AS Colour Printing in the UK: Custom T-Shirts, Hoodies and More

AS Colour make well cut, ethically sourced blanks with discreet labelling and a major focus on reducing plastic use, which is why a printed AS Colour tee tends to read as retail stock rather than a giveaway. In this guide we go through the styles we are asked for most: what each one is made from, which of our printing techniques suit it, and jobs we have printed on it, so you can pick the right garment before you ask for a quote.

In this guide

• Working with AS Colour
• Why choose 1WorldPrint for AS Colour printing
• AS Colour garments at a glance
• 5001 Staple Tee
• 5026 Classic Tee
• 5082 Heavy Faded Tee
• 5071 Classic Long Sleeve Tee
• 5121 Premium Crew
• 5171 Box Hood
• 5161 Relax Hood
• 5402 Chad Polo
• 1114 Surf Cap
• Trustpilot reviews from our customers
• Ordering custom AS Colour t-shirts and garments
• AS Colour Printing FAQs

Working With AS Colour

We know the AS Colour team personally and are an approved printer on AS Colour UK's Printing and Embroidery Partners page. Our Head of Sales and Business Development, Mark Speakman, was invited to the AS Colour EU headquarters in Amsterdam, where he spent time with Sam Sharland, AS Colour's Head of Europe. We catch up with the team twice a year to keep up to date with any new items they have, so we can pass these on to our customers. Most recently we saw them at the Printwear and Promotion show at the NEC in March 2026 and at FESPA in Barcelona in May 2026. AS Colour was established in 2005 in Auckland, New Zealand, and holds stock in a UK warehouse in Bedfordshire.

Why Choose 1WorldPrint for AS Colour Printing

• We are an official AS Colour printer. We are listed on AS Colour UK's Printing and Embroidery Partners page, with over 25 years of experience, and we know the range first hand, working with their team from the UK shows to their EU headquarters.
• Trusted by major brands. We have printed AS Colour garments for Coca-Cola, Smirnoff Ice and Corona, and every job gets the same care and attention.
• Every main technique, made in the UK. Screen printing with an exact Pantone match, direct to garment printing including down the sleeves, direct to film and embroidery, all printed and finished in the UK.
• Big and detailed prints. Jumbo screen printing on tees such as the 5026 Classic Tee, and detailed multi coloured work like our 10 colour print on the 5161 Relax Hood, with colour separations done for you.
• Your own label. Relabelling for brands building their own range on these blanks, so the brand is truly their own.
• Low minimums and express turnaround. Eight units for embroidery, direct to garment and direct to film, twenty for screen printing, six to seven business days as standard and a free visual proof within 30 minutes.
• Business accounts. 30/60 day credit terms are available (subject to credit check), with a dedicated Account Manager on each and every order.

Get an AS Colour quoteor call 0208 064 1315

AS Colour Garments at a Glance

Here are the garments from the range we print most, with the composition of each garment and how we decorate it. Each one is covered in more detail below.

AS Colour garment	Fabric	How we decorate it
5001 Staple Tee	100% combed cotton	Screen printing with an exact Pantone match, DTG
5026 Classic Tee	220gsm, 100% combed cotton, relaxed fit	A heavyweight base for large prints
5082 Heavy Faded Tee	240gsm, 100% carded cotton, garment dyed, oversized fit	Large prints and brand merch
5071 Classic Long Sleeve Tee	220gsm, 100% combed cotton, relaxed fit	Screen printing and DTG, including down the sleeves
5121 Premium Crew	350gsm, 100% cotton French terry	Screen printing, DTG and embroidery
5171 Box Hood	350gsm, 80% cotton, 20% recycled polyester, relaxed fit	Screen printing, DTG and embroidery
5161 Relax Hood	320gsm, 80% cotton, 20% recycled polyester, relaxed fit	Detailed multi colour screen printing
5402 Chad Polo	100% combed cotton	Screen printing and embroidery
1114 Surf Cap	100% quick dry nylon, five panel, snapback	Printed front and side panels

5001 Staple Tee: The Everyday T-Shirt We Print Most

The 5001 is the t-shirt from the range we use most. The Staple Tee is made from 100% combed cotton, so it is soft to the touch and holds its shape through plenty of wear and washing. If you are creating your own brand on these blanks, our relabelling service can replace the neck label with your own.

