Terms of Sale | Northwest Custom Apparel

1. About these terms

Who we are

Northwest Custom Apparel ("NWCA," "we," "us," "our") is a family-owned decorator in Milton, Washington, in business since 1977. "You" means the person or organization buying from us. If you order for a company, team, school or other group, you confirm you're allowed to do that for them.

What these terms cover

These terms apply to everything you buy from us, including:

Quotes and orders we prepare for you, whether you order through your online quote page, by phone or email, with a purchase order, or in our showroom.
Pay-online orders you place and pay for on teamnwca.com: orders from our pay-online stores (Custom Tees and Custom Caps), and paid samples.
Webstores we build and run for your company, team, school or fundraiser (see section 17).

Agreeing to these terms

We ask you to agree to these terms when you accept a quote, pay a deposit or pay online. Ticking the box and clicking Accept or Pay is your agreement, just like signing. We keep a record of which version you agreed to and when. When you approve a proof, we also show you what approving means (section 5).

2. Pricing and quotes

How we build a price

When we supply the garments, our per-piece prices include the garment and its decoration together. For garments you supply (section 11), you pay for the decoration and any setup. Here's what goes into a price:

The garment. The style, color and sizes you choose.
The decoration method. Embroidery, screen printing, DTG (direct-to-garment) printing, DTF (direct-to-film) transfers and our other methods each have their own pricing.
Quantity. Each method has quantity tiers. The more pieces, the lower the price per piece. Pieces decorated with the same method count together toward a tier, but different methods never combine. Embroidered caps count separately from embroidered garments. In screen printing, each design counts on its own.
Placements. Each extra logo or location adds to the price. Larger areas (like a full back), special techniques (like 3D puff embroidery) and personal names or monograms are priced as add-ons.
Design size. Embroidery prices include a standard stitch count. Larger designs with more stitches cost more.
Size upcharges. 2XL and larger sizes, and tall sizes, cost more per piece.
One-time setup. This covers digitizing a logo for embroidery, screen setup and art work:
- Digitizing is charged once per logo, so reorders of the same logo don't pay it again. Edits to a digitized logo are extra.
- Screen printing has a setup charge for each screen or ink color, plus a screen reset when you reorder.
- Art setup and custom design work are charged as shown on your quote.
- Our pay-online stores can include setup in the price. For example, Custom Caps includes logo setup.
Small orders. Orders below a set quantity for each decoration method carry a small-order charge. Depending on the order, it's either built into the per-piece price or shown as its own line on your quote. In our quote cart and on Custom Tees, it's always built into the per-piece price, so there's no separate fee. Some products, like Custom Caps, have an order minimum instead. Your quote, the product page or checkout shows where these apply.
Extras you choose. Rush service, finishing (such as folding, bagging, labels or hang tags) and shipping.

We don't list amounts on this page because they're updated from time to time. The current amounts are always shown on your quote, on the product page or at checkout. Your AE is happy to walk you through any line.

How long a quote is good for

Quotes are good for 30 days from the day we issue them. The expiry date is on your quote.
After that, a quote can't be accepted online, and prices may change (for example, if garment costs have gone up). Just ask your AE for a fresh quote.
Prices in our quote cart come live from our pricing system. Your AE confirms the final price, sales tax and shipping with your free proof.

What you pay

You pay the price on your accepted quote or at checkout for the items and services listed, plus sales tax and shipping, unless they're shown as included or free.
On pay-online orders (Custom Tees, Custom Caps and paid samples), the checkout shows your full total, including tax and shipping, before you pay.
When we're shipping a quoted order, your AE confirms shipping and sales tax before online payment on your quote page turns on. If shipping can't be priced exactly before you pay, we'll tell you up front whether it's an estimate or will be billed after your order ships.

