Shopping & air conPhuket's shopping malls
A luxury giant near the Old Town, two malls in Patong, a whole open-air district in Bang Tao, an outlet on the airport road. Which one to pick, and for which brands.
Going out & exploringGetting a football shirt printed in Thailand: Phuket, Patong, Bangkok
The souvenir plenty of travellers bring home: a blank football shirt printed with your name, your number or the group joke. Here's how it works, what affects the price and turnaround, printing ideas, and the one rule you can't get wrong.
The short answer
In Thailand, you get a football shirt printed in a shop, on the spot, in tourist areas like Patong in Phuket or the shopping districts of Bangkok. You choose a blank, unbranded shirt, give the name, number or phrase to print, proofread it, and collect the shirt once the printing is done. Price and turnaround depend on the shop, the number of shirts and how busy it is: get them confirmed before you pay, and don't get it done the day before you fly. The rule that matters: no club logo, kit-maker logo or sponsor. A copy of an official shirt is a counterfeit, and customs seize them. If you want a reliable address, we work with a partner shop and can take you there.
How it works, step by step
Six steps. The mistakes you can't undo almost all happen at the second and the fourth.
Choose the blank shirt
Cut, colour, collar, fabric. A shirt with no brand and no badge: it's the base for your printing. Try it on before anything starts: size gets sorted now, not afterwards.
Write the text, letter by letter
The name, the number, the phrase. Type it in capitals on your phone and show the screen rather than spelling it out loud: that's where mistakes are born.
Pick the font, colour and position
Back (name above number, the classic), front, sleeve. Ask for a print colour that stands out against the shirt: white on black, black on yellow, gold on navy.
Proofread before it goes to print
Ask to see the text exactly as it will be printed, and check every letter. Once the printing is on, there's no correcting it: you start again.
Agree the turnaround and price before you pay
Both vary from one shop to another and depending on how busy it is. Get the pick-up time or day, and the total price for all the shirts.
Check it on the spot when you collect
Spelling, number, centring, and the size once more. It's the only moment a defect gets fixed without any discussion.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
We don't publish prices or turnaround times: they change from one shop to another and with the season, and we won't write a figure we haven't checked ourselves. Here's what makes them vary; for our partner's current rates, ask us on WhatsApp.
| What changes | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The blank shirt | The quality of the fabric, the cut and the finish of the base shirt all affect the final price. |
| What gets printed | Name only, name + number, text on the front as well, sleeve: every element you add counts. |
| Quantity | Several shirts at once: ask for a price for the lot, and one turnaround for the whole group. |
| The turnaround you ask for | A shirt “for tonight” in peak season means the shop has to reshuffle its day: ask whether the rush changes the price. |
For turnaround, one rule: get the pick-up time or day before you pay, and leave at least a day's margin before your flight. If a letter is wrong, you need to be able to go back.
Printing ideas for a holiday shirt
Name and number are still the classic. But what gets the laughs back home are group shirts and puns.
The classic: name and number
- Your surname and your year of birth (“94”, “07”).
- Your first name and your lucky number.
- Your house number, your area code, your Sunday-league team's number (without its badge).
With friends, in twos or threes
- Matching shirts numbered 1, 2, 3… in the order you arrived at the airport.
- A nickname each on the back, the same phrase on the front for the whole group.
- The group's name and the year of the trip: “Phuket 2026”, “Patong Crew 26”.
- As a pair: two halves of the same phrase, one on each back.
Stag do, hen do, birthday
- The groom as number 1, “Last Night Out” or the wedding date on the back.
- The best men numbered, with a role instead of a name: “The Driver”, “The Banker”.
- The age being celebrated as the number, the first name as the name.
Puns and inside jokes
- “Omerta” on the back: what happens in Phuket stays in Phuket. The all-time classic.
- A dressing-room nickname, a group joke nobody else gets.
- A Thai word you picked up on the island, checked by someone who speaks it.
One limit: no brand names or logos, even twisted into a pun. That goes for clubs, kit-makers and sponsors.
The rule to know: no club or brand logos
A “Thai football shirt” often means a copy of an official shirt. That's not what we're talking about here: a copy of a club shirt is a counterfeit, and customs seize it.
This guide is only about blank shirts, with no club badge, no kit-maker logo and no sponsor logo, that you get printed with your name. It's the only kind of shirt our partner shop makes. Sponsor logos, a beer or motorbike brand for example, are registered trademarks too: they don't get printed.
As for bringing it home, customs authorities are clear. French customs, for example, write that possessing counterfeits is prohibited, and clothing is on the list of prohibited goods they check on arrival by air. The French customs code provides for confiscation of the goods, a fine of one to two times their value, and up to three years' imprisonment (articles L. 513-1 to L. 513-5). Rules differ from country to country, so check your own customs authority's guidance before you fly.
Sources, checked on 7 October 2026:
Our tips before you get a shirt printed
Check the spelling twice
Type the text in capitals on your phone and show the screen. Ask whether accents and special characters are possible before you choose your phrase: an “É” that turns into an “E” is decided beforehand, not on collection.
