Print Locations Guide
Where can you print on custom apparel? Complete reference for chest, back, sleeve, hood, and pant locations across t-shirts, hoodies, polos, hats, and sweatpants — with standard size dimensions for every zone.
Where Can You Print on Custom Apparel?
This guide covers print location options for every type of garment we decorate — t-shirts, hoodies, polos, hats, and sweatpants. Each location has standard dimensions and constraints based on the garment's construction. Use this page to plan your design, choose where to place your logo, and understand which locations are standard versus non-standard.
If you're using our online Design Studio, the system automatically shows the printable area for each location — but this guide is helpful for planning before you start designing or for reference during phone and email orders.
How Print Locations Work
Each apparel item has a defined "boundary box" — a rectangular zone that marks the maximum area where we can print. This boundary varies by garment type, decoration method, and the specific zone (front, back, sleeve, etc.). Designs must fit inside this boundary for clean, properly placed printing.
Two types of locations
- Standard locations — included in your base price. These are the most common print zones (front chest, back, left chest, sleeve).
- Non-standard locations — areas like the hood, side seam, hip, or inner neck. These may have an additional fee due to extra setup or specialty handling.
T-Shirt Print Locations
T-shirts are the most common item we decorate, with multiple standard print zones on the front, back, and sleeves.
T-Shirt — Front
Printable zone
T-Shirt — Back
Printable zone
Front locations
Full Front Chest
Centered chest design covering most of the upper torso. The most popular t-shirt placement for bold designs and large logos.
Left Chest
Small logo over the wearer's left breast. The classic spot for company branding, monograms, and subtle marks.
Right Chest
Mirror of left chest position. Sometimes used alongside a left-chest logo or as the primary mark for left-handed wearers.
Upper Front Yoke
Wide horizontal band across the upper chest, just below the collar. Good for slogans, dates, or banner-style designs.
Back locations
Full Back
Large centered design covering most of the upper back. Common for team names, event details, or main artwork.
Upper Back Yoke
Horizontal band just below the back collar seam. Used for team names, brand names, or company identifiers.
Inner Neck Label
Small print or transfer inside the neckline, replacing the original tag. Common for resale brands and premium custom items.
Sleeve locations
Short Sleeve
Compact design on a short t-shirt sleeve. Often used for sponsorship marks, secondary logos, or numbering.
Long Sleeve
Vertical design running down a long-sleeve tee or sweatshirt. Great for repeating slogans, custom typography, or sponsor stripes.
Hoodie Print Locations
Hoodie locations are similar to t-shirts but with important construction differences. Pullover and zippered hoodies each have their own constraints.
Pullover Hoodie — Front
Printable zone
Zippered Hoodie — Front
Printable zone
- Pullover hoodies: The front kangaroo pocket prevents oversized chest designs from printing cleanly. Use a left-chest design or place artwork above the pocket area.
- Zippered hoodies: Cannot be printed across the front zipper. Designs must be on one side only or split as a left/right pair.
Standard hoodie locations
Left Chest
The most common hoodie placement. Works on both pullover and zippered styles.
Upper Chest (above pocket)
Horizontal band across the upper chest, above the pouch on pullovers. Good for slogans or names.
Full Back
Identical to t-shirt full back. Works on both pullover and zippered hoodies without limitations.
Upper Back Yoke
Horizontal band just below the back collar/hood seam.
Sleeve (full length)
Vertical design down the long sleeve. Common on hoodies for sponsor names or accent typography.
Non-standard hoodie locations (may have additional fee)
Hood
Small print or embroidery on the hood itself. Specialty placement — contact us for pricing.
Pocket Print
Print directly on the kangaroo pouch (pullover only). Limited size due to pocket construction.
Sweatpant Print Locations
Sweatpants and joggers offer multiple print zones, but seam placement limits what's printable. We can decorate any flat panel that doesn't cross a seam.
Sweatpants — Front
Printable zone
Sweatpants — Back
Printable zone
Hip / Front Pocket
Small logo over the front hip area. The most common sweatpant placement for branded gear.
