First published: 1 September 2011 | Last updated: 29 September 2026
T Shirts Australia is an Australian-owned, family-operated business based in Coorparoo, Brisbane. We source most of our blank T-shirts from Australian wholesalers; most of those garments are manufactured in Bangladesh. We then print eligible custom orders at our Brisbane workshop and offer delivery across Australia. Those are three different facts—business ownership, garment origin and printing location—and we think customers deserve to know the difference.
David Seth, the owner, has worked in commercial apparel decoration since around 2005 and opened The Custom T Shirt Shop in August 2010. T Shirts Australia grew from that business. If you want to meet the wider team and see the business history, visit our About T Shirts Australia page. This article answers a more practical question: what does buying from an Australian-owned T-shirt printer actually mean for your order?
TL;DR: Who makes, supplies and prints your T-shirt?
- Australian owned: David runs T Shirts Australia as a Brisbane-based family business.
- Garment manufacture: most of our blank T-shirts are made in Bangladesh, although the origin of a particular style should be checked on its product information or label.
- Garment sourcing: we buy most blanks through local Australian wholesalers.
- Custom printing: eligible customer orders are decorated at our workshop in Coorparoo, Brisbane.
- Delivery: customers can collect locally when their order is ready or choose the available Australia-wide shipping option.
On this page
- What Australian owned means
- Where the garments come from
- What happens in our Brisbane workshop
- Why the local relationship matters
- How to choose and order
- Check the wording on origin claims
- Frequently asked questions
1. What does “Australian owned and operated” mean here?
It describes the business and the people making decisions about your order. David owns and operates T Shirts Australia from Brisbane. The team helps customers choose garments, prepare print-ready orders and arrange production and collection or delivery. Customers can contact us directly and visit our Coorparoo workshop during counter hours.
Australian ownership does not mean that every T-shirt is knitted and sewn in Australia. It also says nothing, on its own, about where cotton was grown, where fabric was dyed or which company made a particular blank. When one of those details matters to your organisation, check the exact garment before you make a purchasing or marketing claim.
Our About page tells the fuller story of David, the team and the move to Coorparoo. Here, the point is how those people and decisions affect a customer’s finished shirt.
2. Where do the blank T-shirts come from?
Most of the T-shirts we use are manufactured in Bangladesh and supplied to us by Australian wholesalers. These are established apparel supply channels that let us compare styles, colours, sizes and fabric specifications before choosing garments for custom printing. We also sell blank T-shirts for customers who do not need decoration.
The country of manufacture can vary across brands, styles and supply batches. If an Australian-made garment, a particular manufacturing country or a specific certification is essential to your brief, tell us the exact requirement before ordering and verify the selected product. A business being Australian owned, a wholesaler being Australian, and a garment being made in Australia are separate claims.
| Stage | What we can say | What to check for a particular item |
|---|---|---|
| Business ownership | T Shirts Australia is owned and operated in Brisbane by David Seth. | Our team and business information. |
| Blank garment | Most of our blanks are manufactured in Bangladesh. | The chosen style’s country-of-origin label and current supplier information. |
| Wholesale supply | We source most blanks from Australian wholesalers. | Style, size, colour and current availability. |
| Custom decoration | Eligible customer orders are printed in our Coorparoo workshop. | The selected product and available print placements. |
| Getting it to you | Local collection and Australia-wide shipping are available as offered at checkout. | Production estimate, collection instructions and delivery time. |
A well-chosen blank is part of the print result. Fit, fabric, colour and construction affect how a garment feels and how artwork sits on it. Our T-shirt selection guide helps you compare those details before you add a logo or design.
3. What happens at the Coorparoo workshop?
For eligible custom orders, we take the selected garment and apply the customer’s artwork using a suitable digital method, usually direct-to-garment (DTG) or direct-to-film (DTF). The choice depends on the fabric, garment colour, design and finish required. We print on supplied garments through a separate BYO service when they meet its acceptance conditions.
DTG places ink directly onto a suitable garment. DTF is produced on transfer film before being heat-applied to the shirt. A suitable white cotton tee may lead us towards DTG for a soft feel, while dark shirts often suit DTF for strong coverage. These are working preferences rather than rigid rules. Read our printing-method comparison for the details. We do not currently offer screen printing or embroidery through our custom T-shirt service.
We work with the artwork supplied for the order. That means customers should check wording, file quality, background and placement before paying. A photograph of a logo on a screen may look fine at thumbnail size but become soft or pixelated across a T-shirt. Our print-ready artwork guide sets out the checks that prevent that disappointment.
Our workshop is at 17 Castlemaine Street, Coorparoo QLD 4151. Visit the contact page for current counter hours and directions. If you select collection, wait until your order is confirmed ready and follow the instructions you receive; a production estimate is not a collection notification.