What can change a price

Once you accept a quote or pay online, we hold those prices for that order. A price changes only if your order changes or your artwork needs more work than quoted, and we'll show you the new price to approve before we go ahead. Common reasons:

Artwork changes: more stitches, more ink colors or screens, a new or larger location, or extra art work your file needs.
Quantity changes: adding or removing pieces can move your order into a different quantity tier.
Garment changes: a different style, color, fabric or size mix.
Timing changes: an earlier date can add a rush fee (section 8).

Our suppliers change garment prices from time to time. That can affect new quotes and expired ones, but not a quote you've already accepted.

If a price is clearly wrong

If a price on our website, a quote or a checkout is clearly wrong because of a typo or system error, we'll contact you before production with the correct price. You can accept the correct price, or cancel for a full refund of anything you paid.

3. Placing an order

Requests aren't orders

Saving a quote in our quote cart, sending a quote request or asking for free samples isn't an order, and no payment is taken. Sticker and banner requests work the same way: your AE confirms the exact size and final price on your proof, and you can say no. Reorders you request in the customer portal aren't charged until you approve a quote.

When your order is placed

Quotes. Your quote becomes an order when you do any one of these:
- accept it on your quote page;
- tell your AE to go ahead;
- send us a purchase order;
- pay a deposit.
Accepting online. When you accept, you choose pickup or shipping. For pickup, online payment on your quote page usually turns on right away. If it doesn't, your AE turns it on. For shipping, your AE confirms shipping and sales tax first, then turns on online payment.
Pay-online orders. Your order is placed when your payment goes through. We'll email you a confirmation.

When we may decline an order

We may decline or cancel an order if:

the artwork is something we can't legally or ethically print (section 6);
we can't get the garments, and a new date or a similar garment doesn't work for you (section 9); or
a price was clearly wrong and you don't accept the correct price (section 2).

If we decline or cancel for one of these reasons, we refund what you paid for the affected items in full.

We may also decline a job with garments you supply. If we do, we refund what you paid for that job in full (section 11). And we may cancel an order that's on hold (section 12). An on-hold cancellation follows the charges in section 12.

4. Payment

When payment is due

Unless you have approved credit terms with us:

New customers pay in full before we order garments or start production.
Returning customers picking up in Milton pay a deposit to start. The balance is due before we release the order.
Orders we ship are paid in full before they leave our shop. The one exception is a shipping charge your AE told you up front would be billed after your order ships.
Pay-online orders are paid in full at checkout.
Art and design work starts once your payment or deposit is in.

Your quote or payment page shows whether you're paying in full or a deposit, and how much. We release an order only once it's paid in full or covered by approved credit terms (apart from shipping billed after it ships, as section 2 explains).

How you can pay

Online by card on teamnwca.com. Pay-online orders and the Pay button on your quote page go through Stripe's secure checkout.
Online by invoice link. Invoice payment links we email to you, and payments at nw.manageorders.com, go through ShopWorks' payment service.
By card in person, by phone, or with a card on file that you authorize in writing. A card-on-file authorization lasts until the card expires or you cancel it in writing.
Cash or check.

When you pay online, you type your card on the payment company's page, not ours, and we never see your full card number. For your security, please never send a card number by email, text or on paper.

Credit terms (paying by invoice)

Credit terms are only for customers we've approved in writing through our Business Credit Application. Our accounting team sets your terms, credit limit and start date in writing, and terms begin only after that. With credit terms, you agree to pay each invoice by its due date and to stay within your limit.

Past-due accounts

If an account is past due, we may pause work or deliveries until it's brought up to date. We may also review, change or end your credit terms, including moving you back to paying up front.

Your deposit if you cancel

If you cancel an order, we refund your deposit minus the charges in section 12. If those charges are more than your deposit, we'll invoice the difference.

5. Proofs and approval

Every order gets a proof

Before we decorate anything, we send you a proof (also called a mockup) showing your design on the garment: the artwork, colors, size and placement. Reorders get a proof too. We don't start production until you approve it.

Custom Tees: if your file needs a proof, we email one, and production starts when you approve it. If it doesn't need one, the design you place on the shirt on screen is your approval, and it's what our printers work from.
Blank samples don't get a proof, because they aren't decorated.