Front Leg (vertical)
Vertical design running down the front of the leg. Works for slogans, vertical typography, or stripes.
Back Hip / Glute
Logo on the upper back of the pants. Used for team identifiers and brand placement.
Back Leg (vertical)
Vertical design running down the back of the leg. Often used for athletic team names or sponsor stripes.
Hat & Cap Print Locations
Hat decoration is most commonly done with embroidery, but we also use DTF transfers and heat transfer for full-color or detailed designs. The available zones depend on the hat style and its construction.
Hat — Front View
Printable zone
Hat — Side & Back
Printable zone
Common hat locations
Front Panel
The classic hat decoration spot — embroidered logos on the front of baseball caps, dad hats, and snapbacks. Most popular placement.
Side Panel
Smaller logo on the left or right side of the hat. Used for secondary marks or sponsor logos.
Back Panel
Small embroidery on the rear panel, usually above the closure strap or snapback. Often used for monograms or initials.
Brim / Visor
Decoration along the underside or top of the brim. Specialty placement — limited to certain hat styles.
Hat decoration methods
Most hats are decorated using one of these methods:
- Embroidery — most common; works on virtually all hat styles. Premium look, durable, classic.
- DTF transfers — for full-color graphics, photos, or designs that aren't practical for embroidery. Works on flat-front and most fabric hat styles.
- Heat transfer — used on flat-front hats and trucker styles. Allows full-color graphics.
See our Printing Methods guide for more details on which method works best for your hat order.
Polo Shirt Print Locations
Polos are typically decorated with subtle, professional placements — most commonly embroidery on the chest. The collar and button placket affect available zones on the front.
Polo — Front
Printable zone
Polo — Sleeve & Back Yoke
Printable zone
Left Chest
The classic polo placement — embroidered logo over the left breast. The most popular polo decoration spot.
Right Chest
Mirror of left chest. Sometimes used as the primary placement or alongside a left-chest logo.
Sleeve
Small embroidery or print on the polo sleeve. Used for secondary branding, sponsor logos, or numbering.
Back Yoke
Horizontal band on the upper back. Common for team names, company names, or event identifiers.
Standard Size Reference Table
Quick reference for standard print dimensions across all garment types:
| Location | Standard Size | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Full Front Chest | 12" × 14" | Bold designs, large logos, main artwork |
| Left Chest | 4" × 4" | Company branding, monograms, subtle logos |
| Right Chest | 4" × 4" | Mirror of left chest |
| Upper Front Yoke | 12" × 4" | Slogans, dates, banner designs |
| Full Back | 12" × 14" | Team names, event details, main artwork |
| Upper Back Yoke | 12" × 4" | Team names, company names |
| Inner Neck Label | 3" × 1" | Brand tag replacement |
| Short Sleeve | 4" × 3" | Sponsor marks, secondary logos |
| Long Sleeve | 4" × 14" | Vertical typography, stripes |
| Hat Front Panel | 3" × 2.25" | Embroidered logos, brand marks |
| Hat Side Panel | 2" × 2" | Secondary marks, sponsors |
| Sweatpant Hip | 4" × 4" | Branded gear logo |
| Sweatpant Leg (vertical) | 4" × 14" | Slogans, vertical typography |
These are maximum dimensions for the printable zone. Your actual artwork can be smaller — designs typically print best when they use 70–90% of the available area.
Non-Standard Print Locations
Beyond the standard zones, we can print on many specialty locations — though these may have an additional fee due to extra setup or specialty handling.
Common non-standard locations
- Hood (top, side, or back) — small print or embroidery on hoodie hoods
- Side seam panels — vertical print along the side of a t-shirt or hoodie
- Cuff print — small mark on the wrist cuff of long sleeves or hoodies
- Pocket print — directly on the kangaroo pouch of pullover hoodies
- Pant cuff — small print on the ankle cuff of sweatpants
- Lower back — print below the standard back zone, near the hem
- All-over print — full-coverage printing using sublimation (polyester only)
If you want to print on a location not covered above, contact us at (800) 735-4304 or print@rapidssp.com. We'll review your specific request and let you know what's feasible.
