Family Reunion Shirts: Designs for Every Generation, Real Costs for 12 to 100 People, and How to Actually Get the Order Done
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An original cartoon design printed on a white t-shirt, suitable for family reunion shirts
Family reunion shirts for thirty people cost $500–650 from a local screen printer or about $1,080 printed on demand, and the deciding factor is not price alone: it is whether you can get thirty relatives across three generations to send a size, a colour and a payment before the deadline. This guide covers the designs that work on a nine-year-old and an eighty-year-old at the same time, the two ways to organise the order, and the numbers at each size of family.
| Key takeaways | |
|---|---|
| Under 20 people or mixed sizes 2XL+ | Print on demand, $36 each, everyone orders their own |
| 30+ people, one design, one delivery | Local screen printer, $15–22 each plus setup |
| Design that works for all ages | Surname as a crest or badge, year, and a colour per branch of the family |
| Size collection | One message, one measurement, one deadline |
| Timeline | Start eight weeks out; order six weeks out |
The one design decision: colour per branch
The format that solves most reunion problems is a single design printed on a different shirt colour for each branch of the family. Grandma's line in navy, Uncle Ray's in forest green, the cousins from Texas in burgundy. It makes the group photo readable, it tells strangers at the park which kids belong to whom, and it lets each branch order independently. Keep the palette to four or five colours that sit well together; a rainbow looks like a school trip.
Designs that work on every age
| Format | Example | Why it works across generations |
|---|---|---|
| Surname crest | "Okonkwo Family Reunion, Est. 1952, Atlanta 2027" in a vintage badge | Looks like clothing, not a party favour; grandparents will wear it |
| Family tree | Tree with the founding couple at the root and each branch as a limb | Shows who belongs to whom; kids love finding themselves |
| Tour shirt | Surname on the front, every reunion year and city on the back | Records the history; the back print doubles as a family archive |
| Map | A map with a pin for every city the family lives in | Instant conversation starter for the older relatives |
| Number shirts | Each person's birth year as a jersey number | Sorts the generations visually; the teenagers actually like it |
Avoid jokes that need explaining, cartoon caricatures of specific relatives (someone will be offended), and anything referencing one branch's religion, politics or sports team.
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30 reunion shirt ideas
- Vintage badge with surname, founding year and the reunion city
- Family tree with each branch in its own colour
- Fake tour shirt listing every reunion since the first
- Map of the country with a star for each household
- Birth years as jersey numbers on the back
- "Same roots, different branches"
- The founding couple's names in a wedding-invitation style with their marriage year
- "Cousin Crew" with a running tally of cousins
- "Sponsored by Grandma" on the grandkids, "The Sponsor" on her
- Retro summer-camp badge: "Camp Okonkwo, Lake Lanier, 2027"
- The family recipe printed as the design (Grandma's cornbread, in her handwriting if you have it)
- "I survived the family reunion" for the shirt worn on the last day
- A line drawing of the original family home
- Each generation's shirt numbered: Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 3, Gen 4
- "Blood makes you related, this reunion makes you family"
- A cartoon of the family car everyone learned to drive in
- Family motto, real or invented
- The family's immigration route as a dotted line on a map
- Old-fashioned sports crest: surname, "Athletics Club", founding year
- "Reunion Committee" in a different colour for the organisers
- Matching caps with a small crest for the relatives who won't wear the shirt; see custom hats
- Hoodies in the same crest for a winter or lake reunion; see custom hoodies
- "First reunion" on the newest baby
- Kids' version: same crest with a cartoon animal mascot
- Memorial line: "In memory of" and a name, small on the sleeve, for everyone
- Trivia on the back: "How many cousins? How many countries? How many redheads?" with answers
- "Same nose, different decades"
- The reunion schedule printed on the back, so nobody asks
- Family band name if one branch plays music
- "See you in 2029" on the last day, with the next host city
What thirty shirts cost
| Family size | Print on demand, mixed sizes, each orders their own | Local screen printer, one design, one colour | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | $432 ($36 each) | $300–380 incl. setup | On demand: no money collection, no size upcharge, ships to each household |
| 30 | $1,080 | $500–650 | Local if one person can collect $20 from everyone and hand out shirts on day one |
| 60 | $2,160 | $800–1,100 | Local; ask for the 2XL+ upcharge and the per-colour setup up front |
| 100+ | $3,600+ | $1,100–1,600 | Local or online bulk; get three quotes |
Two things narrow the gap for big families. Screen printers often charge $2–4 extra for 2XL and above and $15–40 setup for each shirt colour, so a five-colour, three-generation order at a local shop lands nearer the on-demand figure than the table suggests. And on demand sends each shirt to each household with tracking, which removes the box-in-the-boot-of-the-organiser's-car problem entirely.
Two ways to organise the order
| Organiser orders everything | Everyone orders their own | |
|---|---|---|
| Best with | Local screen printer, 30+ identical shirts | Print on demand, any size family |
| Money | Organiser collects $20–25 per person first | Each household pays at checkout |
| Sizes | Organiser chases 30 people | Each person picks their own |
| Delivery | One box, handed out at the reunion | Each household receives its own before travelling |
| Risk | Wrong sizes discovered on the day | One relative forgets to order |
| Fix for the risk | Order 10% spare in M, L and XL | Send a reminder a week before the deadline; late orderers can still buy one with no minimum |
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Collecting sizes across three generations
- Send one message to the family group: "Lay a t-shirt you like flat, measure armpit to armpit in inches, reply with the number and your branch colour."
- Map replies to the size chart: 18 in S, 20 M, 22 L, 24 XL, 26 2XL, 28 3XL, 30 4XL, 32 5XL.
- For children under about ten, order the smallest unisex adult size to wear long, or buy plain youth tees locally in the branch colour and print only the adults.
- Give one deadline, one week out. Anyone who misses it gets a large.
Timeline
| Weeks before | Do this |
|---|---|
| 8 | Agree the format and the branch colours; generate the design; share the preview |
| 7 | Send the size message with a one-week deadline |
| 6 | Order (or open ordering to each household). Production and delivery: two to four weeks on demand, one to two at a local shop |
| 2 | Shirts arrive; reorder wrong sizes (no minimum on demand) |
| 1 | Reminder to pack the shirt |
Making the design
Describe it once, for example "a vintage badge that reads Okonkwo Family Reunion, Est. 1952, Atlanta 2027, with an oak tree in the centre, cream on no background". Generate it in the Wearlie designer, preview it on navy, green and burgundy, and share the link. Each branch orders in its colour and sizes; every shirt costs the same.
Frequently asked questions
How much do family reunion shirts cost?
$36 each on demand with no minimum, or $15–22 each from a screen printer for 30 or more identical shirts plus setup fees.
Can each branch of the family have a different colour?
Yes. On demand, the same design on different shirt colours costs the same; at a screen printer, each colour may add a setup fee.
How do I handle sizes for kids and grandparents?
One measurement from everyone, mapped to the size chart; smallest unisex size for young children or local youth tees in the same colour.
When should I order?
Six weeks before the reunion, with sizes collected the week before that.