Proof timing depends on the product and your artwork. The product page or your AE will tell you what to expect.

How to approve

Approve in writing: click Approve on your online proof, reply to our proof email, or sign a digital proof. We can't accept a verbal OK.

What approving means

When you approve a proof, you confirm you've checked:

spelling, including every name and number;
the artwork and the ink or thread colors;
the garment style and color;
the size of the design; and
the placement, including front and back.

We make your order to match the proof you approved. If the finished product matches your approved proof, it isn't a defect, even if you'd now like something changed. Names and numbers from a roster are produced exactly as you send them, so please double-check the spelling.

Your approval covers only what's on that proof. A new garment, color, size range or location needs a new proof and a new approval. Changes after approval may delay your order or add charges.

About color

Colors on a screen are approximate. A proof on screen usually looks brighter than the finished print or embroidery.
Embroidery uses the closest thread color. Thread can't exactly match a PMS (Pantone) color.
DTG prints can vary a few shades from what you see on screen.
Garment colors can look different in person than in website photos.
If an exact color matters, ask for a sign-off on a printed Pantone color chip, or a pre-production sample, before we start. A pre-production sample has a fee and adds time to your order.

6. Your artwork

Your promise

Whenever you give us artwork (online, by email, in person or through your AE), you promise that:

you own it, or you have permission to print it;
it doesn't contain trademarks, logos or characters you don't have rights to; and
it contains nothing hateful or illegal.

This includes art made with AI tools. You're responsible for having the rights to what the tool produced, and we check AI art the same way as any other art.

Art we can't print

We can't print:

copyrighted art, including images from the internet, unless you show us you have the rights or written permission;
another company's, team's or school's logos or trademarks (including pro sports marks), unless they're yours, you're a licensee, or you have written permission;
look-alikes of well-known brands;
likenesses of public figures; or
anything hateful or illegal.

For some designs, we may ask you to sign our Design Authorization & Licensing Verification Form. Our Art Director makes the final call on whether we can print a design. If we decline your artwork, we'll tell you why and refund your order in full.

If someone says your art isn't yours to use

If someone makes a claim against us because of artwork you gave us, you agree to cover our reasonable costs and losses from that claim. If you believe something we made uses your work without permission, please email sales@nwcustomapparel.com.

Who owns what

Your artwork stays yours. You keep all rights in the art you give us. You let us use it to quote, proof, make and ship your orders (including reorders), and to show photos of finished orders as section 7 describes.
Production files we make stay ours. When we set up, clean up, redraw or digitize your art for production, you're paying for our time and work. The production files we create, including embroidery stitch files, belong to us and are for orders you place with us. We keep them on file, so reorders don't pay for digitizing again. Owning a production file gives us no rights to your logo or your brand.
Logo design packages. If you buy a full logo-design package, you own the final logo design and its source files once it's paid in full. You can also buy the rights and source files for a design we created for you with hourly art work. The price is on your quote.

7. Showing your order

We're proud of our work, and we like to show it. We may photograph finished orders and show them in our portfolio, on our website and on social media, unless you ask us not to.

We never sell your artwork.
We never say or suggest that you endorse us.
Our photos show the products we made, not your personal information.

Rather we didn't show your order? Just tell your AE, or email sales@nwcustomapparel.com with your company name (and your order number, if you have it). You can ask at any time. We'll leave your orders out from then on, and we'll take down photos of your orders from our website and social media accounts.

8. Production time, in-hands dates and rush

Production time

Standard production times are shown on our product pages and at checkout, and your AE will confirm the time for your quote. They're counted in business days.
Business days are Monday through Friday. They don't include US federal holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, or our year-end closure (December 26 through January 2). This meaning applies everywhere these terms say "business days."
The clock starts once you've approved your proof and we've received your payment or required deposit, or your order is on credit terms we've approved in writing. If you're supplying the garments, we also need to have received and counted all of them.
The dates we give are ship dates, not delivery dates. Shipping time is extra, and it isn't guaranteed.
A late proof approval, a change to your order or a late payment will move your date.

