182 YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR...

So my £13 t-shirt is back from Inkthreadable, and the old adage 'you get what you pay for' may be true. It isn't exactly what I was after, to be honest. That's not to say it is a complete loss, more that my expectations have been recalibrated.

Let's start with the good. The t-shirt was cheap, but the quality is decent. It is exactly the right size, has good weight, and the colour is spot on. I am more than happy to order again if this is the base for the design.

Now, the not so good. The transfer of the design is a little bitty - as if the ink hasn't penetrated deeply enough into the cotton. As a result, some of the design is lost. The little ice cube/checkerboard motif is almost imperceptible.

If we are going with a slightly shonky look for the trip, this t-shirt fits perfectly. It is both professionally produced and rough-and-ready, which fits our aspirations.

It will be interesting to see whether the company can print in gold for Carl or if it will need to be a vintage yellow (or similar) variant.

Another thing to note is that the design is printed exactly where I positioned it, meaning that it is ever so slightly skew-whiff, not dead centre. I can't fault the company for this; it is entirely my fault for not noticing the design tools that let you set the image to an exact size and, importantly, dead centre - d'oh!

I need to wash and iron the t-shirt as a final check before ordering anything else to see how it holds up, but as a first pass, it feels like a decent effort.

So in conclusion, I'm happy enough so far. Simple ordering process, reasonable price, speedy delivery and acceptable results. The 'Just Please Squint' ethos is alive and well in my first attempt.