How to plan a custom shirt bar for your event

The order of operations for a shirt bar that runs smooth from the first guest to the last.

Planning a custom shirt bar comes down to five decisions, and getting them right ahead of time is what separates a bar that flows from one that stalls. Here's the order we walk every host through.

1. Start with headcount and hours

Everything sizes off these two numbers. As a rule of thumb, one press handles 40 to 60 shirts an hour, so a 200-guest party over three hours wants two or three presses to keep waits short. Tell us both and we'll spec the press count and blank volume.

2. Build the design menu early

The fastest bars use a set menu, not free-for-all design at the counter. Lock your logo, slogan, or theme into a handful of clean options before the event. Guests still feel choice — especially when you add a name, number, or date step — but the line never bogs down.

3. Pick garments for the audience

Soft Bella+Canvas 3001 tees are the safe crowd-pleaser. Go Gildan for value at volume, hoodies for a premium gift, and add a Richardson 112 hat station if you want a second line. Load a full size run — youth through 3XL — so nobody's left out.

4. Plan the power and space

A shirt bar needs a bit of room and reliable power for the presses. A 10-by-10 footprint fits a single-press setup; add space per press and a cool-down rack beyond that. We confirm the venue's power and load-in rules with you well before the date.

5. Set the timing

Open the bar when energy peaks — often an hour or two into the event once the room fills. Give us setup and teardown windows on either side; those crew hours are part of the plan, not an afterthought.

Nail these five and the bar takes care of itself. Send us your date and headcount and we'll turn this into a concrete plan for your event.

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