Size before printing
Sizes sold in Southeast Asia generally run smaller than in Europe, and vary from one manufacturer to another. Try the shirt on, and go one size up if in doubt. For a gift, bring the measurements of a T-shirt that fits well.
A day's margin
Get it printed at the start of your stay, not the day before your flight. If a letter needs redoing or the size needs changing, you have time.
The group, in writing
For several shirts, one written list: name, number, size, line by line. It's what stops the best man ending up with the wrong number.
Bringing it home by plane
An unbranded shirt is clothing like any other: folded, printing facing in, at the bottom of your suitcase. Keep the shop's receipt.
Looking after it
Ask the shop how to wash the printing. As a general rule: inside out, cold or at a low temperature, no tumble dryer and no iron on the print.
Where to get a shirt printed in Phuket, Patong or Bangkok?
In Phuket, Patong is where most travellers look. In Bangkok, the shops are in the shopping districts. The simplest option is still an address we know: ours.
We don't recommend shops at random: we don't know what each one sells, or whether its shirts are genuinely blank. If you pass through Bangkok before or after the island, keep the same rule everywhere: unbranded shirt, text proofread, turnaround agreed before you pay.
Our partner shop in Patong: Dr Strauss
Unbranded football shirts and custom printing on the spot: name, number, a phrase or a pun. Plain shirt 500 ฿: 2 stickers, 5 letters and 1 number included; extra sticker 70 ฿ (shop sign, 7 October 2026). Near the Baya Hotel. Snapchat: Stross31.
- Address
- 34/66 Prachanukhro Road, 83150, Patong, Kathu, Phuket
- Opening hours
- Every day: 14:00 – 02:00
Getting there: we take you, or you go on your own
Send us your text, number and size on WhatsApp: we pass it on to the shop and organise the visit, with a driver if you like. If you've rented a scooter, we'll send you the address.
Organise my shirt printing on WhatsApp
+33 6 99 55 66 26WhatsApp only
Page checked on 7 October 2026. The customs rules quoted come from the French customs website; if you spot a change, tell us and we'll correct it.
FAQ
Football shirt printing in Thailand: common questions
Where can I get a football shirt printed in Phuket?
In the printing shops in the tourist areas, Patong first and foremost. You choose a blank, unbranded shirt, give the text and number, and collect it once it's printed. All To Phuket works with a partner shop and can take you there or organise the printing: message us on WhatsApp on +33 6 99 55 66 26.
How much does shirt printing cost in Thailand?
The price depends on the blank shirt you choose, the number of printed elements (name, number, text on the front, sleeve), the quantity and the turnaround you ask for. It varies from one shop to another and with the season. Always ask for the total price before you pay; for our partner's current rates, message us on WhatsApp.
How long does it take to get a shirt printed in Thailand?
It depends on the shop, the number of shirts and how busy it is. Agree the pick-up time or day before you pay, and don't get it done the day before you fly: leave at least a day's margin in case something needs correcting.
Is a “Thai” football shirt a counterfeit?
Not necessarily. The phrase is often used for copies of official shirts, which are counterfeits. A blank shirt with no club badge, no kit-maker logo and no sponsor, printed with your name, isn't one. That's the only kind of shirt our partner makes.
Can I bring a football shirt home from Thailand?
An unbranded shirt printed with your name is clothing like any other. A copy of an official shirt, on the other hand, is a counterfeit. French customs, for example, state that possessing counterfeits is prohibited, and the French customs code provides for confiscation and a fine of one to two times the value of the goods (douane.gouv.fr, page updated on 5 April 2026). Check your own country's customs rules before you fly.
What are some ideas for a holiday shirt?
The classic is still your name and year of birth. As a group: matching shirts numbered 1, 2, 3, a nickname each and a shared phrase, or “Phuket 2026”. For a stag do: the groom as number 1 and the wedding date. And the great classic of trips with friends: “Omerta” on the back.
Are shirt sizes smaller in Thailand?
Often, yes: sizes sold in Southeast Asia generally run smaller than European sizes, and they vary from one manufacturer to another. Always try the shirt on before it's printed, and go one size up if in doubt.
Can you get shirts printed for a whole group?
Yes: stag and hen dos, birthdays, trips with friends. Send the full list (names, numbers, sizes) in one go and in writing; it avoids mistakes and sets one turnaround for everyone. We can pass the list on to our partner and organise the shop visit.
Shirt printing
We'll take you to our partner
Send the text, number, size and how many shirts: we pass it on to the shop and organise the visit, with a driver if you like.
Keep reading
More Phuket guides
Shopping & air con
The stopoverBangkok before or after Phuket?
Most flights to Phuket go through Bangkok. Temples, Chatuchak Market, neighbourhoods: enough for two or three days, and how to carry on to the island afterwards.
FoodWhere to eat in Phuket
Phuket food isn't the Thai food you know: Chinese and Malay influences, and four dishes you won't find elsewhere. Where to find them, area by area.
Printing shirts for a group?
Send us the list (names, numbers, sizes) and your dates. We'll pass it to our partner shop and organise the visit.