How to Start a T-Shirt Brand From Home: The Beginner Supply List

Quick answer: To start a t-shirt brand from home, you need five things: a heat press, blank shirts, ready-to-press transfers with your designs, a few small pressing tools (teflon sheet, heat tape, pressing pillow, shirt ruler), and one place to sell. You can get set up in a weekend, and the rest of this post is my exact supply list.

Hey friend, I'm Coach Tee. I started my clothing brand while I was still a full-time teacher, pressing shirts at night after work. In 2022 I opened Transfers By TTA because so many t-shirt brand owners kept getting stuck at the same spot I did, the design and printing part. So this list comes from me actually doing it, and from helping a whole lot of brand owners get their first shirts out the door.

Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. I only list things I'd tell my own students to buy.

Want to build your brand with me live? My 5-day T-Shirt Brand Bootcamp starts October 19. Save your seat here.

Step 1: Pick your heat press

This is the one big purchase. A 15x15 clamshell press is where I tell beginners to start. It's big enough for adult shirt fronts, it holds even pressure, and you can set the time and temperature digitally so you're not guessing.

Coach Tee's pick: Fancierstudio 15x15 Digital Heat Press. It's a workhorse with thousands of reviews from people pressing shirts at home.

A handheld press works for one-off gifts. If you plan to sell, you'll want the even pressure of a real press, because that's what keeps your prints from peeling after a few washes.

Step 2: Choose your blank shirts

Your blank is what your customer feels first. Soft, pre-shrunk cotton presses clean and washes well.

Coach Tee's pick: Gildan Softstyle G64000 multipack. It's a crowd favorite for a reason, and buying a multipack lets you test a few colors before you buy in bulk.

Once your designs start selling, you'll want a wholesale blank supplier so your cost per shirt goes down.

Step 3: Get your designs printed as transfers

This is where most new brands get stuck. You do NOT have to buy a screen printing setup to sell screen-printed shirts. You order your designs as ready-to-press transfers, then press them yourself at home.

• Screen print transfers: that soft, real screen-printed feel. Great for one-color designs and your best sellers.
• Premade gang sheets: a bunch of designs on one sheet, so you can test what sells without ordering 50 of one thing.
• Clear film transfers: full color, lots of detail.

Every transfer comes with its own press time and temperature. Write it on a sticky note and put it on your press. That one habit saves you so many ruined shirts.

Step 4: The small tools that make your shirts look pro

• Teflon sheet + heat tape: the sheet protects your shirt and your press, and the tape holds the transfer still so it doesn't shift. This combo pack gets you both.
• Pressing pillows: slide one inside the shirt so seams, buttons, and collars don't block the pressure. This 4-size set covers kids' sizes through adult.
• T-shirt alignment ruler: crooked prints are the fastest way to look homemade. This ruler centers your design in seconds.

Step 5: Press your first shirt

1. Pre-press the blank shirt for 3 to 5 seconds to pull out moisture and wrinkles.
2. Line up your transfer with the ruler (most adult fronts sit about 3 to 4 inches below the collar).
3. Tape it down, cover with the teflon sheet, and press at the time, temperature, and pressure on your transfer's instructions.
4. Peel hot or cold, exactly how your transfer says. This part matters.
5. Let it cool, then do the stretch test. If it cracks, add pressure next time.

Step 6: Decide where you'll sell

Start where your people already are. For most of my students that's Instagram, TikTok, and a simple online store. You don't need a perfect website on day one. You need photos of your shirts on real people and a way for buyers to pay you.

Want me to walk you through it live?

I'm teaching a 5-day T-Shirt Brand Bootcamp, October 19 to 23. Day by day we build your brand, your first 3 to 5 products people actually want to buy, and your online store with AI. You'll also learn both ways to run it, pressing shirts at home or print on demand with no inventory. VIP seats come with a starter box of blanks and transfers shipped to your door.

Grab your bootcamp seat here.

FAQ: Starting a t-shirt brand from home

How much does it cost to start a t-shirt brand from home?

Your biggest cost is the heat press. After that, blanks, transfers, and small tools are a much smaller cost per shirt. Start with a small batch of designs and grow from what sells.

Do I need a Cricut to start a t-shirt business?

No. A Cricut is for cutting vinyl. With ready-to-press transfers, your design is already printed, so all you need is a heat press.

What is the best heat press for beginners?

A 15x15 digital clamshell press. It's sized for adult shirts, gives you even pressure, and lets you set exact time and temperature.

Can I start a t-shirt brand with no design experience?

Yes. Start with premade designs and gang sheets to learn what your audience buys, then build your own signature designs from there.