The most popular technique on the Staple Tee is screen printing in plastisol ink mixed to an exact Pantone match, which is the route to take for a logo in a few solid brand colours on 20 or more shirts. Because the garment is 100% cotton it also takes direct to garment printing, which suits full colour or photographic artwork and shorter runs from 8 units.

The Staple Tee also suits oversized prints. The shirts below are fresh from the dryer after a large print, and our guide to jumbo screen printing explains how we print designs this big.

5026 Classic Tee: A Heavier 220gsm T-Shirt

If you are looking for a heavier tee, the 5026 Classic Tee is the heavyweight option in the t-shirt range: 220gsm, 100% combed cotton, a relaxed fit and preshrunk to reduce shrinkage. The extra weight gives a large print a solid base and a premium look and feel.

We printed this chrome effect Coca-Cola design on the 5026 Classic Tee.

We also printed this tee for Corona, an Official Partner of the Olympic Games, on the same 5026 Classic Tee.

5082 Heavy Faded Tee: Garment Dyed and Oversized

The 5082 Heavy Faded Tee is a 240gsm, 100% carded cotton tee, garment dyed for a faded, worn in look. It has an oversized fit with dropped shoulders, wide neck ribbing and a tear out label, which makes it a favourite for streetwear and brand merch.

We printed this Smirnoff Ice design on the 5082 Heavy Faded Tee, with a smaller logo on one side and a large full colour artwork on the other.

5071 Classic L/S Tee: Printing Down the Sleeves

A long sleeve tee is a nice step up from the standard t-shirt and a versatile staple in most wardrobes. The 5071 Classic L/S Tee shares the 220gsm, 100% combed cotton fabric of the 5026 Classic Tee, with a relaxed fit, cuffed sleeves, a ribbed crew neck, shoulder to shoulder tape and a preshrunk finish.

The Classic L/S Tee produces a great screen printed finish, and because it is 100% cotton we also direct to garment print it. On all long sleeve tees we also print down the sleeves using both screen printing and direct to garment. This has become more popular year on year, especially for our music merchandise clients.

Printing direct to garment down a sleeve requires specific machinery that not every supplier has. We invested in it some time ago, so a long sleeve can carry a full colour sleeve print alongside the front and back, which turns a plain long sleeve into proper merch.

5121 Premium Crew: A Heavyweight Sweatshirt for Embroidery

The Premium Crew is a heavyweight crew neck sweatshirt in 350gsm, 100% cotton French terry, soft on the inside and built to last.

It takes all of our main techniques. Being 100% cotton, it can be direct to garment printed as well as screen printed, and the weight of the fabric makes it one of the best sweatshirts in the range for embroidery. We always recommend a heavyweight garment for embroidery, because a lighter fabric can pucker under a dense stitched logo, and the Premium Crew holds its shape around a chest logo without any trouble.

5171 Box Hood: The Relaxed Fit Hoodie

The AS Colour range includes several hoodies, and the Box Hood is the one we like to print on the most. Our list of the best hoodies for printing and embroidery compares it with other brands. The 5171 Box Hood is a relaxed fit pullover hoodie in a mid-heavy 350gsm fleece, 80% cotton and 20% recycled polyester with an anti-pill finish. It has drop shoulders, a kangaroo pocket and a self fabric lined hood with no drawcord, and it is preshrunk to reduce shrinkage.

The Box Hood can be screen printed, and because it is 80% cotton it takes direct to garment printing. This garment also looks great when embroidered. It comes with no drawcord, so the chest is left clear for a front print, and the weight of the garment gives embroidery a firm base. Due to popular demand, it also comes with a tear out label, so it is easy to rebrand with your own. It is often paired with the 5917 Surplus Track Pant for a fully branded tracksuit.

5161 Relax Hood: Detailed Multi Colour Prints

The 5161 Relax Hood is a mid weight 320gsm fleece, 80% cotton and 20% recycled polyester, with a relaxed fit, drop shoulders, a kangaroo pocket and a self fabric lined hood with no drawcord. Just like the Box Hood, it has a tear out label.

The below Look Up! design is a 10 colour screen print on the 5161 Relax Hood. We also created the colour separations in house, splitting the artwork into the ten screens that build up the gradients, the aurora and the astronaut detail, which produced an amazing finish.

