo placement
• Spelling
• Orientation
• Relative sizing
• Names
• Numbers
• General layout

08. Artwork Approval

Where artwork approval is required, production may begin after approval has been received and other applicable order requirements have been completed.

Approval may be given through an agreed recorded communication, such as:

• Email
• WhatsApp
• Written order confirmation
• Approved proof
• Another recorded method agreed between the parties

Once production begins, changes may require re-production, new materials or additional setup and may therefore result in additional costs.

09. Approval Does Not Remove Statutory Rights

For special-order goods, the CPA specifically recognises that a consumer examining delivered goods may assess whether they reasonably conform to the material specifications of the special order. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

10. Colour Representation

Screen colours and printed colours are produced differently. Therefore, an image viewed on a monitor, mobile phone or tablet may not exactly match the final physical product.

Colour variations may arise from:

• Screen calibration
• RGB versus print colour systems
• Ink characteristics
• Fabric colour
• Fabric composition
• Print method
• Lighting
• Dye batches

If exact corporate colour matching is important, customers should raise this before production so that appropriate specifications can be discussed.

11. Pantone & Colour Matching

Where Pantone or another colour specification is supplied, we will make reasonable efforts to reproduce the requested colour using the relevant production process where colour matching has formed part of the agreed order.

Exact matches may not always be technically possible across different fabrics, inks, threads, printing technologies and substrates.

12. Print Position & Alignment

Printing and embroidery are production processes performed on physical garments.

Minor differences in position, angle or alignment may occur within reasonable production tolerances, particularly because garments are flexible textile products rather than rigid surfaces.

A material departure from expressly agreed specifications will, however, be assessed in accordance with the order and applicable law.

13. Garment Variations

Garments may have reasonable manufacturing variations in:

• Measurements
• Fabric shade
• Dye batch
• Stitching
• Texture
• Fabric weight
• Construction

Where large orders are being placed and an exact garment characteristic is essential, customers should request confirmation or a sample before full production where reasonably possible.

14. Sizing

Customers are responsible for confirming required garment sizes before production begins.

Size labels are not universally standard across apparel manufacturers.

15. Samples

Where appropriate and available, customers placing significant or technically sensitive orders may request samples before production.

Samples may be chargeable and remain subject to stock availability.

Where a sample has been formally approved, it may serve as a useful reference for production, subject to reasonable manufacturing tolerances.

16. Production Process

A custom order may pass through several stages.

17. Production Time

Production times may vary according to:

• Order quantity
• Stock availability
• Artwork readiness
• Printing method
• Embroidery requirements
• Production capacity
• Supplier availability
• Approval time

A production period generally begins only once all agreed requirements necessary to start production have been completed.

Where a particular completion date is essential, customers should obtain written confirmation before placing the order.

18. Rush Orders

Rush production is subject to availability and must be agreed before an order is confirmed.

Additional charges may apply where an expedited production service has been specifically requested and agreed.

Customers should not assume that an urgent deadline is accepted unless T-Shirts South Africa has expressly confirmed it.

19. Changes After Approval

Once artwork, quantities or other production details have been approved, requested changes may result in:

• New artwork charges
• New setup charges
• Replacement garments
• Reprinting costs
• Additional production time

Where production has already progressed too far, a requested change may no longer be possible.

20. Cancellation Before Production

Customers wishing to cancel a custom order should notify us as soon as possible.

The position will depend on the stage reached and applicable law. Costs may already have been incurred for:

• Specially ordered garments
• Artwork preparation
• Digitisation
• Screen preparation
• Print setup
• Embroidery setup
• Materials
• Production labour

Any cancellation charge will be dealt with in accordance with applicable South African law.

21. Cancellation of Special-Order Goods

The CPA's general advance-order cancellation provision contains specific treatment for special-order goods. Section 17 defines special-order goods as goods that a supplier is required or expected to procure, create or alter specifically to satisfy the consumer's requirements. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Customers should therefore not assume that a personalised order can be cancelled on the same basis as an ordinary, unaltered stock item after custom production has commenced.

Any applicable statutory right will nevertheless remain available.

22. Change-of-Mind Returns

Because personalised or customised goods are prepared specifically for a particular customer, they generally cannot simply be placed back into ordinary stock.

Accordingly, a customer should not assume that a customised item can be returned merely because:

• The customer changed their mind
• The event was cancelled
• The customer ordered the wrong size
• The customer supplied incorrect spelling
• The customer approved incorrect artwork
• The customer no longer requires the products

23. Defective Goods

Customisation does not remove the statutory quality protections that apply where the Consumer Protection Act covers the transaction.

