The Print Bar in Australia: Everything you need to know

Printing your own custom designs on t-shirts, tote bags, small accessories and more is far easier today than it has been in the past. There are hundreds of contenders out there, both local and international. On top of this, with the rise of drop shipping, printing your own T-shirts can be not only creatively rewarding, but lucrative as well.

But with so many options for printing services, it can be hard to find a decent company with quality printers, garments, and ethical business practices. In Australia, one company that fits this description is The Print Bar. With a full catalogue of options for printing services both on a small scale and in bulk, The Print Bar is a great place to get started on your design and printing journey.

What is The Print Bar?

The Print Bar is a t-shirt and accessories printing service with a huge range of garment options that offers same day printing and delivery across Australia. They also offer pick up from Melbourne / Naarm and Brisbane / Meanjin.

From humble beginnings in suburban Brisbane in 2011, The Print Bar opened its second location in Melbourne a decade later in 2021. The company prides itself on its sustainable business practices, and offers high definition printing using sustainable water based inks, as well as 100% recyclable kraft mailer bags.

The Print Bar offers same-day printing, and pick-up or delivery options
Credit: The Print Bar

How much does a t-shirt print cost?

For t-shirts, the most popular of garments to print on, you have lots of options when it comes to printing style, garment brand and colour. These are going to affect pricing, but typically an individual custom t-shirt is going to cost you A$20-$40.

Digital Printing is the most common form of garment printing, with options for t-shirts as low as A$15. For screen printed designs you can find garments for as low as A$10. Embroidery is going to end up costing a bit more, with embroidery prices depending on the size and complexity of the design. You can get a custom embroidered cap from as low as $24, while some polos, aprons and workwear start around $40.

Additionally, The Print Bar offers volume discounts when printing more than one shirt, as shown below:

Digital Printing (no minimum)

• 5 items: 5% off

• 10 items: 10% off

• 25 items: 20% off

• 50 items: 25% off

Screen Printing (minimum of 20)

• 50+ items: 8% off

• 70+ items: 12% off

• 100+ items: 15% off

• 250+ items: 18% off

Embroidery (no minimum)

• 2+ items: 30% off

• 3+ items: 40% off

• 5+ items: 50% off

• 10+ items: 55% off

• 20+ items: 60% off

• 50+ items: 65% off

How does same day t-shirt printing work?

Order before 11am on any business day, and your t-shirts, tanks or totes will be shipped or ready for pickup from 4:30pm. Prints are delivered using Australia Post express shipping. However, you also have the option for standard shipping if you’re not in too much of a rush.

While not all printing options are available to be same-day printed, you’ll find the most popular garments are available. For a full list of The Print Bar’s Same Day Printing range, check out their website here.

What can I print on at The Print Bar?

While t-shirts are the most popular printing service, The Print Bar also offers singlets, tank tops, hoodies, sweatshirts, long sleeve tees, facemasks, headwear, children’s clothes and more. They also feature garments from brands such as AS Colour, Next Level, and Gildan. Check out their website here for the full catalogue of men’s, women’s and kids tees.

That’s also just an idea of their garment printing. In addition to clothing, you can also print onto a wide range of promotional merchandise and accessories. A popular option is tote bags, but they also have notepads, lanyards, drinkware, badges, USBs, pens, badges and so much more.

Print on t-shirts, singlets, tank tops, tote bags, hats, and much more.
Credit: The Print Bar

Where does The Print Bar deliver to?

The Print Bar utilises Australia Post for express delivery and shipping Australia-wide. You shouldn’t have any trouble receiving your prints as long as you live within our golden shores. However, if you want a quick turnover you’ll have better success with express shipping within a metropolitan area.

Additionally, if you are within Brisbane or Melbourne, you can pick up your order as soon as it’s ready from The Print Bar’s in-store locations.

How do I use my own designs on a print?

Once you’ve selected a garment on their website, The Print Bar will then direct you to the ‘Online Designer’, and in just a few clicks you can upload your own images, add custom text, or choose artwork from its in-built design gallery.

An example of The Print Bar’s custom designer on a plain white AS Colour Men’s t-shirt.
Credit: The Print Bar

Once you’ve added all your elements to your design, it’s as simple as clicking through to check out, and organising shipping.

As far as online design portals go, The Print Bar does a good job of showing you a realistic preview of your print from multiple angles, and their uploader can accept a broad range of common image filetypes. It’s completely free to check out, so if you’ve got some budding ideas for t-shirt designs, or some upcoming promotional materials you need made up, check out The Print Ba’s website here.

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The Print Bar acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and the Turrbul and Yuggera peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we operate in Naarm/Melbourne and Meanjin/Brisbane. We pay our respects to the many First Nations and their Elders ~ past and present.