In-hands dates

If you need your order by a certain day, such as an event, a game or a trade show, tell your AE when you order. A requested date is a request until we've checked our production schedule and confirmed it with you.

Rush

Need it sooner than standard? Here's how rush works.

Orders your AE quotes. Ask your AE before you approve your quote.

Our production team approves every rush before we promise a date.
A rush fee may apply. It's a percentage of your order total, and your quote shows it before you approve.
Faster freight from our suppliers and faster shipping to you, like next-day air, are billed to you.
Adding items to a rush order doesn't guarantee the added items will make the same date.

Pay-online stores.

Custom Tees 3-Day Rush: on select styles, order before 9 a.m. Pacific on a business day, and your order ships 3 business days later. The exact ship date is on the Pay button before you're charged, and the rush price is shown at checkout. If your file needs a proof, your ship date depends on when you approve it; see our Shipping & Turnaround page.
Custom Caps doesn't offer rush.

If we're running late

For pay-online orders, and for quotes you pay for on teamnwca.com (the Pay button on your quote page): if we can't ship your order (or have it ready for pickup) by the promised date, we'll email you before that date with a new date, and you can choose to wait or cancel for a full refund. Our Shipping & Turnaround page lists the date we promise for each. For other orders, your AE will tell you as soon as we know, with a new date and your options. On Custom Tees orders, if we miss the ship date, shipping's on us.

These promises don't apply to delays caused by a late approval, a change to your order, a late payment, or the carrier after your order ships.

9. Garments: stock, backorders and substitutions

Stock shown on our website comes from our garment suppliers and can change quickly. Our pay-online stores (Custom Tees and Custom Caps) check stock when you pay. If we find a shortage after you order, we'll contact you.
If a garment is backordered, we'll tell you the expected date, suggest an alternative and keep you updated until it's sorted out.
We never swap in a different garment without your OK. If a substitute changes how your design prints or sews, we'll re-check it and may send you a new proof.
If the new date or the alternative doesn't work for you, you can cancel the affected items for a full refund of what you paid for them.
Makers discontinue styles and colors from time to time, so a garment you ordered before may not be available for a reorder.
Some garments don't take certain decorations well. If we think your choice won't turn out well, we'll tell you and suggest another.

10. Quantities, color and placement

Quantities

We order the exact garments for your order and ship the quantity on your order. Please count your order when it arrives, and tell us about any shortage within the claim window in section 13. Garments you supply have their own spoilage allowance (section 11).

Color

Please see "About color" in section 5.

Size and placement

We confirm the final size and placement of your design on your proof. As a guide:

a left-chest logo is usually about 3 to 4 inches wide;
a full-back design is usually about 10 to 12 inches;
a cap-front logo is usually 2.25 to 2.5 inches tall.

Placement and size can vary slightly from piece to piece. Your approved proof is the standard we work to, and small variations aren't defects.

Embroidery details

Embroidery can't reproduce everything a print can. Text smaller than about 1/4 inch is hard to read, and color gradients can't be stitched. We may simplify a design for embroidery, and your proof will show you how it will look.

Safety garments

We don't certify safety garments. A garment's safety rating (such as ANSI/ISEA 107) comes from its maker. Please check with your safety officer that your decorated garment meets your needs.

11. Garments you supply

We can sometimes decorate garments you bring us. Please ask your AE first. Before we start, you'll sign our Garment Liability Waiver. It sets the rules for these orders, including:

We can't check the quality or suitability of garments we didn't supply, so that risk is yours.
If something goes wrong in production, our responsibility is limited to the decoration charge. We don't replace the garments or refund their value.
Some spoilage is normal: up to 3% per decoration location, with no credit. Credits apply only above that.
Please send extras, at least one per style and color. We return any you don't need.
Garments must be clean. We note their condition when they arrive, and our receiving count is the count of record.
We schedule your job once all your garments are received and counted.
We can't guarantee DTG color on unfamiliar fabrics, and white ink on dark garments varies most. We recommend a paid sample print first.
Please inspect your order and report problems within 7 days of pickup or delivery.
Signing the waiver doesn't mean we'll take every job. We can still decline. If we do, we refund what you paid for that job in full.

