Home / Buyer’s guide
Bangalore · Made to order · Est. 2023
Custom college merch: what to know before you order
Written for the person who got volunteered. Fabric weights, which decoration method suits which artwork, what actually takes time, and the questions worth asking before you pay anyone an advance.
The spec
What you are ordering
| T-shirt, everyday | 180-190 GSM cotton or bio-wash cotton |
|---|---|
| T-shirt, premium | 200-220 GSM combed cotton, holds print better |
| Sweatshirt | 280-320 GSM fleece |
| Hoodie | 320-400 GSM fleece — below 300 it goes limp after a wash |
| Varsity jacket | Satin shell, or melton wool blend with ribbed trim |
| Jersey | 130-160 GSM polyester interlock or micro-mesh |
GSM is the number that decides whether it survives
GSM is grams per square metre — how much fabric is actually there. It is the one spec that separates a garment people keep from one that goes thin after three washes, and it is the one most quotes leave out. If a quote does not state GSM, ask. A 180 GSM tee and a 140 GSM tee look identical in a photograph and do not feel remotely alike.
Choosing the decoration method
Screen print is cheapest per piece on large runs with few colours, and it outlasts everything else — but each colour is a separate screen, so a full-colour photo is the wrong job for it. DTF transfer handles unlimited colours and small runs, with a slight film feel on the print. Embroidery is for crests, small text and anything that should look formal; it does not do gradients. Chenille is the raised felt letter on a varsity jacket — stitched on, and the reason those jackets read as varsity at all. Most batch orders end up using two of these on the same garment.
Where the price actually comes from
Four things move the number, in this order: garment quality (GSM and fabric), quantity, number of decoration positions, and number of print colours. Quantity matters less than people expect and garment quality matters more. Dropping from 200 GSM to 160 GSM to save money is the cut you will regret, because it is the only one everybody feels.
The real timeline
Production is two to seven days. That is not the timeline. Collecting sizes from sixty people takes longer than making sixty jackets, and agreeing on a design across a whole batch takes longer than both. Work backwards from your date: six to eight weeks is comfortable, three weeks is tight but possible, one week means paying for speed and accepting whatever garment options happen to be available.
Sizing, which is where batch orders go wrong
Nothing is stocked — every piece is cut to the size that person submitted, so a wrong size cannot be swapped afterwards. The fix is procedural, not technical: publish a size chart in inches, have each member fill their own size into a form themselves, and never let one coordinator guess on anyone's behalf. If a supplier expects you to hand over a spreadsheet you built yourself, that is a supplier who has not run many batch orders.
Questions worth asking any supplier
What is the GSM? Is the garment manufactured, or is a stock blank being printed? Do I see a mockup before paying anything? What is the minimum? How are sizes collected? What happens if a piece comes out wrong? A supplier who answers all six quickly and specifically is a supplier who makes the garment. One who deflects on GSM and minimums is reselling, and you are paying a margin for the introduction.
Manufactured versus printed blanks
Most custom merch in India is a printed blank: someone buys a stock garment wholesale and adds your artwork. It works, it is fast, and it is why minimums of fifty exist — the blanks arrive in cartons. Manufacturing to order means the garment itself is cut and stitched for your run, so colour, trim and fit are yours to specify, and a batch of ten is a normal job rather than an exception. Varsity Squad works the second way, which is the whole reason there is no minimum here.
How it runs
Five steps, no surprises
- Brief
Send the garment, the rough count, your artwork or idea, and the date you need it by.
- Mockup
A digital mockup comes back within 24 to 48 hours. No money involved yet.
- Advance
Once you approve the design, an advance books the production slot.
- Production
Two to seven days, depending on garment and decoration.
- Delivery
Delivered in Bangalore, couriered anywhere in India.
Asked a lot
Buyer’s guide questions
What GSM should a college hoodie be?
320 to 400 GSM fleece. Below 300 GSM a hoodie feels thin and loses its shape after a few washes, which is the most common complaint on cheap batch orders.
Screen print or DTF for a batch order?
Screen print if the run is large and the artwork has few flat colours — cheaper per piece and it lasts longer. DTF if the artwork is full-colour or photographic, or the run is small.
How far in advance should a batch order merch?
Six to eight weeks before the date. Production is only two to seven days; the rest is agreeing a design and collecting sizes from everyone.
Is there a minimum order for custom merch in Bangalore?
It depends on whether the supplier manufactures or prints stock blanks. Printers usually need fifty or more because blanks arrive in cartons. Varsity Squad manufactures to order, so there is no minimum.
How do you avoid wrong sizes on a batch order?
Publish a size chart in inches and have every member submit their own size on a form. Made-to-order pieces cannot be exchanged from stock, so sizing has to be right the first time.
What should a quote include?
Garment type and GSM, decoration method per position, quantity, price per piece, lead time from approval, and delivery. If GSM is missing, the quote is not comparable to any other quote.
No minimum · free mockup
Send the brief. The mockup costs nothing.
Garment, rough count, your artwork or idea, and the date you need it by. A mockup comes back within 24 to 48 hours and no money moves until you have approved it.