Buying a graphic tee online in Pakistan is a gamble if you don't know what to check. The product photos look good, the price seems reasonable, and then it arrives with a print that's already cracking or a fit that's nothing like what you expected. This is what to actually look at before you order.
The Print Method
This is the most important thing and the least talked about. There are two main ways graphic tees get printed and they perform very differently over time.
Screen printing uses ink pressed directly into the fabric through a mesh screen. It bonds with the fabric properly. A well screen-printed graphic will survive years of washing without cracking, peeling, or fading significantly. Most quality graphic tees are screen printed.
Heat transfer uses heat to press a printed film onto the fabric surface. It looks fine when new. After a few washes the edges start lifting, the print cracks, and within six months it can look genuinely bad. A lot of cheaper graphic tees use heat transfer because it's faster and cheaper to produce.
The problem is brands rarely advertise which method they use. If a brand doesn't mention screen printing specifically, it's worth asking. If the price is very low for a graphic tee, heat transfer is likely.
Fabric Weight
The short version: anything under 160 GSM and the fabric is too thin to hold a graphic print properly. The print sits on top of the fabric rather than into it, and thin fabric shows wear faster.
For a graphic tee you want to keep — 160 GSM minimum, 170 GSM is better. All Skribi graphic tees are 170 GSM for exactly this reason.
The Fit
Graphic tees are almost always cut oversized in Pakistan right now because that's what the market wants. But oversized means different things to different brands.
Check whether the brand specifies drop shoulder construction. A proper drop shoulder oversized tee has the shoulder seam sitting lower than your natural shoulder — that's what gives it the deliberate silhouette rather than just looking too big. If a brand just says "oversized" without specifying the cut, it might just be a regular tee in a larger size.
Also check the length. A graphic tee should hit at or below the hip. Shorter than that and the proportions don't work for most oversized styling.
The Design Itself
Obvious but worth saying: the graphic should mean something or at least look intentional. A lot of graphic tees in Pakistan right now are using generic typography, copied aesthetics, or designs that could belong to any brand. That's fine if you just want something to wear. Less fine if you want something you'll still like in two years.
Look for brands where the design direction is consistent across pieces — where the graphics feel like they came from the same place rather than being random one-offs. That usually means the brand has an actual identity, which tends to correlate with better overall quality. The Skribi Drop 01 collection is built around this — each piece carries a different headspace but they all come from the same direction.
Sizing Information
A brand that publishes actual measurements — chest width, body length, shoulder width in centimetres — is more trustworthy than one that just says S, M, L, XL. Pakistani sizing isn't standardised and what one brand calls a Large another calls a Medium.
If a brand doesn't publish measurements, check if they have a size guide page or if you can find customer photos that show the fit. Reviews with photos are more useful than reviews without.
COD and Returns
Most reputable Pakistani clothing brands offer Cash on Delivery. If a brand doesn't, it's not necessarily a red flag — some smaller brands can't offer it for logistical reasons — but it does shift the risk onto you as the buyer.
More importantly: check the exchange policy before ordering. Sizing issues happen. A brand that offers exchanges within a reasonable window — 7 days is standard — is worth more than one that doesn't, especially if it's your first order.
Price as a Signal
A graphic tee with screen printing, 170 GSM fabric, and a proper oversized cut has real production costs behind it. In Pakistan right now that puts a quality graphic tee somewhere around PKR 1,800–2,500.
Below PKR 1,500 for a graphic tee and something is usually being compromised — fabric weight, print method, or both. That's not always wrong depending on what you need it for, but it's worth knowing what you're getting.
The Checklist
Before you order a graphic tee in Pakistan: screen printed, not heat transfer. 160 GSM fabric minimum. Drop shoulder construction if you want a proper oversized fit. Actual size measurements published, not just S/M/L/XL. Exchange policy in place. COD available.
That's it. A brand that ticks all of those is worth buying from. One that can't answer basic questions about their print method or fabric weight probably isn't.
Skribi graphic tees are screen printed on 170 GSM drop shoulder cotton. Drop 01 has five designs, sizes S to XL, PKR 1,999 each. COD available, nationwide delivery. Plain blanks start at PKR 1,199.