Custom shirts, hats and embroidery from a Fort Myers print shop.

About Dad Bod Screen Printing

Dad Bod Screen Printing is a custom apparel and promotional products shop in Fort Myers, Florida. Owner Adam O’Toole, an FGCU grad with more than 10 years in the decorated apparel industry, started the shop in 2020. We work out of our shop at 11909 Sacra Place, near Southwest Florida International Airport. We do screen printing, embroidery, custom hats and imprinted promotional products for businesses, teams, schools, churches, events and brands.

Most of our customers are in Lee, Collier and Charlotte County: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs, Lehigh Acres, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and the towns in between. We also ship orders anywhere in Florida. The name says it all: like a good dad bod, our work is comfortable, dependable and built to last, not flashy for the sake of it.

What we make

• Screen printed apparel: t-shirts, long sleeves, sun shirts, tank tops, hoodies and crewnecks for crews, teams, events and merch.
• Custom embroidery: polos, button-downs, fishing shirts, jackets, bags and towels with a stitched logo.
• Custom hats: trucker hats, snapbacks, dad hats, rope hats, visors, bucket hats and beanies with embroidery, 3D puff or patches.
• Promotional products: koozies, tumblers, tote bags, towels and giveaways imprinted with your logo.

How to choose a decoration method

A quick guide we give people on the phone:

• Big design on a tee or hoodie, and you need a bunch of them? Screen printing.
• Logo on a polo, jacket or work shirt that needs to look professional for years? Embroidery.
• Logo on a cap? Hat embroidery or 3D puff, or a patch for a premium look.
• Logo on a cup, bag or giveaway? Promo imprinting, with the method picked to fit the item.
• Names and numbers on jerseys? Usually a screen printed design plus individual names and numbers.

When in doubt, call. We would rather spend five minutes figuring out the right method than have you pay for the wrong one.

What to have ready when you ask for a quote

1. Your logo or artwork, ideally a vector file (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) or a high-resolution image.
2. The items you want: tees, polos, hats, hoodies, koozies or something else.
3. Garment colors and, if you know them, the brand or style.
4. Quantities and the size breakdown (how many smalls, mediums, larges and so on).
5. Where the design goes: front, back, left chest, sleeve.
6. The date you need it in hand.

Do not have all of that yet? Send what you have. We fill in the gaps together.

Why a local print shop

Big online print sites are fine for one shirt. For a crew, a team or a business, a local shop gives you things a website cannot: a real person who answers the phone, advice on garments that hold up in Florida heat, a proof you can ask questions about, and a place to pick up your order or fix a problem face to face. We print in our own shop, so we see every order before it goes out the door.

Who we work with

Contractors, roofers, HVAC and pool companies. Landscapers and lawn crews. Restaurants, bars and breweries. Fishing guides, charters and marinas. Youth soccer leagues, Little League and rec teams. Schools, PTOs and booster clubs. Churches and nonprofits. Real estate teams and offices. Gyms and fitness studios. Startups that need swag for a launch or new hires. Families planning reunions, and friends planning bachelor and bachelorette trips. If you have a name or logo, we can put it on something.

Serving Southwest Florida and the rest of the state

Local customers in Lee, Collier and Charlotte County can pick up at our Fort Myers shop. Everywhere else in Florida, from Miami and Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Pensacola, we handle quotes and proofs by phone and email and ship finished orders to you.

A few terms you might hear from us

• Blank: the plain garment before it is decorated.
• Proof or mockup: a digital picture of your design on the item, sent for approval before production.
• Underbase: a white layer printed under colors on dark shirts so they stay bright.
• Digitizing: converting a logo into an embroidery stitch file.
• Vector: a type of art file made of shapes instead of pixels, so it scales cleanly to any size.
• Pantone (PMS): a standard color system used to match brand colors.

Industries we know well

Contractors, trades and service crews

Crews go through shirts fast, so durable printed tees with a left-chest logo and a big back print are the standard. Embroidered polos for estimators and office staff look professional at the customer’s door. Safety colors and lightweight performance fabrics help on hot job sites, and hats keep the brand visible all day.

Restaurants, bars and hospitality

Staff shirts need to look sharp, survive a kitchen and still be comfortable at the end of a double. Embroidered polos and button-downs work for front-of-house and managers, while printed tees and hats keep the rest of the team matching. Merch for regulars, like a soft tee or a trucker hat, is a small extra revenue stream that also advertises the spot.

Leagues, teams and clubs

Soccer leagues, baseball, softball, lacrosse and rec teams order jerseys, practice shirts, coach and parent gear every season. Names and numbers can be added per player, and sponsor logos on the back or sleeve help cover costs. Collect sizes early and order a few extras for late sign-ups.

Startups and new businesses

New businesses need swag fast: tees and hats for the team, something for the launch party, and a few premium pieces for clients and investors. Start with a small run, keep the design simple and on-brand, and re-order what people actually wear. We keep your files so the next batch matches.

Charters, marinas and boat crews

On the water, performance fabrics and UPF sun shirts matter. Captains and crews wear long-sleeve performance shirts with a logo on the chest and back, plus quick-dry hats. Many charters also sell shirts and hats to customers, so retail-quality blanks and a strong design pay off.

Churches, nonprofits and community groups

Volunteer shirts, mission trip tees, VBS and youth group shirts, HOA and neighborhood event gear all need to be affordable and easy to spot in a crowd. Screen printing keeps the cost per shirt down, and a simple design in a bright color does the job.

Picking shirts that work in Florida heat

A shirt that feels fine in an air-conditioned store can be miserable on a job site or a boat in July. For crews and outdoor teams in Southwest Florida, we usually recommend lighter-weight fabrics, cotton/poly blends that breathe and dry faster than heavy cotton, and light colors that do not soak up the sun. Performance polyester wicks sweat and is the go-to for fishing guides, landscapers and anyone working outside all day. Long-sleeve sun shirts with a UPF rating protect arms without overheating.

For retail merch and events, softer tri-blends and ringspun cotton feel better and get worn more on weekends. Tell us how and where the shirts will be worn and we will suggest a few blanks at different price points.

Planning your order timeline

The most common problem we see is not the print, it is the calendar. Work backward from the day you need the shirts in hand. Leave time for picking garments, approving the proof, and printing or stitching. Blank availability can change, especially for specific colors and sizes, so ordering early gives you more options.

If you are in Southwest Florida and planning around a tournament, a grand opening, a fundraiser or a holiday, reach out as soon as you know the date. If the timing is tight, say so up front. We will tell you straight whether we can make it and what would help, like picking an in-stock garment or simplifying the design.

What affects the price of custom apparel

Four things move the price more than anything else: quantity, the garment, the number of colors (for screen printing) or stitches (for embroidery), and the number of places you want decorated. Setup costs are spread across the whole order, which is why 48 shirts cost less per shirt than 12. A one-color front print is the most economical; adding a back print, a sleeve or extra colors adds cost.

The garment can be the biggest variable of all. A basic cotton tee and a premium performance shirt are very different prices before anything is printed. For Southwest Florida customers on a budget, we will show you where to save without making the final product look cheap.