Size Guide

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Buying a shirt for someone else is the hardest part of personalized gift shopping: you know their name by heart but not their chest measurement. This guide helps you choose a shirt size with confidence, choose sizes for other items such as suncatchers, ornaments and tumblers, and explains what to do if a size turns out wrong. Our shirts come in the sizes S, M, L, XL, 2XL and 3XL, shown as options on each shirt’s product page. Each product page lists the measurements for that specific shirt style when they are available; this page explains how to use them. And if the size is still not right, every item can be exchanged or returned within 60 days of delivery with a free return label.

1. The sizes we offer

We are finalizing a measurement chart for each shirt style. Until it is published here, use the measurements on the shirt’s product page when they are shown, and the comparison method below, which is the most reliable way to choose for someone else anyway.

2. The comparison method: measure a shirt they love

Body measurements are useful, but a person’s favorite shirt tells you how they actually like to wear a tee. If you can borrow one for five minutes (or ask someone in the household to do it quietly), you will get a much better result than guessing.

1. Lay the shirt flat on a table, front facing up, smoothing out wrinkles without stretching the fabric.
2. Measure the chest width: straight across, from one side seam to the other, about one inch below the armholes. This is the half-chest, sometimes called “pit to pit”.
3. Measure the body length: from the highest point of the shoulder, where the collar meets the shoulder seam, straight down to the bottom hem.
4. Optional, sleeve length: from the shoulder seam to the end of the sleeve.
5. Compare these numbers with the measurements on our shirt’s product page and choose the size closest to their favorite shirt. Chest width matters most for fit; length matters most for how it looks tucked in or loose.

Write the measurements down with the person’s name. If you buy them a shirt again next year, you will not need to sneak into their closet twice.

3. If you cannot borrow a shirt

Try these instead, in order of reliability:

• Check a label. Ask what size they usually buy in tees, or look at the size label on a shirt drying on the line. Remember that sizing varies between brands.
• Ask someone who knows. A partner, parent or roommate usually knows whether the person wears a medium or a large, and whether they like a snug or relaxed fit.
• Think about how they wear tees. Some people wear them close-fitting, others prefer them roomy over jeans or leggings. Choose up a size for a relaxed look.
• When in doubt, go up. A slightly loose shirt is wearable; a tight one usually is not.

4. Choosing between two sizes

If the measurements fall between two of our sizes, think about these questions:

• Does the person like a relaxed or a fitted look? Relaxed: choose the larger size.
• Will the shirt be washed warm or dried in a hot dryer? Cotton can shrink slightly; choose the larger size.
• Is the shirt for an event photo with matching tees? People tend to prefer a little room for comfort over several hours: choose the larger size.
• Is the person between sizes in the shoulders but slim? A fitted style in the smaller size may suit them better.

5. Sizing for families and groups

Matching tees for a reunion, a holiday photo or a trip are among our most popular orders. A few tips make them go smoothly:

• Collect sizes in writing from each adult before you order, rather than guessing for everyone.
• List each shirt in the order notes with its name and size together, for example “Shirt 1, L: Grandpa Joe” and “Shirt 2, M: Ana”.
• Order one size up for anyone who is unsure, since the same design in a slightly larger size still looks good in a group photo.
• Remember that items for different addresses need separate orders.

Example: the Ontario reunion

Eight cousins are meeting in Ontario in August. You collect sizes in a group chat: two S, three M, two L and one XL. You place one order shipped to the host’s address, with eight lines in the order notes pairing each name with its size. Two shirts turn out too small; you return just those two with the free label and reorder in the larger size, and the refund for the originals is issued within 7 days of them reaching us.

6. Sizes for kids and babies

Where a design is offered in youth or baby sizes, those sizes are shown as options on the product page. Children grow quickly; for a gift that should last a season, choose one size up. For a first-birthday or holiday photo, the current size is usually best.

7. Choosing sizes for other gifts

Suncatchers

Think about where it will hang. A small suncatcher suits a car window or a narrow kitchen window; a larger one suits a living room or sunroom window and holds more names comfortably. For a grandparent design with many grandchildren, choose a larger size so every name stays readable.

Tumblers

A 20 oz tumbler is the everyday size and fits most car cup holders; a 30 oz tumbler suits people who drink a lot of water through the day or spend long shifts away from a kitchen. If the person drives a lot, the smaller size is usually the safer choice for cup holders.

Ornaments

Ornament shapes affect how much text fits. Round and custom-outline ornaments usually hold more names than a heart or star of the same width. The product page shows the dimensions; email us if you want to check a long list before ordering.

Keepsakes

Keepsakes are usually one size per design. Check the dimensions on the product page against the space where it will stand, such as a nightstand, a mantel or a desk shelf.

8. Care that keeps the fit

Shirts keep their size and print best when washed inside out on a cool, gentle cycle and dried on low heat or hung to dry. Avoid ironing directly over the print. A hot wash and a hot dryer are the most common reasons a shirt feels smaller after a few weeks.

9. If the size is wrong

Every Gift Nook item can be returned or exchanged within 60 days of delivery for any reason, including size, and we send you a free return label. For an exchange, return the original and place a new order in the right size with the same personalization; your refund for the original is issued within 7 days of it reaching us, or you can choose store credit, which never expires. Please return shirts unworn and unwashed for size exchanges. See Returns & Exchanges and the Refund Policy.

If you notice the wrong size within 24 hours of ordering, you can simply change it for free before printing. See Cancel or Change an Order.

10. Sizing questions we hear often

Do your shirts run small or large?

It depends on the style. Each shirt’s product page lists its measurements when available; comparing them with a shirt the person already wears is the best guide.

Are the sizes unisex?

The product page states whether a style is unisex or cut for a particular fit. Unisex tees usually fit more loosely on narrower shoulders.

Can I order different sizes of the same design in one order?

Yes. Add each size to the cart separately and list each personalization with its size in the order notes.

Will the print look the same on a 3XL as on an S?

The design is placed proportionally on each size so it looks balanced, so it will not be identical in absolute size across every shirt size.

A quick sizing worksheet

Copy these lines into a note on your phone before you shop, and fill them in for each person you are buying for. It takes two minutes and saves most exchanges.

• Name as it should be printed, spelled from something they wrote.
• Usual tee size in other brands, if known.
• Half-chest of a favorite shirt (pit to pit), and its length from shoulder to hem.
• Preferred fit: close, regular or relaxed.
• Will it be washed warm or dried hot? If yes, consider one size up.
• Color they actually wear, from the color options shown on the product page.

With those six lines, you can compare against the product page in seconds and type the personalization into the order notes with confidence.

Keep the worksheet for next time: birthdays and holidays come around every year, and sizes rarely change much between them.

Sizing a surprise without giving it away

Asking “what size are you?” can spoil a surprise. A few gentle workarounds: check the label of a shirt in the laundry, ask a partner or a sibling to find out for you, or compare with a shirt you bought them before that fit well. For a group surprise, ask the organizer to collect sizes as part of the event plans. If you truly cannot find out, choose the size most people in their household wear and lean one size up; with free returns within 60 days, a wrong guess is easy to fix.

11. Ask us before you buy

Still unsure? Email support@giftnook.shop with the product, the measurements of a shirt the person likes, and how they like it to fit. We reply within 24 hours on business days. You can also browse the FAQs or our custom shirts. Gift Nook, 5201 Georgia Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33405, US.