Print Review: Scopial

Let's get some shameless promotion out of the way before we get down to brass tacks: my "Get Equipped!" is up for voting at Goodjoe. I'd obviously be much obliged if you'd go vote if you like it. I've been hoping to find a good home for it for a while.

That all said, today is all about Scopial, a little contest site over in India which sent me a package a week or two ago. If you like great shirts, this'll be worth taking note of.

Scopial sent me two tees... Predator (which we've spoken of before), and Casajordi's "The Red Nightmare" (shown here... click for full view). Predator, I promise, is awesome also. So awesome it's already been worn, and ergo is in no fit state for photography. It's not quite as saturated as in the photos on their site, and there is some slight print imperfection where it wraps around the seam of the shirt (something many sites warn against with their full-tee prints), but obviously it's speedy wear proved these were minor setbacks, especially considering Predator was (I believe) their first print. You can see The Red Nightmare for yourself, though... it's definitely a complex print, and it came out beautifully. The fine detail is fully represented... a site that can pull off a print like this so early on is one that I feel I can recommend pretty confidently.

Scopial insists their brand of shirts are the most comfortable thing in the world. I don't know if I'd go that far, but they certainly are high-quality blanks, and I'd imagine even the pickiest fashionistas would be ok with them. I do have to say, however, they are much shorter than you're probably used to. The classic AA is known for its length... Scopial's "Supima" tees, less so. If you're tall, you may want to consider a size up, especially since Scopial's tees are just a smidge slimmer than an AA, as well. I still take my same size, so unless you like your tees tight, you should be good to go, but it's worth checking their sizing chart anyway.

To alleviate worries as far as international shipping: I know international can often be a long, arduous, expensive process (I've been nipped by this too). To be sure, Scopial's shipping to the US is about $12... comparatively, a single shirt seems to sit at $12 when not on sale. Still, DBH fans and Threadless devotees know that $24 for a shirt is nothing truly new. If that shipping fee is daunting to you, though, consider this: Scopial's US shipping is flat rate: Order one, and spend up to $24 on it. Order four, and you're still only paying the $12 to get it in. It pays to make a multi-shirt order, obviously, but even one will come to you for less than many shirts at popular domestic sites. Another thing to consider is that it's damn quick... I got my tees in about a week, which is some solid turnaround time for an international order. My tees ended up being triple bagged by the time they got to me, but they came intact and quickly. To me, the charge is totally worth it considering the distance traveled and quickness of that travel. Given my experience with the site so far, and the already strong lineup they've been fostering, they're coming highly recommended, both for ordering from and, for any designers, their quality makes them a worthy site to peddle your own wares to.