If the waiver and these terms differ, the waiver applies to those garments.

12. Changes and cancellations

Changes

Contact your AE as early as you can. We re-check every change (garment, color, sizes, fabric, artwork, design size, location or quantity) for cost, art and production. Then we send you the revised price, proof and timeline to approve before we go ahead. Art time for changes you ask for is billed. Changes after you've approved a proof may delay your order or add charges.

To change a shipping address, tell us before your order ships. Switching from pickup to shipping adds shipping to your invoice.

Canceling a Custom Tees or Custom Caps order

You can change or cancel free anytime before we print (or stitch). Call 253-922-5793 with your order number.

Canceling other orders

Contact your AE to cancel. Because every order is custom, some costs can't be undone:

Art, digitizing and setup already done are billed at their normal rates, whether or not the garments ship.
Blank garments we can return to our supplier carry a restocking charge based on their price.
Blank garments we can't return are billed in full.
Decorated or personalized items can't be canceled or returned.

We refund your deposit minus these charges (section 4). If we decline or cancel your order for one of the three reasons listed in section 3, you get a full refund.

Orders on hold

If an order is waiting on you for a proof approval or a payment, we'll follow up. If it can't go ahead, we may cancel it and bill the charges above, so we can return blank garments to our supplier in time.

13. Returns and reprints

You'll find full details on our Returns & Reprints page. In short:

No returns for a change of mind. Custom goods are made just for you, so we can't take them back or give refunds because you changed your mind. If the finished product matches the proof you approved, it isn't a defect.
If we got it wrong, we'll make it right. That covers a misprint, a defect, the wrong item or anything that doesn't match your approved proof. Our first fix is to remake it (reprint or re-stitch), promptly. If a remake isn't the right fix (for example, your event has already passed), we'll offer a credit toward a future order or a refund for the affected items. We check every claim against your order and approved proof before we confirm the fix.
Tell us within 7 business days of delivery or pickup (business days are defined in section 8). This window also covers pieces missing from a box that arrived. Please send photos of the problem, the box and the labels. If photos don't settle it, we may ask you to send one item back, or for a large order, the full order. After 7 business days, we'll still take a look, but we can't promise a fix.
Keep the misprints. When we confirm a mistake is ours, you don't need to send anything back. Keep, donate or throw away the misprinted items at no charge.
Garment defects from the maker follow the same steps.
The Forever Guarantee. We guarantee the permanence of our screen printing and embroidery, forever. If the ink or thread genuinely fails, we'll replace or credit the affected items. It doesn't cover DTG, DTF, sublimation or vinyl.
Damaged in shipping? See section 14.

14. Shipping and pickup

You'll find full details on our Shipping & Turnaround page. In short:

Pickup at our Milton shop is free. Choose pickup at checkout or when you accept your quote, and we'll tell you when it's ready. Orders must be paid in full (or covered by approved credit terms) before pickup, and you'll sign for your order.
Shipping is by UPS, USPS or FedEx. PO boxes ship by USPS only. We can also ship on your own carrier account.
Shipping cost is the carrier's charge plus a packing and handling charge for each box, shown on your quote or invoice. Our pay-online stores show their shipping charge, or free shipping, at checkout.
Where we ship: addresses in the 50 states and Washington, DC. We don't ship outside the United States. On Custom Tees and Custom Caps, checkout shows your shipping charge for any address in the 50 states and DC. On orders your AE quotes, we can arrange special shipping to Alaska, such as by barge.
Tracking: we email tracking information when your order ships.
Wrong address: if an order has to be reshipped because the address you gave us was wrong, you pay to reship it.
Carrier delays: once your order is with the carrier, delivery timing is up to the carrier, and we're not responsible for carrier delays.
Damaged, lost or missing packages. Count your boxes and pieces when your order arrives.
- A box arrives damaged: tell your AE within 48 hours of delivery, and keep all the packaging.
- A box is missing, or tracking says delivered and you can't find it: tell us right away.
- Pieces are short inside a box that arrived: tell us within 7 business days of delivery or pickup, as section 13 explains.
Carrier claims. When we ship on our carrier account, we file the claim with the carrier and replace or credit what's damaged or missing. We won't make you wait for the carrier to settle.

