FAQs

It sucks. No one talks about it, but in our experience it just sucks. Green car vinyl is harder to apply to a vehicle and harder to remove, and green t-shirt vinyl is hard for us to work with, and is the only color we have had a problem with a customer coming back because it didn’t stick properly. Honestly, we don’t know the physics behind the color green being discriminating to being useful for customization, we just know the facts. We will guarantee it like anything else in the store, but it is more likely that you will have a problem with the green colored vinyl. With that being said, silver and gold t-shirt vinyl are also more difficult to work with (thus the $1 extra charge) and silver and gold t-shirt vinyl are also more likely to tunnel the when placed in the dryer for too long. Just be careful with these colors when you get them. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How large do you need the image I’m bringing in to be?

We recommend the image being AT LEAST 300 dpi in resolution if providing us with a digital image. If you are bringing in something for us to scan, we recommend it being the size of a piece of paper. Business cards are the devil, and most of the time WAY too small for us to pull a graphic off of. If you have any questions about the image, email the image to angie@customistic.com and we can tell you if the image is good enough for us to use. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

What kind of image do you prefer?

We prefer .EPS, .WMA or .PDFs. If you don’t know what those are, don’t worry about it. Just send us (angie@customistic.com) whatever you got and we will go from there. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Do you ship to APO’s?

Hells to the yeah. Our favorite customers are active duty military. We ship to APOs once a week so allow a little longer for the box to get there, but you have your 15% Active Duty military discount to keep you warm until you get your crapolla. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

I don’t see what I want, what should I do?

Garments: If we don’t have the style garment you are looking for, we can special order anything from our catalogs or you can find what you are looking for and bring it in. If you are bringing in your own garment, please check here first.

Vinyl Substrates: If you need a street sign, or a custom sized banner or something to that effect, we can order it. Vinyl substrate orders need a week’s notice because they ship from Texas.

Colors of vinyl: If you need a different color of vinyl (for clothes or cars) we need 3 days notice for clothes, and a week notice for cars. If it is a funky color we will never sell again, we will charge you for the full roll of vinyl (which we will quote you upon request).

Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How long does it take to make something?

Only 20 minutes per item. If you order 5 or more shirts, we ask for you to come back the next day. If you order 20 or more items, we ask you to give us a week. With that being said, we have pressed 50 shirts in 2.5 hours before and if the need is immediate, we can make that happen (with an additional “magic t-shirt” fee of course). We also ask for an hour on the banners. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How are you different from other custom shirt or sign shops?

First, and foremost, we are WAY more awesome. When you call, you speak to a real person. When you email, you get a quick response. We keep mall hours and that makes us work around your schedual, not vice-versa. We offer everything we have been asked for more than 3 times, and are always adding new things to the mix. We offer BETTER PRODUCTS for a BETTER PRICE. We do not Spam or sell your information (unless you are into that sort of thing). If something looks stupid, shop rules is that we (nicely) tell you it looks stupid 3 times before you are on your own. We are super friendly and very creative and VERY into local causes (like music and business). Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

What if I don’t like the thing I bought?

First- this hardly ever happens. If you don’t like something you bought from us, the few times it has happened, it was a breakdown in communication between the wench behind the counter and the customer. We have multiple tools in place to make sure this doesn’t happen, but we are all human and sometimes a mistake is made. If the mistake is made, and it is our fault, we will correct it immediately. If the mistake is made and it is your fault, we will try to fix it the least expensive way possible. But keep in mind, we will never offer a refund. We have always (with the exception of 3 impossible customers in 7 years) been able to fix any problem to the satisfaction of the customer. Keep in mind, we survive off of word-of-mouth referrals, and we take that fact seriously. We will always work to make sure you are as happy as can be when walking out of our store. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Can you do pictures of people (or detailed pictures)?

Yes and no. We have perfected to ability to take a picture and turn it into a “stamped effect” which allows us to print your picture onto a garment, but we can not currently print full-colored pictures on garments (we are working on it). Usually it’s about a $5 charge for us to play with your picture and make it into something we can use. This is a one-time fee per picture and after you pay it, your design will be saved in the computer forever. Here are some examples of what your picture will look like.

(click to enlarge)

Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How long do I have to pick up my order after it’s done?

As long as you want*. Check out our store hours to see when you can come to pick it up. *But, if you are one of our few weirdo customers that have ordered and paid for things, and never returned, (after 60 days) your garment will join the ranks of the display garments on our wall because abandoned shirts sitting ready for pickup in their little bags on the pickup shelf are lonely and depressing. If you decide to pick up your garment more than 60 days after we finish it for you, you will have to buy a new one. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

What do you call cheese that's not your cheese?

Nacho Cheese

How long do you save designs in your computer?