4. Why can a local printer be useful?
“Local” is most useful when it describes something a customer can actually do. A Brisbane customer can discuss a product, check the current collection location and pick up a finished eligible order rather than relying on postal transit. A customer elsewhere in Australia can still contact the team that is arranging the print and ask about a garment, print placement or deadline before committing.
David’s experience spans traditional screen printing and modern digital decoration. That does not make every print method right for every job; it helps us explain the trade-offs. For example, a large solid graphic can feel different from a small chest logo, and a lightweight active tee needs a different assessment from a regular cotton shirt. Helpful advice sometimes means steering a customer toward a different garment, a smaller print or more time for a group order.
Local production does not erase transport from the process. A shirt printed in Brisbane still needs time to reach Cairns, Melbourne or Perth. Likewise, an eligible same-day production service means the order is printed on that schedule, not that it will arrive in another city that day. See our shipping and delivery information for the distinction between production and transit.
5. How to order with the right expectations
- Choose the order type. Browse custom T-shirts when we supply and print the garment, blank tees when you need no print, or the separate BYO service when you supply eligible garments.
- Check the exact garment. Compare fabric, fit, size chart, colour, available print positions and any origin or certification requirement.
- Prepare the artwork. Make sure the file is sharp at final size, spell-checked, correctly placed and yours to use.
- Choose the production service. Standard, express and selected same-day products have different conditions. Check the live product and same-day guide if the deadline is urgent.
- Allow for collection or shipping. Delivery starts after dispatch. If a team or event has a fixed date, plan backwards from when the shirts must be in people’s hands.
Ordering for a business, club or event? Our bulk T-shirt guide covers size lists, samples, print locations and timelines. For a broader start-to-finish overview, use the Australian custom T-shirt printing guide.
6. Use precise wording about ownership and origin
Customers planning branded merchandise sometimes ask whether they can describe the finished item as “Australian made”. An Australian-owned business and a T-shirt printed in Brisbane are factual descriptions of different stages. They do not, by themselves, establish a claim that the garment is “Made in Australia”. The ACCC’s country-of-origin guidance explains that origin claims must be accurate and that “made in” has a specific meaning.
Likewise, the green-and-gold Australian Made kangaroo logo is a licensed certification mark for qualifying products, not a general badge for Australian-owned businesses. The Australian Made Campaign explains that ownership and product manufacture are separate, and the logo is not available merely because a business is Australian owned. We do not use it here to imply that our usual blanks carry that certification.
If the origin of a garment, the printing location or a textile certification must appear in your own marketing, confirm the evidence and wording for that exact item first. Our OEKO-TEX® and WRAP guide explains why a product test and a facility audit also need to be described accurately.
Frequently asked questions
Is T Shirts Australia Australian owned?
Yes. David Seth owns and operates the family business from Brisbane. It grew from The Custom T Shirt Shop, which he opened in August 2010.
Are your T-shirts made in Australia?
Most blank T-shirts we use are manufactured in Bangladesh and bought through Australian wholesalers. The origin of an individual product may differ, so check the exact style if its manufacturing country matters to you.
Are custom T-shirts printed in Australia?
Eligible custom orders are printed at our workshop in Coorparoo, Brisbane. The blank garment’s country of manufacture is a separate detail.
Does “printed in Brisbane” mean “Australian made”?
Do not treat those phrases as interchangeable. “Printed in Brisbane” identifies the decoration stage. A “made in Australia” claim about a product needs its own basis under country-of-origin rules.
Can I use the Australian Made kangaroo logo on my shirt?
It is a licensed certification trademark with product-specific rules. Australian business ownership or local printing alone does not give permission to use it. Check the Australian Made Campaign’s licensing requirements before including the mark in artwork.
Can I visit the workshop or collect my order?
Our current address is 17 Castlemaine Street, Coorparoo QLD 4151. Check the contact page for counter hours. Choose collection where it is offered and follow the ready notification for your order.
Do you ship outside Queensland?
Yes. We offer Australia-wide shipping options. Production time and postal delivery time are separate, and the current options appear at checkout.
Can I bring my own T-shirts for printing?
Some customer-supplied garments are accepted through the BYO service, subject to fabric, condition and other exclusions. Read its terms before buying or sending garments; same-day BYO is not offered.
Talk to the people printing your order
Australian owned, Australian sourced and Australian printed tell different parts of a T-shirt’s story. We would rather give you the clear version: a Brisbane family business, most blanks made in Bangladesh and obtained from Australian wholesalers, and eligible custom work printed at our Coorparoo workshop. Choose the shirt and service that suit your needs, then contact us if a particular origin, deadline or print finish needs checking before you order.
Originally published by David Seth in 2011 for The Custom T Shirt Shop; reviewed and updated for T Shirts Australia.
