When people argue about shirt quality online, they’re often arguing about three different things at once:
- Screen printing: best for bulk runs and simple art. Great durability when done right.
- DTG (direct-to-garment) / “digital printing”: best for one-offs and full-color art. More variable across shops and garments.
- Embroidery: great for logos and “uniform” vibes, not great for big detailed artwork.
Both UberPrints and ooShirts offer no-minimum ordering, and both can produce shirts using screen printing and digital methods. The difference is how predictable the experience feels when you’re not an apparel production nerd.
Our test snapshot (from our 2026 bulk/group scoring)
All scores are 1–5, relative within our comparison set.
| Company | Quality | Price | Options | Templates & Tools | Customer Service | Turnaround | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UberPrints | 4.6 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.00 |
| ooShirts | 1.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 2.38 |
Read that table like this: ooShirts wins on price, but loses on the stuff that ruins your week if anything goes sideways.
Quality (print, feel, and “does it look good on a real human”)
UberPrints quality
UberPrints’ best lane is digital printing for one-offs and small runs, where the output tends to be clean and consistent for mainstream needs. They also do screen printing and embroidery, but those come with minimums.
In our scoring, UberPrints’ quality landed near the top of the bulk/group set because results were generally predictable: decent opacity, solid placement consistency, and fewer “wait, why is this faded?” moments.
ooShirts quality
ooShirts is the classic trade: low prices, higher variance. When ooShirts nails it, you can get perfectly acceptable event shirts for cheap. When they miss, it’s usually one of these:
- ink looks underpowered on dark garments
- placement feels slightly off across sizes
- fine detail gets a little crunchy or muddy
- a batch looks like it came from two different worlds
That’s why ooShirts scored at the bottom in our quality column. It’s not that they never produce good work. It’s that you’re buying “cheap first” and accepting more inconsistency as the hidden cost.
The practical reality
If you’re printing something simple (big text, bold logo, minimal colors), both shops can work. If your design has:
- gradients
- small typography
- photo art
- lots of subtle detail
then the gap between UberPrints and ooShirts usually gets wider fast.
Price and value (cheap per shirt vs cheap overall)
This is where ooShirts earns its reputation.
ooShirts value
ooShirts is built to win the spreadsheet. You’ll often see strong bulk discounts, plus pricing structures that favor large groups and school-style orders. If you’re ordering for 30, 50, 100 people, ooShirts is often one of the lowest-cost ways to get shirts delivered.
But value only stays “value” if you give yourself two buffers:
- time buffer: don’t cut it close to the event date
- quantity buffer: order extras so one mistake doesn’t ruin the whole plan
UberPrints value
UberPrints is not trying to be the absolute cheapest bulk shop. It’s more like: “pay a bit more, suffer less.” For single shirts and small batches, the pricing can make sense because you’re paying for speed and a smoother build-to-checkout flow.
For larger bulk orders, UberPrints can still be competitive when screen printing makes sense, but their platform is strongest when you’re not trying to squeeze every penny out of the order.
Design, templates, and customization
UberPrints design tools
This is where UberPrints consistently wins. Their design studio is built for people who want to make a shirt without learning prepress rules the hard way. Templates, editable elements, decent text controls, and a generally clean experience.
If you’re doing a quick one-off gift, a test shirt, or a small run, UberPrints’ design flow is one of the least frustrating ways to get from idea to order.
ooShirts design tools
ooShirts’ editor does the job: text, clip art, uploads, and basic layout. It’s more utilitarian. The experience is fine, but not “i enjoyed that.” (That’s okay. Most people are not trying to enjoy this.)
ooShirts also leans more heavily into a quote-based and support-assisted vibe for bigger group orders, which is useful, but it’s a different kind of “tooling” than a slick creator-first design studio.
Customer service (the real test is what happens when something is wrong)
This is the part people don’t think about until the box arrives.
UberPrints customer service signals
UberPrints shows stronger “they’ll fix it” signals in public review ecosystems, and they also put a fairly clear satisfaction posture on the record (reprint or refund for misprints, flaws, damage within a stated window).
ooShirts customer service signals
ooShirts has much more mixed external feedback. Their own site messaging emphasizes service and guarantees, but third-party signals show a wider range of outcomes, including some harsh complaint patterns around deadlines and issue resolution.
If you’re doing a critical deadline order, this difference matters more than almost any print-method detail.
Ordering experience and tools (reorders, group headaches, and “why is checkout weird”)
UberPrints ordering experience
UberPrints is excellent when you want:
- one design
- one or a few garments
- a straightforward builder flow
- fast production and shipping options
It’s a very “self-serve, do it now” experience.
ooShirts ordering experience
ooShirts feels built for:
- group orders
- larger quantities
- price optimization
- a more quote-and-confirm workflow
If your priority is “as cheap as possible for the group,” ooShirts is designed to support that. Just don’t confuse “cheap to order” with “easy if something goes wrong.”
Turnaround time and shipping (what each brand actually promises)
UberPrints turnaround
UberPrints generally positions digital printing as fast, with multiple shipping speeds available. They also publish separate expectations for screen printing and embroidery.
ooShirts turnaround
ooShirts publishes delivery options with a free standard lane and paid rush upgrades. It’s not slow, but the time-to-door tends to be more “plan ahead” than “save my weekend.”
Use cases: who should pick which?
UberPrints is best for
- One-off shirts and small runs (testing a design, gifts, personal projects)
- People who want a strong online builder and fewer surprises
- Tight deadlines where speed options matter
- Reordering the same design without drama
ooShirts is best for
- Bulk group orders where price is the priority
- Schools, clubs, teams, and events where “good enough” is fine
- Buyers who can add buffer time and order extras
- Simple designs that screen print well
Pros and cons
UberPrints pros
- Strong design studio and self-serve experience
- Good fit for no-minimum and small runs
- Strong customer service and reputation signals
- Clearer “make it right” posture
UberPrints cons
- Not the cheapest bulk option
- Fewer “deep bulk project management” vibes than bulk-first shops
- Screen printing and embroidery have minimums
ooShirts pros
- Very strong pricing for bulk orders
- No minimum order quantity
- Straightforward delivery options with an optional rush lane
- Can be solid for simple, high-quantity event shirts
ooShirts cons
- Higher quality variance risk
- More mixed customer service signals externally
- You should build in buffer time and consider ordering extras
Final verdict
If you’re choosing purely between UberPrints vs ooShirts, here’s the simplest honest answer:
- Pick UberPrints when you want the cleanest experience, you’re ordering one to a few shirts, and you want the outcome to be boring in a good way.
- Pick ooShirts when you need bulk shirts cheap, your design is simple, and you can afford some risk by adding time and quantity buffer.
If you can only make one “don’t regret this later” move: order one sample first (or a small batch) before committing to 50+ shirts. It is cheaper than discovering problems on event day. Every time.