5402 Chad Polo: Screen Printed or Embroidered

A nice polo with a modern, tidy fit is much harder to find than it should be, and the Chad Polo is the one we point people to for staff uniform that does not look like standard workwear, or for smart casual merch.

The Chad Polo is 100% combed cotton and can be screen printed or embroidered, and a small embroidered chest logo is the finish the majority of our customers choose for a polo. We do not recommend direct to garment printing on polo shirts, because the textured knit of a polo breaks up the print and does not produce the best results.

1114 Surf Cap: Printed Headwear

AS Colour also has an amazing headwear range. The 1114 Surf Cap is a mid profile, five panel cap in 100% quick dry nylon, with a single front panel, a flat peak and a plastic snapback. The single front panel gives a clean area for a print, and our guide to custom caps covers the other styles we decorate.

For the same Smirnoff Ice job we printed the matching design on the front of the Surf Cap and a small Smirnoff logo on the side panel.

Trustpilot Reviews From Our Customers

A few of the reviews customers have left for us on Trustpilot.

Ordering Custom AS Colour T-Shirts and Garments

Embroidery, direct to garment and direct to film start at just eight units, and screen printing starts at twenty. Speak to our team about further price breaks. Our standard turnaround is six to seven business days from artwork approval, express turnaround is available on request, and you get a free visual proof within 30 minutes of the order being confirmed, showing the design at the size and position it will sit, making sure you get the exact order you are looking for. Mixed sizes of garments across one order cost no extra.

The price per garment comes down to the style you choose, the quantity, the number of colours in a screen printed design and the number of print positions. A coloured garment can add a little to a screen print, because the design needs a white base layer to produce the best results. Vectored artwork (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) gives the cleanest result. We would always recommend vectored artwork for screen printing.

Send through your design and a rough quantity, and a dedicated Account Manager will come back within 15 minutes with options and pricing. You can also email hello@1worldprint.co.uk or call us on 0208 064 1315. For express orders we always recommend calling rather than emailing. AS Colour's own website covers their environmental and social commitments.

If you are weighing AS Colour against other brands, our guide to the best clothing brands to print compares the ranges we use most, and the clothing catalogue covers everything we can source. For a classic heavyweight alternative, the Alstyle 1301 has been a favourite with screen printers for years.

AS Colour Printing FAQs

Are you an official AS Colour printer?

Yes we are. 1WorldPrint is an official AS Colour printer in the UK, listed on AS Colour UK's Printing and Embroidery Partners page, and we screen print, direct to garment print and embroider the full AS Colour range.

Which AS Colour t-shirt is best for printing?

The 5001 Staple Tee is our best selling t-shirt. It is 100% combed cotton, so we can produce an exact Pantone match as well as full colour direct to garment printing. If you are looking for a heavier tee, the 5026 Classic Tee is 220gsm with a relaxed fit.

Which AS Colour hoodie is best for printing?

The 5171 Box Hood is a 350gsm relaxed fit hoodie in 80% cotton and 20% recycled polyester, and it takes screen printing, direct to garment printing and embroidery. The 5161 Relax Hood is a 320gsm alternative.

Can you embroider AS Colour garments?

Yes. Heavier garments such as the 5121 Premium Crew, the 5171 Box Hood and the 5402 Chad Polo embroider well. We do not recommend direct to garment printing on polo shirts because of the knit.

Can you print down the sleeves of AS Colour long sleeve tees?

Yes. On long sleeve tees such as the 5071 Classic L/S Tee we print down the sleeves with screen printing and direct to garment, using machinery that not every supplier has. Printing down the sleeves is now very popular and produces a great finish.

Can I sell printed AS Colour garments under my own label?

Yes. The 5082 Heavy Faded Tee, the 5171 Box Hood and the 5161 Relax Hood have tear out labels, and our relabelling service can replace the neck label on other styles too, with your own printed or woven label.

What is the minimum order for custom AS Colour t-shirts?

Screen printing starts at twenty units per design, because a screen is made for each colour. Direct to garment, direct to film and embroidery start at eight units. Send us your logo and a rough quantity and we will come back with options and pricing.

How long does AS Colour printing take?

The standard turnaround is six to seven business days from artwork approval, with express turnaround available on request. You get a free visual proof within 30 minutes of the order being confirmed.