T-shirt mockups are a great way to showcase your products if you’re having trouble with product photography or using a print-on-demand service to run your store. They provide a realistic depiction of your products without the need to shoot them or even have samples on hand.
Ahead, find a list of the best t-shirt mockups and templates you can use for your clothing line so you don’t have to worry about finding models and perfecting studio lighting.
What is a t-shirt mockup?
A t-shirt mockup is a blank slate for designing a t-shirt with your own graphics, pictures, words, or branding. When you mock up a t-shirt, you create a design and place it on a virtual shirt so you and your customers can get an idea of what it will look like in real life.
There are two types of t-shirt templates available: online t-shirt generators and downloadable t-shirt mockup files. The latter is typically formatted as a PSD, or Photoshop document. This requires knowing how to use the photo editor, as well as basic knowledge of apparel design and clothing photography. Generators, however, are simple tools that allow you to drop in your own image files and make easy adjustments.
9 top online t-shirt mockup generators
1. Printful
Printful isn’t just a print-on-demand provider—it’s also a free source for t-shirt mockups. You don’t need image-editing software to add your design to these t-shirt templates, and Printful offers templates for shirts, hoodies, and more. Whether you need a onesie template or a men’s t-shirt template, you’re covered.
Shopify app: Yes
Key features:
- Shirt template includes a model wearing the product
- Includes a transparent background
- Design t-shirt mockups for free
2. Printify
Printify uses a simple drag-and-drop function that allows you to instantly produce highly realistic mockups for your t-shirt designs. You can quickly switch between different color options and size variants, making it easy to see how your designs will look across all the color and size variants you want to sell.
Shopify app: Yes
Key features:
- Easily switch between different size and color variants
- Includes options for editing both the front and back of your design
- Includes a wide variety of t-shirt, hoodie, and tank top options
3. Gelato
Gelato is another print-on-demand dropshipping app that connects directly to your Shopify store. Among its suite of tools, Gelato incluses a mockup generator and design editor that allow you to customize and tweak your designs. It also includes an option that lets you upload multiple variants of the same design.
Shopify app: Yes
Key features:
- Includes access to more than 360 million vectors, stock photos, and other visual assets
- Products ship from nine countries worldwide, allowing you to keep shipping times low
4. Shirt-King
Shirt-King allows you to upload your ready-made t-shirt designs or create new ones with its mockup generator. You create the product designs and Shirt-King handles production and order fulfillment. It also includes automatic order synchronization and seamless Shopify integration. However, Shirt-King is only available in the European Union.
Shopify app: Yes
Key features:
- Caters to businesses in the EU
- Automated order synchronization
- Design t-shirt mockups for free
5. Custom Ink
Custom Ink’s t-shirt mockup generator is a great free tool that lets you see how your designs will look on a wide range of shirts, from tank tops to raglans. Custom Ink has a limited choice of colors available, which makes it a lot less intimidating. Once you’re done, you can order your shirts directly from Custom Ink.
Shopify app: No
Key features:
- Includes a suite of free-to-use graphics
- Mockups can be turned into physical products using Custom Ink’s online tool
6. Smartmockups
Smartmockups is home to more than 1,500 free t-shirt mockups. All you have to do is upload your design, choose a t-shirt color, and download the mockup. You can find everything here, including v-necks, round neck, kids shirts. Smartmockups even offers mockups for phone cases, mugs, and more if you want to expand your product collection.
Shopify app: No
Key features:
- View mockups from all angles, including top view, front view, hanging t-shirt, and folded t-shirt
- High-quality mockup file to use in your online store
- Design t-shirt mockups for free
7. Styria Shirts
Another EU option, Styria Shirts lets you design your own products while it prints, embroiders, packs, and ships the orders on your behalf. Customize colors, designs, labels, and brands using its mockup generator. In addition to t-shirts, you can design hoodies, sweatshirts, tank tops, mugs, and tote bags.
Shopify app: Yes
Key features:
- For EU-based businesses
- More than 200 products available to customize
8. Placeit
Placeit is a well-known t-shirt mockup generator that lets you place screenshots into images of computers, phones, and more. Choose from a wide range of t-shirt templates, place your design on them, and buy the ones that fit your brand, all without ever opening an image editor. Placeit is a great t-shirt mockup generator for those not experienced with image-editing software.
Shopify app: No
Key features:
- Tons of styles to choose from
- Online tool is extremely simple to use
9. Shirtee.Cloud
Shirtee.Cloud has more than 50 different products and 4,000 product variations. It includes white label shipping, warehousing, and returns management. You can customize your designs or upload your own.
