The shirt uses an electroluminescent, or EL panel, that connects to a small battery pack. The shirts use ordinary, replaceable batteries to power the display. The sound activated shirts use 2 AAA batteries whereas our automatic flashing t-shirts use 2 AA batteries. The battery packs are interchangeable, so you can always purchase an additional one to utilize both light up options.

With high quality batteries, the shirts have over 24 hours of continuous lighting before needing to replace the batteries. Occasionally the battery packs need to be replaced after several hours of use, which you can purchase. As long as you maintain the shirt, being careful as you put it on and take it off, it should last for several years.

Your shirt’s design is printed directly onto the light up panel, so you can still see the design when the shirt is turned off. However, you will not be able to see it lighting up in direct sunlight. The animation is completely visible in most indoor lit areas. Of course, the darker the setting, the brighter the shirt will illuminate.

We recommend hand-washing for all of our light up clothing, though they can also be dry cleaned. Typically, our light up panels are sewn onto the shirt. However, we do have the option to use velcro if you prefer, which allows for regular washing. The shirts are completely weather-proof, so you do not have to worry if it gets wet when hand washing—though you cannot submerge the panel under water. Please refer to our washing instructions for more details.

Yes! We do have the option to make your shirt light up to sound and music. One of our battery packs has a small microphone inside to detect noise and will light up the design with the music or noise around it. With our other battery pack, you have the option to make your shirt light up automatically in specific sequences. There is no difference in pricing for either of these, it is simply a matter of preference.

There is a one time $60 set up fee for your custom design, though you can use an infinite amount of colors within the design. We have no minimum order quantity, so you can make as little as 1 custom shirt. We do offer discount breaks based on quantity. Please download our pricing guide for an accurate quote.