Forever. Seriously, we save EVERYTHING that gets made in the computer, and it will never be deleted. Now, with that being said, how it is saved is the interesting part. Every design made in a day is saved under that date. So if you come into the store and are like, “I made a decal 3 Saturdays ago, can I get another one?” we can totally hook that up. But if you are asking us to find something we made a year ago and have absolutely no idea when, we can’t. If the design you are getting done is something you think you are likely to get again, we can save it in the computer by whatever you want (your name, your group’s name, your pet’s name). Just make sure it is something you will remember, or we write it down on the back of a business car for you. All business, band, sports, school or other designs are generally automatically saved under the name of the group, and categorized properly under their genre in the computer. And all “In memory of” designs are saved in the computer under the name of the person you lost, so it is not confusing. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How long have you been doing this?

Complicated question. For the full break down, go to our About Us. Short answer, we have been doing vinyl decals for cars (and operating as a full sign shop) since early 2002. We have been customizing t-shirts since January of 2007 (and are valued in industry forums as experts because of all of the tools we have created to perfect the t-shirt making process) and we have been operating in Las Vegas since October of 2007. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Will you print anything? What about profanity?

The standard answer to this question when you ask us in the store is, “Yes, we will print anything but anything that says Chuck Norris. Unless it says he sucks, then you’re good.” We have turned away business, we won’t print Chuck Norris anything. We also won’t print anything with the confederate flag on it unless you can tell us the years of the Civil War.

We are also prevented from printing anything that is copyrighted. This includes professional sports teams, college sports teams, Disney characters, Coach, Skin Industry designs, and any body else that has a lot of money and will sue our pants off if we make something of theirs. If you are able to sign this waiver (Word 97-2003 or Word Document) that basically states that you are allowed to use this image, then we will print it. But if not, sorry; we like our pants and would like to keep them.

Other than Chuck Norris and billion dollar companies though, we will do anything. Profanity is fun, and funny shirts are the best ones to make. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Garment Printing Answers

How long do these shirts last?

Our garments are made by pressing high quality t-shirt vinyl into the garment with a heat press. This allows us the ability to do just one shirt or many. This is also the highest quality way t-shirts can be customized because the print is the sharpest and looks the best the longest out of all the ways to get shirts customized. Our shirts (when taken care of properly- see washing directions) will last longer than anything that is in your closet right now, and the vinyl will probably last longer than the shirt itself. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How do you recommend washing these garments?

Manufacturer instructions recommend that you wash the garments inside out, in cold water and dry on medium heat. In our experience, we have noticed that when you have the garment shrunk before customizing it, it makes the print look much better, longer. Everything in our store (with the exception of Pro Club shirts) is washed and dried to ensure ultimate shrinkage before we even put it in the store to sell. If you bring in your own garment without shrinking it, or purchase a Pro Club shirt, we recommend air-drying the garment. With that being said, we have plenty of customers that still dry those garments in dryers and are perfectly happy with the results. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

What do you have against “ribbed” material?

“Ribbed” materials (think a wife-beater tank top) are tricky when it comes to customizing them. The material is specifically made to stretch differently than regular jersey knit material (like a standard t-shirt). There is a top layer and bottom layer and the vinyl (or ink in a screen-printed or DTG printed garment) will be applied to the top layer and leave the bottom layer un-customized. We try to get around this by stretching the garment over the heat press for the best result, but it doesn’t always turn out, and doesn’t wear very well. With that being said, we have plenty of customers that regularly get ribbed tank tops done and are perfectly happy with the results. We are just sayin…. And just for the record, we aren’t a big fan of “baby-ribbed” either. If you being in a ribbed garment for us to customize, you may have to pay an additional fee (of about $1 per garment) because we usually have to press the garment multiple times to make sure the vinyl will stick the right way. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

What sizes so you carry?

If you go to any of the garment description pages, the sizes per style of garment are listed in detail, but for a short answer, we have shirts for newborn babies through 5XLT adults. If you need a larger size, we can special order. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Will my garment shrink?

Nope. Unless you bring in your own garment, or you purchase one of our Pro Club shirts, your garment is already shrank all the way (in an actual home washer and dryer) to insure the longest lasting print. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Can I just buy the decal and iron it on myself?

The vinyl that we use is very high quality t-shirt vinyl and needs a high pressure heat press with a set temperature to set the design into the fabric. So no. Sorry! All graphics need to be pressed here at the store. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Do you screen print/air brush/DTG/embroider? What’s the difference?

We use vinyl and heat press it into the garment. This is the highest quality way of getting garments customized. But there are other ways of doing it, so let’s explain.