15. Sales tax and exemptions

We charge sales tax where the law requires it.
Washington deliveries are charged Washington sales tax at the rate for the delivery address. Pickups are charged the Milton rate. In Washington, shipping charges are taxable too.
Orders we ship outside Washington by carrier generally aren't charged Washington sales tax.
Resellers and tax-exempt buyers: please send us your Washington reseller permit or exemption certificate before you order. We can't remove tax after an order is invoiced and paid. If an exemption turns out to be invalid, you're responsible for the tax, penalties and interest.
Our pay-online checkouts can't apply a tax exemption. If you're exempt, please order through your AE.

16. Samples

Online Sample Program. Samples ship blank, with no decoration and no proof. Some are free and some are paid; the sample cart shows which. Shipping is free. Paid samples ship within 2 to 3 business days of payment, and what you pay for them is credited toward your first decorated order.
Loaner samples, from our showroom or shipped to you, follow the sample checkout agreement you sign when you take them.
Decorated samples of your own design are available before production for a fee, and they add time to your order (section 5).

17. Webstores

We build webstores for companies, teams, schools and fundraisers.

For the organization: you approve the products before your store goes live. Setup charges, per-item prices and any sales minimum are shown on our webstore pages and in your webstore quote. Your store is either always open or open for a set window, as we agree with you.
Fundraising stores: prices include your fundraising margin. We pay the funds raised to your organization after the store closes. We'll need your organization's tax ID, and we issue a 1099 where required.
For shoppers: each person orders and pays for their own items. Orders ship to one location or to each shopper, depending on how the store is set up. Items are made to order, so section 13 applies unless the store shows different terms.

18. Limits on our responsibility

The fixes in section 13 (a remake, a credit or a refund) are how we make things right when an order has a problem.
Apart from the promises in these terms, we don't make other promises about our products, including implied warranties (such as merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose), as far as the law allows.
As far as the law allows, our total responsibility for any order is limited to the amount you paid for that order. For garments you supply, it's limited as the Garment Liability Waiver says.
As far as the law allows, we aren't responsible for indirect losses, such as lost profits, lost sales or the cost of a missed event.
We aren't responsible for delays or problems caused by things outside our control, such as carrier delays, supplier shortages, severe weather, or power or system outages. If one affects your order, we'll tell you as soon as we can and work with you on a new date.
Nothing in these terms takes away rights that the law says can't be limited.

19. Governing law and disputes

Washington State law governs these terms and every order under them.
If something goes wrong, please talk to us first. Call or email your AE, or use the contact details below. Most problems are solved quickly.
If we can't work it out, any lawsuit must be filed in the state or federal courts in Washington State. Either of us may use small claims court if the claim qualifies.
If any part of these terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies. If we don't enforce a term right away, we can still enforce it later.

20. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date and version at the top show which version you're reading, and the current version is always at teamnwca.com/terms.

These terms include our Returns & Reprints and Shipping & Turnaround pages, and all three always carry the same version date. Each order follows the version you agreed to for it. If you're asked to agree again later in the same order (for example, when you pay), the newer version applies from then on. Your AE can send you the version that applies to your order.

Contact us

Your account executive (AE) is your best first stop for questions about a quote, an order or this page. Not sure who your AE is? Contact us and we'll connect you.

Northwest Custom Apparel
2025 Freeman Rd E, Milton, WA 98354
Phone or text: 253-922-5793
Email: sales@nwcustomapparel.com
Billing questions: accounting@nwcustomapparel.com
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific

The short version