Howard Custom Transfers — Summer 2026
The Summer
Merch
Playbook
15 complete looks across five merchandising categories. Every blank, every transfer, every selling angle — built for decorators who want to do summer right.
15 complete looks for summer 2026. Enter your details below for instant access.
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Howard Custom Transfers — Summer 2026
15 complete looks across five merchandising categories. Every blank, every transfer, every selling angle — built for decorators who want to do summer right.
The summer selling season is wide open — and the decorators who win it aren't the ones taking the most orders. They're the ones showing clients what great merch actually looks like.
Inside you'll find 15 complete looks across five merchandising categories — everyday tees, statement pieces, headwear, carry goods, and coordinated sets. Every look includes the blank, the transfer, the design logic, and the business case for why it works.
Transfer education is woven throughout: when to reach for Howard Multi-Purpose vs. colorVIBE DTF vs. Vintage Wash vs. Puff — and how to explain those decisions to clients in a way that builds trust and closes orders.
Better merch. Bigger orders. Clients who reorder. Let's build it.
Read it cover to cover for inspiration. Use individual looks as conversation starters with clients. Refer to the Transfer Quick-Reference Guide at the back when choosing a finish.
And share it freely — this playbook works as a sales tool just as well as a resource. Show a client the Paradise Beach Surf Shop look and watch the conversation about garment-dyed blanks open up naturally. Point to the Cockatoo Café hat and explain why DTF handles curved seams and specialty substrates better than anything else. Let the work do the talking.
Volume, relationships, repeat business — the everyday tee is where it all starts. But the decorators who build the best client rosters aren't just running tees. They're running the right tees. Blanks that feel good, prints that hold up, and color choices that earn a second glance. Every look in this section is built to move product and keep clients coming back.
Hover for detailService brands are on the move all day — lawn crews, arborists, cleaners, contractors — and every crew member is a walking billboard driving through neighborhoods. When the apparel is sharp, the brand looks sharp. This look turns a workday tee into a marketing asset that earns its keep on every job site and every street it travels.
Howard Multi-Purpose holds up through physical work, washing, and real-world wear. Soft hand keeps it comfortable through a long shift — no cracking, no peeling, no fading.
Price out a fleet package — same artwork, multiple sizes — and position it as a rebrandable annual order. Once you land the first run, reorders are nearly automatic.
Hover for detailVacation retail lives and dies on the souvenir tee. Customers aren't just buying a shirt — they want something that still feels good two summers from now, still carries the memory of the trip. Soft garment-dyed color and sun-washed ink give this piece that worn-in, kept-forever quality that turns a one-time purchase into a years-long advertisement.
Howard Multi-Purpose applies with a soft hand that doesn't fight the BC4810GD's garment-dyed texture. The result reads as intentional, not applied.
Offer a 'seasonal colorway' package — same artwork, new blank color each season — so clients can reorder with minimal design cost and keep the rack feeling fresh.
Hover for detailThe best café merch doesn't feel like merch — it feels like an extension of the shop itself. Something that regulars reach for because it actually fits their life, not because the barista talked them into it. A butter-yellow tank with warm, earthy ink hits that sweet spot between casual and considered.
Howard Multi-Purpose bonds well with Comfort Colors' ring-spun texture, giving a print that feels embedded in the garment rather than applied to it — important for café merch where authenticity is part of the sell.
Position tanks as staff uniforms that double as retail product — the shop buys them for the team, customers ask where to get one. One order, two revenue streams. Bring a sample to any client reordering a standard tee and let the print quality open the conversation.
Everyday tees powered by the right transfer aren't a commodity. They're your highest-volume, most reorderable product. A great print on a clean blank equals a customer who comes back every season.
Every great merch program has a piece that stops people cold. Not because it's loud — because it's different. Statement pieces drive conversation, command higher price points, and show clients what's possible when specialty finishes are in the mix. Show these, and watch the whole conversation shift.
Hover for detailHeritage graphics and lived-in color are the backbone of surf and coastal retail. The whole aesthetic is built on things that look like they've been around a while. Vintage Wash transfer gives any modern blank an instant sense of history — like it spent a summer fading in a driftwood shop window rather than coming off a press yesterday.
Vintage Wash replicates the look of an old screen print washed dozens of times — broken edges, subtle ink variation, naturally faded texture. The super soft hand feel sets it apart the moment a customer picks it up. Pair it with a stonewash or garment-dyed blank and the transfer becomes nearly indistinguishable from a tee that's actually been around for years.
Position Vintage Wash as a 'signature finish' option alongside a standard print quote. The difference in quality — and the justification for the price — is immediately visible.