Screen Printing- this is the way that most people are familiar with. The ink is applied to the garment through a stencil like application. This is a good process for large runs (because the shirt price goes down considerably with the amount of shirts you purchase. This is recommended for huge orders that the quality isn’t the main concern, and you are looking for the same design on every shirt. Screen printing, over time, will crack and peel. You usually have to make a minimum order of at least 12 garments of similar size, and you always have to pay a “screen fee” which usually start at around $40. We do take orders for screen printed shirts (and recommend it for large orders such as charity runs, or give-aways) but we don’t recommend it for say, business uniforms, or smaller orders. Multiple colors gets expensive also. Tell us what your need is and we will recommend what is best to fulfill it.

Air brushing- Air brushing is where the design is hand drawn onto the shirt using a special ink gun. This is an acquired taste as far as desired effect for a custom shirt. Air brushing is recommended for things such as shoes, or other things that are not able to be customized in other ways, but air brushing has a specific look to it. We do not air brush here in this store, but we can recommend a good air brusher if you ask us.

Embroidery- Embroidery is where you have the design stitched into the garment. Embroidery is like screen printing, where you are exposed to a “digitizing fee” for what you are getting embroidered. Embroidery is like air brushing, where if that is what you are looking for, then that’s the look you are looking for and you can’t usually substitute it. We do not currently offer embroidery services, but we are looking into getting a machine in the future. In the mean-time we can recommend a good embroiderer upon request.

Direct to Garment or DTG- DTG printing is where the garment is basically placed in a big inkjet printer, and the image is printed directly onto the garment. DTG printing is a fairly new process in the customization world, and like all new things, has gotten a bad rep. Most DTG printers utilized today are not very good quality and have many restrictions, such as only being able to use black or white shirts, or not being able to use dark colored shirts (because of problems with white ink getting clogged in the tubes of the machine). But the DTG process is evolving, and getting better, and we have found a machine that looks very promising and we are in the process of trying to obtain one. This will give us the ability to print multiple colored designs on shirts, print over seems, print more kinds of surfaces and print cheaper large runs.

If you are comparing stores or kinds of printing, we recommend getting a sample of what you are wanting to see what quality it will be before you buy multiples. And if you ask us for our opinion on what is the best way for you to fulfill your needs, we will always honestly tell you what is the best way for you to go, even if we do have to turn away business. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Car vinyl/Sign Shop Answers

How long do the decals last?

Most of our decals are made of 6 year vinyl. Most sign shops carry 2 or 4 year vinyl as stock vinyl, but we carry 6 year vinyl. This means the vinyl will not peel or fade on your car for about 6 years (see our gaurentee). If the decal is small, or has a lot of detail it may not last that long. The thing that holds the decal on the car is the strong adhesive on the backside of the decal, the smaller the decal, the less adhesive is holding it on. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How do I apply my decal?

You look at the instructions here. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

What the fudge are these bubbles in my decal?

There are two types of “bubbles” that can occur when applying a vinyl decal. The first is little tiny bubbles that are caused by dirt, dust or whatever that was still on the surface before you put the decal on. You can avoid this problem by properly cleaning the surface before applying the decal. The second type is an air bubble. Please read our application instructions (and Hot Coffee directions) before applying the decal to reduce the amount of bubbles you may get. But air bubbles are almost impossible to avoid for novice decal applyers on large decals. It’s ok, most of these bubbles that occur are air bubbles that will go away after a few days of being exposed to the sun. If you are one of them impatient types, you can take a needle and pop them also. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How do I remove my old decal?

If you have an old decal you are trying to remove, the best way is to take a heat gun or blow dryer to the decal to warm it up and then peel it off. If there is adhesive left over, you can just use some adhesive remover (such as Goo Gone) to remove it. If the surface is painted or finished, you should use a plastic razor (which we sell) for the easiest removal. If the decal is on glass, you can use just a regular razor blade. Be sure to properly clean the surface before you apply new decals.
Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How do I apply my decal with a “wet application”?

The easiest answer to this question is, if you have to ask, don’t do it. Wet application takes practice and experience when mixing the soap with water, and most times a wet application is not necessary. If you are intending to use wet application to apply the decal, please let us know because we have 2 different types of application tape, and only one is rated for wet application. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

What other crazy vinyl facts do I need to know?

Please read our “Hot Coffee Directions”.

How do I take care of my magnet set for my car?

Please read this (Word 97-2003 or Word Document).

How do I take care of my banner?

Banners should be rolled loosely around the tube we provide you with, with the graphics OUT. Trust us, rolling the banner up with the graphics in will create tunnels in the vinyl. Also, DO NOT FOLD YOUR BANNER, and do not leave in your car if you can avoid it. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

How long do I have to wait to wash my car/roll down my window/use my windshield wipers after application of a decal?

Mostly, you don’t have to wait any time at all, but to be safe, we would recommend giving your decal 3 days of getting used to its new home before doing any of the above. Does this answer your question? If not please ask. For other questions, go back to top.

Where all can you install these decals?

Pretty much any non-porous surface.

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