From: Head of Research
For: Bill (via CEO)
When: overnight Thu 27 → Fri 28 Aug 2026 (America/Chicago)
Scope: first test only. Not a launch. Research + recommendation. No orders.
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Yes. Mom + faith, premium tri-blend, 3413, six cream lines is still the right first bet.
Two quality bars Bill named are not the same fabric. Homage’s core tee is a 50/25/25 poly/cotton/rayon tri-blend (same fiber split as 3413). Tumbleweed TexStyles’ typical tee is not — it is 3001-class jersey (solids 100% combed ring-spun / heathers 52/48, 4.2 oz). Keep 3413 as the Homage analogue for this test. Sample 3001 later, when we leave $0, to feel Tumbleweed’s jersey. Two hands. Not one blank.
Faith stays in the brand, not on the first print. First catalog is the six joy-of-mom cream lines. Verse backs (KJV) stay in the drawer. That sequencing is still correct: it tests the shirt and the mom copy without touching NLT, troop custom, or ads.
Overnight did not turn up a reason to switch the first bet to cotton-heavy, 3001-first, scripture-front, or a different storefront.
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Z Team Shirts · Bella+Canvas 3413 · six cream lines as start · $0 until Bill says GO · KJV until NLT is licensed · Facebook / Pinterest / X parked · tennis / golf / hats backlog · troop shirts parked · 3001 sample only after we leave $0.
Cream start (winner of the copy test still not chosen):
I asked for this · This is the good part · My favorite people call me Mom · Our house is full of good noise · I like who I am with them · Glad it's me.
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1. Bella.com looks like 3413 is gone. It isn’t, as far as Printful is concerned.
Bella’s own 3413 page currently shows “PRODUCT NOT AVAILABLE / New Style Coming Soon.” That is the wholesale portal, not Printful. Printful’s 3413 listing is still up, schema InStock, display $17.95, shipping “starts at $4.75.”
SanMar closed its Bella+Canvas acquisition 29 Jun 2026 and is now the exclusive national wholesaler. Trade writeups say 3413 is not discontinued; S&S is selling through remaining stock. Flag, do not panic: if Printful ever cannot fulfill 3413, that is Ops’ Fourthwall backup trigger — not a reason to jump to 3001 tonight.
Sources: Bella 3413 · Printful 3413 · Apparelist 29 Jun 2026
2. Weight on paper still disagrees. Bella mill sheet: 3.8 oz, 40 singles. Printful: 3.4 oz/yd² (115.3 g/m²). Homage publishes no oz. The shirt in hand is the quality gate, not the PDF.
3. $23 is an estimate, not a checkout. Ops Path B (full-price Basic order, size M, DTG front, US standard): product $17.95 (catalog) or $18.31 if Printful’s “New” price dated 27 Aug is live at checkout, plus ship $4.75–$4.95. That is $22.70–$23.26 before tax. Tax: unknown — do not invent. 20% sample discount needs a connected store and may not start until next month; do not wait a month for ~$4. Price-updates page still headed “Live from August 27th 2026.” Verify the live checkout; do not treat $23 as a cap.
Sources: Printful 3413 page · Printful price updates · Ops GO-PLAN §4.3
4. Known 3413 DTG risks (why we sample, not why we abort). Sheer on lights. Fabric showing through DTG ink on tri-blend (Printful calls the vintage look expected). Public reviews on this exact Printful product: thin/flimsy, white see-through, fade after one wash. Dark type on Athletic Grey is the better first case. Fail the sample = no Etsy, not “order a 3001 instead” inside this test.
5. NLT is still a license, not a vibe. KJV is public domain in the US. NLT is Tyndale copyright (© 1996, 2004, 2015). A shirt whose product *is* the verse is commercial merchandise — do not print NLT without a written license. First sample does not need a verse at all.
Sources: Tyndale permissions · NLT copyright notices (Tyndale House Foundation)
6. Stale HQ copy. state.json still says next step is create IG / Pinterest / X, and an older line said “drop 3001.” That is behind tonight’s locks (channels parked; 3001 later, not never). Do not let Marketing act on the old next-chip.
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Stay $0 until Bill says GO. Even after GO, do not tap Pay if any of these is true:
1. No copy-test winner. Six lines are the start catalog. SAMPLE-SKU-01 still needs Bill to name 01–06. Do not pick for him. Files live at /workspace/z-team-drawer/print/ (2400×3000 PNG).
2. No ship-to. Placeholder only: [BILL SHIP-TO — TBD, US, residential]. Do not invent an address.
3. No Printful email / no size. Default size M only if Bill is fine with M.
4. Link request not approved. First spend is sample + US standard + tax. Cap $500/request and per day. No card on file before that.
5. Printful 3413 not actually orderable at checkout (OOS, killed SKU, or signup hard-requires a card before a dashboard). Stop. Do not substitute 3001. Escalate.
6. Winner file is wrong. JPG, white box, or below 150 DPI at print size. Stop.
7. Scope creep on the sample itself. Two-sided, scripture front, NLT, 3001, DTFlex, White-only, 2XL+ unpriced, Etsy publish, ads. Any of those = not this order.
Missing Facebook / Pinterest / X handles, tennis/golf/hats, troop shirts, NLT license, and a 3001 sample are not sample blockers. They are parked on purpose.
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Bill names: winner + email + size + ship-to + GO.
Finance: one Link request for the live checkout.
Ops: Printful 3413, DTG, Athletic Grey, front only, center chest, SAMPLE-SKU-01. Path B unless 20% is already showing. Bill taps Pay.
Until those exist, the right move is do nothing that spends.
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*Research only. No purchases, no listings, no ads. Sources accessed 27–28 Aug 2026.*