Method-Specific Considerations
Each decoration method has different limitations on where and how it can be applied:
Screen Printing
Works best on flat, accessible surfaces. Standard chest, back, and sleeve zones are ideal. Cannot print over seams, zippers, or pockets cleanly. Best for bulk orders of 15+ pieces.
DTG Printing
Direct-to-garment printing works on flat areas of cotton or cotton-blend garments. Best for chest, back, and sleeve placements. Print quality is limited on textured fabrics or seamed areas. No minimum order.
DTF Printing
Most flexible method — works on any fabric and most flat surfaces. Can be applied to small or unusual locations like cuffs, hoods, and pant legs. Slightly raised feel but durable. No minimum order.
Embroidery
Works on most surfaces but has size limitations due to thread density. Best for hats, polos, and small chest logos. Cannot do photographic detail or fine gradients. 6-piece minimum.
Sublimation
Used for all-over printing on polyester garments. Cannot be used on cotton or dark fabrics. Allows printing across the entire surface of a garment, including seams and curves.
For more details on each method, see our Printing Methods Compared guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the standard print size for the front of a t-shirt?
The standard front chest print on a t-shirt is up to 12 inches wide by 14 inches tall, centered on the chest. For a smaller, more subtle look, the left chest print is 4 inches by 4 inches, positioned over the left breast.
Most logos and designs fit comfortably within these standard zones.
Can I print on the sleeve of a t-shirt or hoodie?
Yes, sleeve printing is available on most t-shirts, long-sleeve tees, and hoodies. The standard sleeve print area is 4 inches wide by up to 14 inches tall (for long sleeves) or 4 inches by 3 inches (for short sleeves).
Sleeve printing may have an additional fee depending on your order; ask during quoting or at checkout.
Can I print over the kangaroo pocket on a hoodie?
No, we cannot print over the front kangaroo pocket on pullover hoodies because the seam and pocket layer prevent a clean, even print. This means oversized chest designs aren't possible on pullover hoodies.
You can print above the pocket (upper chest area) or use a left-chest design instead. Zippered hoodies have a different limitation: we cannot print over the front zipper.
What are non-standard print locations?
Non-standard locations include the hood, side seam, hip, pant leg, inner neck label, lower back, and other areas outside the typical chest/back/sleeve zones.
We can print on most non-standard locations, but they may have an additional fee due to extra setup or specialty equipment requirements. Contact us with your specific request and we'll let you know what's possible.
Do you charge extra for sleeve or hood printing?
Pricing varies by order size, decoration method, and specific location. Sleeve and hood printing may have an additional fee, but on bulk orders the per-piece cost is often minimal.
The Design Studio shows pricing in real time as you select print locations. For phone or quote orders, your agent will let you know if any locations carry a surcharge.
Can I print on hats and caps?
Yes. The most common hat decoration is embroidery on the front panel (3 inches wide by 2.25 inches tall standard), but we also offer side panel, back panel, and brim/visor embroidery.
For full-color graphics, photos, or designs that aren't practical for embroidery, we use DTF transfers or heat transfer on flat-front and trucker styles. Each hat style has specific zones based on its construction.
Where on a polo shirt should I put my logo?
The most common location is left chest (4 inches by 4 inches max), which is the traditional spot for branded polos. Other common polo locations include the right chest, sleeve, and back yoke (upper back, just below the collar seam).
Embroidery is the most popular decoration method for polos, though screen printing and DTG also work.
How do I know my design will fit?
When you use our online Design Studio, each product has a predefined boundary box highlighting the printable area. As you place your design, you'll see a blue rectangle indicating the maximum print zone.
Keeping your design inside this box ensures clean, properly placed printing. For phone or email orders, our team will confirm placement during the proofing process before production.
Ready to design your custom apparel?
Our online Design Studio shows the printable zone for every location in real time, with instant pricing as you build your order. Or get a quick quote — our team responds in 5–15 minutes during business hours.
Rapid Silk Screen Printing is a DBA of Yes We Print.
