Christmas orders start early. Your customers are already searching for this year's holiday shirts, and the best sellers are the ones that look fun in a photo and are easy to make in every size. Here are 10 Christmas shirt ideas you can press with DTF transfers this season, the print sizes that work for the whole family, and a ready-to-press sheet if you'd rather skip the design work.
10 Christmas shirt ideas to press this year
- Western Christmas. Christmas trees wearing cowboy hats with "Howdy Christmas" underneath. Boutique and country customers love it on cream or brown sweatshirts. Print it 11" wide on adult sizes.
- Vintage Santa. A classic, cozy Santa with "Christmas Vibes" lettering. It works on almost any color, which makes it an easy repeat seller.
- Funny raccoon. "Sorry Santa, I've been feral." This is the adult gift shirt that sells itself, and it pops on dark tees.
- Cat lovers. "Meowy Christmas" cats in ugly sweaters. Sweatshirts are the move here, at 10–11" wide.
- Gamer Christmas. A controller in a Santa hat with "Christmas Gamer." Teens and dads both buy it. On a hoodie, print it 11–12" wide.
- Coquette bows. Pink and red bows with little Christmas geese are everywhere right now. Use the full design on a sweatshirt, or press single bows at 3–4" as pocket or sleeve add-ons.
- Gnome truck. Three gnomes riding in a vintage truck with "Merry Christmas" on the tailgate. It's a farmhouse look that does well on tees and totes.
- Plaid and leopard. "Merry Christmas" in buffalo plaid and leopard print. A boutique favorite for women's tees.
- North Pole University. Collegiate-style lettering with candy canes. It looks great on crewnecks and works for matching family sets.
- Nutcrackers. "Y'all are Nuts" with three nutcrackers. It's a funny pick for group shirts, families and southern customers.
All 10 on one ready-to-press sheet
Every idea above comes from our Christmas Vibes ready-to-press gang sheet. It's 22" × 50" with all 10 designs already laid out and printed, for $24.99. Cut them apart and press, with no design work and no layout.
Matching family Christmas shirts: what size to print
Family sets are one of the biggest holiday orders. The trick is keeping the design the same while scaling the width for each shirt size, and putting it at the same spot on every shirt.
| Shirt size | Print width | Top of design below the collar |
|---|---|---|
| Adult XL–2XL | 11" | 3.5–4" |
| Adult S–L | 10" | 3–3.5" |
| Youth M–L | 9" | 2–3" |
| Youth XS–S | 8.5" | 2–3" |
| Toddler 4T–5T | 7.25" | 1.5–2" |
| Toddler 2T–3T | 6.25" | 1.5–2" |
| Onesie | 5–6" | 1–1.5" |
Put the whole family's prints on one gang sheet so you pay for one sheet instead of several. Our guide to how many prints fit on a gang sheet shows how much fits, and the size guide and placement guide cover every other size.
Using your own Christmas designs?
- Start with a print-ready file: a 300 DPI PNG with a transparent background, or a print-ready PDF. Our free DTF file checker shows the real edges of your file and flags low resolution before you order.
- Gang everything together. Add every holiday design, in every size you need, to one sheet. You only pay $0.50 per inch of length.
- Press it right: 303°F for 6 seconds with heavy pressure, hot peel, then re-press 6 seconds with a cover sheet. Our how-to-apply guide has the details.
Order early for the holiday rush
Orders placed by 10 AM CST are printed and shipped the same day, by UPS from Southern Illinois, and you'll see faster shipping options at checkout. December is the busiest month for every shirt shop, so give yourself a few extra days before you need to press.
Ready for Christmas orders?
Grab the ready-to-press sheet, or build your own with your designs.
Shop the Christmas sheet ($24.99) Build your gang sheet Upload a print-ready sheetFAQ
Can I press DTF transfers on Christmas sweatshirts and hoodies?
Yes. Print hoodie and sweatshirt fronts 11–12" wide, and use the same press settings: 303°F, 6 seconds, heavy pressure, hot peel.
What size should a Christmas shirt print be for kids?
About 8.5–9" wide for youth shirts, 6.25–7.25" for toddlers and 5–6" for onesies. The table above has every size.
How fast can I get Christmas transfers?
Orders placed by 10 AM CST print and ship the same day. Faster shipping options are available at checkout.
Can I mix my own designs with the ready-to-press sheet?
The ready-to-press sheet comes as is. For your own designs, build a custom gang sheet online or upload a finished layout. You can order both at the same time.