Shopify app: Yes
Key features:
- Specializes in catering to EU-based businesses
- Ability to list your products on the Shirtee.Cloud marketplace
8 sources for downloadable t-shirt mockup and template files
1. Creative Market
Creative Market is a great source for PSD templates for all kinds of products, including t-shirts (like this one), hoodies, crop tops, and tanks. While not free, you get a license for the template to use over and over—and some cost as little as $2.
2. Go Media
There are multiple t-shirt and hoodie templates available for sale from Go Media, but one of the most interesting and unique features is that you can buy t-shirt templates that also have a side view of your design. If you have design elements best viewed from the left or the right, this might be the place to make your t-shirt mockups.
3. Graphic Burger
Graphic Burger has a few free t-shirt templates, including this one featuring front and back views, and this one for v-neck tees. You can find files that are free to download, but you’ll need Photoshop to open them and make changes.
4. Behance
Behance is the world’s largest online platform for showcasing and discovering creative work. It’s home to hundreds of t-shirt design templates and t-shirt outlines you can download to use for your store. Toggle by price (free or premium) and by file type.
5. Freepik
Another place to get free t-shirt mockup PSD files is Freepik. You can browse through more than 5,000 different mockup sets, such as tri-blend crew tops, sports shirts, and t-shirts with cool typography. You can also choose from vector t-shirt and clipart graphics if you don’t want to show your designs with models.
6. Pixelbuddah
Pixelbuddah offers a few options for t-shirt mockups. This freebie offers downloadable photorealistic t-shirt templates to display your shirts outside of the typical flat-lay or hanger options. You can easily edit the t-shirt color, add your design (and have it follow the folds and wrinkles of the shirt), and edit the background color and texture.
7. Pixeden
Pixeden is home to graphic design resources of all kinds, including free mockups for products like books, shoeboxes, and apparel. You can find unique versions like this folded t-shirt template. And, this tank-top mockup includes a hanger, wall-textured background, and a tag you can customize. You’ll need image-editing software to add in your design and change the colors of any of these mockups.
8. Cotton Bureau
Cotton Bureau has a reputation as a source for high-quality, beautifully designed t-shirts, so it’s no surprise it also sells great t-shirt templates for entrepreneurs. Using Creative Market, Cotton Bureau sells t-shirt mockups in a range of colors, fits, and styles. Having fit and brand information available can really help your t-shirt designs show a true-to-life image of what your customers can expect.
Best practices for editing t-shirt mockups
Whether you’re using an online tool or a template you purchased, there are a few best practices for ensuring your t-shirt design translates properly to a printed garment.
Use the right file size and type
Vector files are preferred for t-shirt printing because they can be scaled without quality loss. Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and EPS files are the most common vector file types. You can also use PNG or TIFF files, provided they are high resolution. Lower quality formats like JPEG are not recommended.
Give your design a transparent background
When you prepare your design, be sure it is isolated from its background. Using a transparent background means the shirt color can appear through the cutaways of the design. Vector files and PNG files can be saved with transparent backgrounds.
Choose the right color profile for printing
For printing, CMYK is the best color format. Be sure you create your t-shirt design with a CMYK color profile before importing it into the mockup template. Color profiles can be converted later but you may not get the color results you want in the final print.
Order a sample
Print on demand companies will ship your t-shirts directly to customers without passing through your hands. Therefore, it’s important to order a sample to check the quality of the print against the mockup you created.
Your t-shirt mockup design starter kit
As you can see, there are endless t-shirt templates and mockups to start your t-shirt business online. Use these free and paid generators to find the right look and feel for your apparel and start building your brand.
Feature illustration by Rachel Tunstall
T-shirt templates and mockups FAQ
How do you make a t-shirt mockup?
Once you’ve downloaded the t-shirt mockup file, you’ll use image-editing software like Photoshop to manipulate the color of the shirt. This is also where you can add design elements. Many templates include options to manipulate the tag, labels, buttons, and other unique pieces of the t-shirt. Some mockups also offer options for long-sleeved shirts, tank tops, jackets, and other pieces of apparel.
Where can I find free mockups?
Printful, Printify, Gelato, Custom Ink, Smartmockups, Behance, Freepik
How do I put my design on a mockup?
From scratch in Adobe Photoshop.
Using an online t-shirt mockup generator.
Downloading a t-shirt mockup PSD file and altering it in Photoshop.
How can I make my own t-shirts for free?
Many of the t-shirt mockup generators listed above are free. You can upload your own designs for free, or you can start with a premade template and tweak it for your unique style. While you can design the T-shirts for free, there are costs associated with actually manufacturing them.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when creating t-shirt mockups?
Common mistakes to avoid include: using the wrong color profile, creating your design in an incompatible file format, using too much detail that doesn’t read well once printed, and creating mockups without enough contrast between t-shirt color and design.
