Custom designed from scratch gear for Melrose businesses, schools, teams, churches, and crews. Proofs in 24 hours, delivered in 5 to 7 days.
In-house designers turn napkin sketches and old low-res logos into print-ready vector art. Free with every order, proof in 24 hours. For Melrose, that comes with published pack pricing and door delivery in 5 to 7 business days.
Census numbers put Melrose at a community of 111 on 1.0 square miles of Iowa, all of it covered by the same tracked shipping. Nearby crews are already in the coverage circle, with Russell, IA (8 mi), Lovilia, IA (13 mi), Williamson, IA (13 mi) sharing the identical pack rates and timelines. For the military community, Camp Dodge sits about 60 miles away, well inside our normal unit-order routes.
No storefront visit required. Send a rough idea or finished art, a real designer builds the proof at no charge, and the finished gear ships straight to Melrose.
A typical week of custom design orders from this corner of Iowa mixes Melrose crews with neighbors like Russell, 8 miles over, all running through the same designer, the same proof cycle, and the same tracked delivery.
Unit art drawn right the first time, with anything trademark-sensitive flagged early. Bring a rough idea, even a phone photo of a whiteboard, and our designers make it print ready at no charge.
Describe it in a sentence; a designer builds it and proofs it within 24 hours. Start from a napkin sketch if that is what you have. Turning rough into print ready is the job.
Stencil, athletic, and period-correct lettering matched to the year that matters. Deadlines get treated like formation times, not suggestions.
A single visual system covering everything the event prints. Packs mix garment colors freely, so squads, shifts, or grade levels can each get their own.
A tight little product line, designed to move at the table. Youth and adult cuts run side by side in the same pack at the same price structure.
A phone photo of a faded shirt becomes clean, print-ready vector art. The second order takes two minutes because the first one is archived down to the thread color.
This shop exists for the military community, and it shows in how orders run. Deadlines are treated like formation times, proofs are honest instead of optimistic, and when Melrose customers call, a person who owns the order answers.
The same discipline applies inward: an unrealistic date or a design that will not print well gets flagged before you commit, not explained after.
The Design Lab puts your art on the real garment, takes your size counts, and totals the whole order, shipping included, without asking who you are.
The right blank depends on budget, season, and how hard the gear will be worn. For Melrose customers, these three earn their keep.
Most new designs land on the Classic first. 80 plus colors means your art gets the exact backdrop it needs. What you approve in writing is what ships. That rule has no exceptions.
Put the design on washed heavyweight cotton and it stops being a shirt and starts being merch. If a design will not print well at the size you want, you hear that before money changes hands.
The 7.5oz boxy blank is where streetwear concepts land, oversized front or full back. Deadlines get treated like formation times, not suggestions.
Finished files are welcome but never required. A faded photo, a hand sketch, or three sentences of description all become professional vector art at no charge, proofed back to you within a day. The revision count is unlimited, the approval is in writing, and production does not move an inch until that approval exists.
Hands-on types can skip the wait entirely: the Design Lab puts your art on the actual garment with the price updating live.
No mystery pricing. These are the published packs on our light cotton tee, front print included, and Melrose customers watch the per piece cost fall as quantity climbs.
| Pieces | Total | Each | Ship | Back print add |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 pieces | $180 | $18 ea | $18 | $4 ea |
| 15 pieces | $250 | $16.67 ea | $18 | $4 ea |
| 20 pieces | $320 | $16 ea | $20.99 | $4 ea |
| 25 pieces | $375 | $15 ea | $20.99 | $3 ea |
| 50 pieces | $700 | $14 ea | $22.99 | $2 ea |
| 100 pieces | $1200 | $12 ea | FREE | $2 ea |
Three add-ons exist and all are flat per piece: the back print at the table rate ($3 from 25 pieces, $2 from 50), the oversized front at $3 or $2 depending on quantity, and extended sizes at $6 or $4. Nothing else gets added. The Design Lab applies every rule automatically, and the written quote confirms the total before anything is charged.
Send the idea through the quote form or build it yourself in the Design Lab. A napkin sketch photographed on a phone counts, our designers have built full unit runs from less.
Twenty-four hours gets you a designer-built proof on the exact blank you chose. Iterate freely until it is right.
Nothing goes to press until you approve the proof in writing. What you sign off on is exactly what prints, that is the whole point of the proof.
Standard turnaround is 5 to 7 business days from approval to doorstep, with rush available when the calendar demands it.
The specs live in our archive permanently: same art, same colors, same result, on demand.
Delivery to Melrose addresses follows one simple clock: 5 to 7 business days including production, with tracking from the moment it leaves. Hit 100 pieces and the shipping line drops to zero.
The roster is the packing list: every size counted into the box, tracking issued at pickup, and any shortage or transit damage made right at our cost without argument.
There are no returns on custom orders; once printed, the work is final. That is exactly why production never starts without your written approval of a free proof, and why the size roster deserves a second look before you submit.
Our minimum is 10 pieces. Packs for your Melrose crew begin at 10, the per piece price falls as the count climbs, and shipping goes free at 100.
Best case: vector art (AI, SVG, EPS, PDF). Very good case: a 300 DPI transparent PNG. Worst case: a screenshot, which our designers redraw at no charge anyway.
Deployed addresses are first-class here: APO and FPO ship on the standard timeline, right alongside all 50 states.
That is the point of the Design Lab: the complete number, packs, back prints, size upcharges, shipping, updates live while you design, before any contact form.
The standard clock is 5 to 7 business days covering both production and delivery. Many orders can run faster; name the date and we will confirm or decline honestly.
More answers on the full FAQ page.
See everything we deliver to Melrose, browse custom design across Iowa, or read the full custom design service page. Other services in Melrose: Screen Printing, Embroidery, DTG and DTF Printing, Sublimation, Banners and Signs.
A designer proofs your art free within 24 hours, and production waits for your written approval. Every pack price is already published.