What Is a T-Shirt Mockup and How to Use It for Free in 2025

what is a t-shirt mockup

Want to learn how to run a successful online t-shirt business? The secret is mockups.

This article will help you learn what is a t-shirt mockup, why use t-shirt mockups, and how to make t-shirt mockups using the best free mockup generator.

To boost sales on the print-on-demand website, stop taking your product images and use t-shirt mockups, whether you’re making shirts with Cricut, Silhouette, screen printing, or print-on-demand services.

mockey t shirt mockups

We’re embarrassed that some of our friends ran a t-shirt shop on a print-on-demand website for years without knowing what a t-shirt mockup was.

Here’s a quick dive into it.

What Is a T-shirt Mockup?

A t-shirt mockup is a blank t-shirt template where you add pictures to see how the final product will look. A t-shirt mockup should look just like the real product. Your design should look like it’s printed on the t-shirt, not added digitally.

what is a t-shirt mockup in 2025

After discussing what is a t-shirt mockup, let’s cover why use t-shirt mockups for your business.

Why Use T-shirt Mockups?

There are several reasons why you should use t-shirt mockups.

1. Saves Time

Before mockups, we had to make each design by hand, cut the vinyl, and press it onto a t-shirt with a heat press. Taking a good photo with a phone is easy, but capturing an excellent shot of the product can be tricky!

Photographing T-shirts is tough. No matter how we arranged them, they looked messy and boring. We spent hours trying to position them just right, hoping for that perfect, natural wrinkle.

photographing t-shirts

We took a photo we liked, but we couldn’t get the bright, white background different shops had. Even on a poster board or white desk, it looked dull.

We found t-shirt mockups and realized how easy they are to use! Just search for Mockey AI, add your design, customize it, and download it.

2. Save Money

We could’ve employed a photographer for our product images, but since we like trying new ideas all the time, it wasn’t practical. We didn’t want to set up the photoshoot each time we added something new, plus we didn’t like to spend for it.

Each time we added a unique design, we had to use a t-shirt from the inventory, which quickly added up!

t-shirt photography

With t-shirt mockups, we can use free t-shirt templates from Mockey AI and create as many designs as we want. If we need a new color or style, we just add it and download the t-shirt mockup.

3. Boost Sales

Using t-shirt mockups instead of our phone pictures made our shop look way more professional. When shopping online, we’re more likely to click on the product with the better photo.

Your customers will do the exact same. On platforms like Blinkstore, your images are what make them click on your online shop instead of others.

blinkstore print on demand store

No one would buy from an online shop if the listing image is dark or looks messy. A bright, clean, and professional photo makes us trust that the item is from a good, organized place.

4. Look Professional

Successful online stores often have a consistent style. If you’re selling t-shirts, using t-shirt mockups is important for making your shop look unified.

We love a clean white background. It’s comfortable on the eyes and helps customers focus on the designs without being distracted by extra props like shoes, pants, or phones.

t-shirt with a clean white background

Styled t-shirt mockups are wonderful for showing how a t-shirt might look, but we’ve had more success using mostly white backgrounds for our photos. We add a few styled t-shirt mockups to keep it interesting.

5. Test Ideas

Now, adding a unique design to the t-shirt mockup file is super easy, so testing new ideas is simple. We never loved having too many designs in our store, so we would try out new ones, promote them for a few weeks, and remove any that didn’t work.

We didn’t have to use t-shirts from our stock or print new designs on each one.

We loved downloading t-shirt mockups in colors we wouldn’t usually order. You probably sell what you desire, using colors and backgrounds you think are pretty, even if they’re not what the customer wants.

adding colors in t-shirt mockup

We decided to try new colors, and since we only had to order t-shirts after they sold, it was cheaper than buying 100 blue t-shirts up front that might not sell.

If you sell t-shirts online or plan to, mockups can help your business a lot. Try using t-shirt mockups for your online store!

6. Use Models

A model mockup shows a person wearing a plain t-shirt which you can add your image. It helps customers see how your t-shirt will look on someone since they can’t try it on.

mockey ai model mockup template

When selling your t-shirts, use both flat-lay mockups and model photos. It’s best to show your t-shirt on a plain background and also have a photo of someone wearing it, like a model or a customer review picture.

Adding your image to a model mockup is as simple as adding it to a flat-lay mockup. We’ll show you how to do it in Mockey AI. Here’s an example of a Model Mockup template from Mockey AI.

mockey ai model t-shirt mockup template

How to Make T-shirt Mockups for Free?

You can make free T-shirt mockups using Mockey AI, the best mockup website. It lets you customize your design and download it without watermarks. Follow it step by step:

1. Go to the Website

Open your web browser and visit the Mockey website. Sign up there.

open mockey and sign up there

2. Find T-shirt Templates

Click on the “Mockups” section. Then go to “Apparel” and select “T-shirt” from the options.

select t-shirt in mockey

3. Add Your Design and Customize

Pick from the different categories of t-shirts.

CategoryOptions
Style of ClothingBlank, Round Neck, V-Neck, Long Sleeve, Polo, Oversized, Washed
Who It’s ForWomen, Men, Unisex, Teen
Model OptionsWithout People, Mannequin, Asian Model, African Model, American Model, Indian Model
View TypesClose-Up, Back, Flatlay
Special Features3D, Bundle

Pick the template and on the next page, click on “Upload Design.” Choose the picture, logo, or design you want on your T-shirt.

upload design for t-shirt mockup

You can also change the T-shirt’s color or background to match your style.

There’s a feature called “AI Photoshoot” where you can pick a ready-made design or type what you want your scene to look like. The AI will create your image based on that.

ai photoshoot in mockey ai

4. Download your T-shirt Mockup

Once your design looks perfect, click “Download Mockup.” You’ll get a high-quality image of your T-shirt design in JPEG format without any watermarks. The best part? It’s completely free.

Conclusion

We hope we explained the exciting world of t-shirt mockups in a way that’s easy to understand!

We have covered what is a t-shirt mockup, why t-shirt mockups are helpful and how you can create t-shirt mockups for free.

Now it’s your turn! Sign up on Mockey AI, start exploring, and customize your designs. It’s super fun and easy to use—give it a try!

FAQs on What Is a T-shirt Mockup

How to use AI to create t-shirt mockups?

To make t-shirt mockups with AI, pick a tool like Mockey AI, upload your image, tweak the template, and download your t-shirt mockup quickly for marketing or selling.

How do you put a logo on a T-shirt mockup?

To put a logo on a T-shirt mockup, use a tool like Mockey AI. Pick a design, upload your logo, resize it, and make any changes you want. Then, download your finished T-shirt mockup.

How are designs put on t-shirts?

You put your designs on a t-shirt template, move it around to the right spot, and adjust the colors and background to make it look real on different t-shirt styles.

What is the best t-shirt mockup generator?

The best t-shirt mockup generator is Mockey.ai because it offers unlimited free downloads, customizable templates, and a large variety of video mockups for different design needs.

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create t-shirt mockup fast