The CPA provides consumers with an implied warranty of quality, and government consumer guidance confirms that qualifying defective goods may be returned within six months with statutory remedies available. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Where a customer believes customised goods are defective, please contact us promptly.

24. Incorrectly Produced Orders

If T-Shirts South Africa produces an order materially differently from the approved and agreed specifications, please notify us so that the matter can be investigated.

Examples may include:

• Incorrect wording caused during our production process
• Incorrect print position materially different from the approval
• Wrong garments supplied
• Wrong sizes supplied compared with the confirmed order
• Incorrect quantity
• Incorrect artwork used by us

The appropriate remedy will depend on the circumstances and applicable law.

25. Customer Approval Errors

Where a product accurately reproduces artwork or information expressly approved by the customer, the existence of an error in the approved material does not automatically mean that the product is defective.

Examples may include:

• Incorrect spelling approved by the customer
• Incorrect telephone number supplied and approved
• Wrong name supplied by the customer
• Wrong size ordered by the customer
• Incorrect date approved in the artwork

We will nevertheless consider the circumstances fairly and subject to applicable consumer law.

26. Reporting a Problem

If you believe there is a problem with a custom order, please provide:

• Your name or company name
• Invoice or quotation number
• Order reference
• Description of the issue
• Quantity affected
• Clear photographs where appropriate
• Copy of the approved artwork where relevant

Please retain the affected products while the matter is being investigated unless otherwise instructed.

27. Inspection

We may reasonably request an opportunity to inspect allegedly defective or incorrectly produced goods before determining the appropriate response.

Inspection is intended to establish:

• The nature of the alleged defect
• The number of affected garments
• Whether the goods conform to the approved specification
• Whether damage occurred after collection
• Which statutory or contractual remedy applies

28. Care Instructions

Printed and embroidered garments should be handled according to the applicable garment and decoration care instructions.

Depending on the garment and production technique, customers may be advised to:

• Wash garments inside out
• Use appropriate wash temperatures
• Avoid inappropriate bleaching
• Avoid ironing directly over certain printed designs
• Follow garment label instructions

Incorrect laundering or misuse can damage both garments and decoration.

29. Customer-Supplied Garments

Where T-Shirts South Africa agrees to print or embroider garments supplied by the customer, the arrangement may carry additional risk because replacement stock may not be available to us.

Any such arrangement should be agreed before production.

Nothing in this clause excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

30. Printing on Customer-Supplied Garments

Certain fabrics, coatings, dyes or garment treatments can react differently to printing or heat processes.

Where customer-supplied garments are accepted, we may recommend testing where technically appropriate.

Customers should disclose any known unusual fabric characteristics before production.

31. Overruns & Underruns

Where the nature of a particular mass-production process creates a reasonable possibility of production tolerances in quantity, any allowable tolerance must be agreed with the customer before it is relied upon.

Unless otherwise agreed, the confirmed order quantity remains the required quantity.

32. Collection

Completed orders may be collected from:

Customers should ensure that the person or courier collecting an order has the relevant collection details or reference.

33. Customer-Arranged Couriers

T-Shirts South Africa does not provide a standard delivery service unless expressly agreed for a particular order.

Customers may arrange their own courier to collect completed goods.

Where the customer appoints their own courier, the courier's transportation terms may apply from the point legally applicable to that arrangement, subject always to rights and responsibilities that cannot lawfully be excluded.

34. Electronic Orders & Communications

Orders, artwork approvals and other communications may take place electronically.

South Africa's Electronic Communications and Transactions Act provides the framework for electronic communications and transactions. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Customers should therefore retain relevant quotations, approvals, emails and electronic communications concerning their order.

35. Consumer Protection

Nothing in this policy is intended to waive or restrict a right that cannot lawfully be waived under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.

The CPA aims, among other things, to establish consumer-protection standards, improve consumer information and prohibit certain unfair business practices. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Where this policy conflicts with a mandatory statutory consumer right, the applicable statutory right will prevail.

36. Complaints & Disputes

Customers who believe an order has not been produced in accordance with the agreed specifications should contact us first so that the matter can be investigated.

Nothing in this policy prevents a consumer from using a regulator, ombud, tribunal or court where South African law gives them the right to do so.

37. Related Policies

This policy should be read together with:

• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy
• Website Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability
• POPIA Data Subject Request / Access Policy

38. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes to:

• Our products
• Our production processes
• Printing technologies
• Customer service procedures
• Applicable legislation
• Regulatory guidance

The latest version will be published on this website together with its revision date.

39. Contact T-Shirts South Africa

If you have questions concerning artwork, printing, personalisation, production, sizing or a custom order, contact: