Apliiq's Ultimate Guide to Sleeve Print Placements

The short and long (elusive) sleeve print placements, explained quick and dirty for ya!

If you're not sure the right size or spot to have your artwork, this guide will help you find the right place to showcase your artwork on a short sleeve or long sleeve tee. You can find some of the most popular sleeve print placements in this article as well as some you may not have previously considered. 

Let's dive right in! This is one of the most popular placement options for sleeves! 
Introducing, the sleeve edge placement. See it in all its glory from every angle! Hard to miss this artwork along the edge of the sleeve.

As far as horizontal placement goes, consider the bicep or shoulder location! It's located about 3" down from the shoulder seam on long sleeve tees. 

This placement option is great for small artworks, but can also work long artworks too. 

Another horizontal placement is measuring up from the sleeve hem. Who woulda thought?!

Let's keep it simple, and fun. The hem location is great for small artworks to give a hint of something special without being too bold or flashy. Be a minimalist with a subtle hem sleeve print.

For longer artworks, we recommend centering between the top of the shoulder seam and the bottom hem seam. Check out this classic long sleeve placement in more detail below.

Ain't she a beaut?! Tried and true the long print on the long sleeve is a staple for any long sleeve collection. 

To recap, here are the our most popular recommended placement options for long sleeves all in one easy to reference guide. Woo!

To be clear, Apliiq does not recommend putting three sleeve prints on a a single sleeve. Ah, the debauchery! Show some restraint, one sleeve print per sleeve, pretty please!  (Remember when reselling your garment, you're going to want something affordable to your end customer and still be able to make a profit for yourself!) Trust us when we say less is more. We got your back, err correction, we got your sleeve! 

Summer Short Sleeve Surprises

Now let's take a moment to appreciate the short sleeve tees. While super long artworks are not achievable, don't underestimate the power of a short sleeve hit. It packs a lot of power in a small punch! 

Similarly to the long sleeve placement, we can center the artwork. Take a looksie below:

We usually notice more solid artworks for this placement (circles, squares, badges), but don't overlook a nice 1" wide by 4" long short sleeve it. A couple words in some nice font printed on the sleeve - muahhh, perfection! Small artworks can be centered and will be a focal point for those taking a glimpse at the guns. Give 'em a show they won't forget with a pop of artwork in the short sleeve centered position!

Now you may have guessed it already, but we also recommend a wide but short hem location artwork for printing on sleeves. 

Keep in mind that sleeves come in different shapes and sizes, not all positions or artworks work for every sleeve. Now you have a good starting point for designing the best sleeve prints for your brand and collection! Don't be shy, roll your sleeves up and design your next top selling tee!

Secret Scrumptious Services for Stupendous Sleeves 

There are so many ways to decorate sleeves. Here we go:

- Apliiq recommends DTF Printing for artwork on sleeve positions. Transfer printing is a high quality way to add a lil somethin' somethin' to a shawty or long jawn.
- Embroidery is possible for the shoulder/bicep position on long sleeve tees or hoodies.  Keep in mind the embroidery artworks maximum size for sleeves is 4" wide x 4" long. Hem positions are available for embroidery but the artwork size must be smaller at a max of 2" x 2". (See the table below!) 

- Similarly, digital print is possible for some sleeve prints as well. 

Here are the max artwork sizes for sleeve decoration for each distinct service.

Service	DTF / Transfer Printing	Embroidery	Digital Printing
Max Artwork Size	14" tall x 4" wide  (most versatile and biggest option)	4" x 4"  for Bicep/Shoulder position (artwork must fit within a 5" diameter circle.) 2" x 2" for Hem position with square artworks (artwork must fit inside a 3" diameter circle)  (due to the tightness of the garment near the sleeve cuff area)	13" tall x 4" wide or 14" tall x 3" wide (due to the pallet size)

Don't forget that you can also sew a label on a sleeve! We know what you're thinking, "Oh my goodness, Apliiq, you're just the best ever!" Aww, *blushing*, why thank you! We do pride ourselves on delivering high quality, unique products for you and your customers. If you're interested in learning more about woven labels, check out this detailed woven label placement guide, which features multiple placements for labels on sleeves. Could sleeve decoration get any better? (Sorry, not sorry, tank tops!) For real, we sincerely love all you can do to both short and long sleeves considering transfer print, digital print, embroidery, and labels. 

Thanks for considering these sleeve print placement options for your brand! If you have any questions feel free to reach out to our customer support team!

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