FAQ's

The Twisted Hippo FAQ | Orders, Shipping, Printing & Returns

Do you have this item in stock?

We get this question a lot about our graphic T-shirt collections.

Most items at The Twisted Hippo are print-to-order, which means your item is printed specifically for you after the order is placed. This allows us to offer a wide variety of designs, school spirit wear, sports team shirts, and seasonal collections without having to store every design in every size and color.

Keeping every combination in stock would quickly become an inventory nightmare for a small business. Printing to order lets us offer more styles, more colors, and more school designs while keeping everything fresh.

That said, we do try to keep some of our most popular school and sports colors and sizes in stock whenever possible.

If you need something quickly for a game, tournament, spirit day, or school event, feel free to reach out and we’ll happily check what we currently have available.

What is Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing?

Many of our shirts are printed using Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing, a modern printing process that uses specialty water-based inks to print designs directly into the fabric.

Unlike traditional screen printing, DTG printing allows us to create high-detail designs with thousands of color variations. Because the artwork is printed digitally, designs can also be adjusted for different shirt sizes without needing separate screens or templates.

DTG printing produces soft, vibrant prints that feel like part of the garment rather than sitting heavily on top of the fabric.

How long does it take for my order to ship?

Our typical turnaround time for graphic T-shirts and printed apparel is 3-4 business days, although many orders ship sooner.

This timeframe allows us to:

Order garments if needed
Print and cure the design
Account for supplier shipping timelines

Other items ship faster:

Acrylic and wood items
Usually ship within 1–2 business days

Boutique ready-to-ship items
Ship the next business day

If you need something quickly for an event, tournament, or school function, feel free to contact us before ordering.

Do you offer local pickup?

Yes! Local pickup is available in Madisonville, Louisiana.

When placing your order, simply choose the Local Pickup option at checkout. Once your order is ready, you will receive an email with pickup instructions.

Pickup guidelines:

Orders are typically ready within 3–4 days
Pickup is available before dark
A reminder will be sent if items are not picked up

Orders not picked up within one month will require contacting us to arrange pickup. No refunds are given for unclaimed orders.

What brands of shirts do you use?

We use high-quality, boutique-style blanks known for comfort and durability.

Most shirts are:

Bella + Canvas
100% ring-spun cotton

Comfort Colors
Garment-dyed 100% ring-spun cotton

Hoodies and sweatshirts may include:

Independent Trading Company (ITC)
80/20 cotton/poly fleece with a 100% cotton face yarn for soft printing results.

These brands are chosen because they produce soft, comfortable shirts that print beautifully with DTG ink.

How should I wash my shirt?

To help preserve the life of your printed garment:

Wash cold
Turn garment inside out
Avoid bleach
Avoid fabric softener
Do not wash with zippers or rough fabrics like jeans

Important: Please wash your shirt before wearing.

DTG printing requires a pretreatment solution that bonds the ink to the garment. Wearing the garment before washing can sometimes cause sun staining on lighter colors.

Care instructions are included with your order.