A t-shirt is the most common first product for a new brand, and an AI t-shirt design generator makes the design step almost instant. The catch is the same as with any AI design: a generated graphic is not a production file. This guide covers designing a tee with AI and getting it made.
Designing the tee with AI
For a t-shirt, AI helps in two places:
- The graphic or print: image generators create artwork, typography, and prints from a prompt.
- The garment itself: the cut, fit, and construction of the blank you print on.
Most people only think about the graphic. The blank matters just as much. A great print on a badly fitting tee still fails.
From design to a finished tee
To actually produce the shirt you need a tech pack, even for something as simple as a t-shirt. It specifies the fit, the fabric weight, the print placement, and the finishing. See our t-shirt tech pack example for exactly what that looks like.
From there you have two routes:
- Print on blanks: the fastest, lowest-cost start. Good for testing.
- Cut and sew: full control over the garment, made from your own tech pack.
If you are weighing cost, how much it costs to start a clothing brand breaks down both.
Doing it with Aria
Aria, Tchpack's AI assistant, turns your tee design into a production-ready tech pack with the right fit and print specs, then matches you with a manufacturer to make it. Work with it on the web, in the Adobe Illustrator plugin, or in the app.
Start now: download the free tech pack template or build your tee with Aria.