Greek Merch Licensing: Why We're One of the Top Vendors for Greek Merch

Merch chairs have more on their plate than just designing merch that looks great, fits right, and makes everyone stand out at every event. They also have to ensure their merch passes Nationals’ scrutiny and not get their chapter in trouble for designs that break Panhellenic rules. And that’s possible by working with the best licensed Greek merch vendors.

Looking for a new merch supplier, whether your chapter is exploring other options or doing this for the first time, can be nerve-wracking. Several questions can come up: how to check if merch is officially licensed for Greek life, what happens if you buy unlicensed Greek merch, and most of all, is Fresh Prints worth working with? (Spoiler alert: we are.)

In this blog, we’ll answer everything you might be wondering about Greek merch licensing rules and how Fresh Prints complies with them to make your ordering experience as smooth as possible. Ever wondered why Fresh Prints is one of the best vendors in the market for licensed Greek merch? We got you.

Verify & Trust: How to Check if Fresh Prints Can Print Merch

First things first: verifying the collegiate licensing of your prospective vendor. Here’s how you can find out if Fresh Prints is licensed for your chapter or university, and what you can do if we’re not yet listed for yours.

How do I check if a Greek merch company is officially licensed?

Most fraternities and sororities use Affinity/Greek Licensing to manage their trademarks. If you search for Fresh Prints, you’ll see that we’re already licensed with 150+ Greek organizations. Working with us, as a licensed vendor, means fewer back‑and‑forths and faster approvals because our designs already follow Greek licensing rules.

You can check if Fresh Prints is licensed with your Greek organization here.

Where do I verify a vendor for sorority/fraternity trademarks?

For Greek marks, your organization’s licensing directory is your best source. Fresh Prints works in Affinity’s Gateway every day and knows what gets approved the first time. If you’re cramming your merch and need quick approvals, we can work with Affinity to expedite the review. This is also possible on our end because we already know what will pass Affinity’s rules like the back of our hand.

If you’re not sure if Fresh Prints can work with your trademarks, you can check this list to see if we’re licensed with your organization.

What happens if we order from an unlicensed vendor?

If you order merch from an unlicensed vendor, you’re risking compliance issues with design guidelines, and they can’t print your merch. But if you work with a licensed vendor like Fresh Prints, you’re basically safe from stressing out over it. All our design templates, even ones submitted by our Student Creators, are rigorously reviewed to comply with Affinity’s standards.

Plus, if you want to create your own design, generate a design through our Image AI, or customize a premade one, our Design Tool will let you know if certain elements would be flagged for non-compliance. You’ll have peace of mind with us because we’ll make sure your design won’t get your chapter in trouble with Nationals even before you submit it for review.

If Fresh Prints is not yet licensed for your organization, don’t worry. You can reach out to any of our Campus Managers or Account Managers in your campus, and they’ll work Licensing Team to resolve this.

Process & Timing: How Fresh Prints Processes Design Approvals For Your Organization

We previously mentioned how our team takes care of approvals for merch designs, but how do we actually do it? Here are the answers to all your questions:

Why does my design need approval before printing?

Your fraternity or sorority’s marks are protected by trademark laws, and using them means needing be compliant with usage guidelines. Fresh Prints reviews any use of Greek letters, crests, and colors to make sure they pass Affinity standards. We provide unlimited free mockups and revisions until your merch design is both eye-catching and compliant with brand guidelines.

How long does approval usually take, and what can delay it?

Approvals usually take 3-5 business days, as it involves checking if your design follows your chapter or school’s official brand rules. Fresh Prints’ Licensing Team also makes sure your final design doesn’t include anything off-limits, like alcohol or smoking references. If your design incorporates those, it’ll delay the approval, but the Fresh Prints Art Team will work with you to correct it.

Can we rush an order without skipping licensing?

With Fresh Prints, you can have your order rushed and still feel secure that your designs are compliant with Greek merch licensing guidelines. You can choose Flash-eligible products as your base, and our Licensing Team will still review and get your design approved before your order is shipped in just 5 days.

What’s the fastest way we can get our design approved?

The Fresh Prints Licensing Team’s top advice is to make sure your design doesn’t contain any restricted content. This means no alcohol, sex/nudity, or cigarettes/drugs content in your merch, even implied or suggestive. We screen all designs, whether they’re made by our Art Team, Student Creators, or made by you, and adjust concepts as necessary to make sure no design gets flagged for non-compliance.

Rules & Restrictions: What Fresh Prints Looks Out For On Greek Merch Designs

Curious what else can affect design approvals? Here are the other things you need to know when producing your merch with us.

What content can get our merch design rejected?

When you order with Fresh Prints, we typically look out for content that contains references or imagery with alcohol, sex/nudity, or cigarettes/drugs. Even if they’re only implied or suggested, they’re prohibited and will require your design to be revised. Anything that also goes against your chapter’s brand rules may also get your design rejected, as part of trademark guidelines.

Can we change colors/spacing of our letters or crest?

Official marks must be used based on your chapter’s brand guidelines, which Fresh Prints screens as well. This means we can also match your school or chapter’s colors exactly, even if you don’t have the hexcode, Pantone, or color guide for it. If you need these tweaked, you can reach out to our Art Team to coordinate it.

Do we need separate approvals for collabs with other chapters, organizations, or venues?
If your order with Fresh Prints involves collaborations, you can inform us about it. Our team will confirm what’s allowed, whether you’re designing merch yourself or working with us on a design, so you know what to include or remove.

Scope & Eligibility: Can Your Organization Get Licensed Merch from Fresh Prints?

Fresh Prints caters to Greek organizations, general collegiate organizations, and even universities. If you want to get your merch produced by Fresh Prints for the first time, here’s how you can work with us:

We’re a new/colonizing chapter—can we still get licensed merch?

If your org is licensed, colonies typically follow the same approval flow. Fresh Prints covers 150+ Greek groups, so as long as your chapter is under an organization we’re licensed to work with, we can submit your chapter’s merch design like any other.

What if my school or org isn’t on Fresh Prints’ licensed list yet? What do we do?

Fresh Prints can’t produce merch for organizations we’re not licensed to work with, but we still have options. You can either have non-mark merch made, meaning no organization name, colors, or mascot/logo, or coordinate with us for official licensing. Fresh Prints can obtain licensing rights for your school or org, which will take some time, but once we’re licensed, we can print merch bearing your chapter or school’s marks.

Can alumni/parents order Greek or school merch with official marks?

Yes, Fresh Prints can still process that order as long as we’re licensed to produce merch for your fraternity or sorority. The alumni or parents handling your chapter’s merch can opt for a Group Order link so they and your chapter can place orders while we handle all reviews, approvals, and shipping for you.

Can we reuse a design for another event or for another chapter/campus?

Reusing designs is allowed, but Fresh Prints will still need to have them reviewed again just to ensure Nationals also approves of the design’s usage for your next event. Don’t worry—since your design has been approved before, it’s almost certain it’ll be approved again, especially if there are no changes from the previously-approved design.

Comparisons & Risk: What Else You Should Know About Working With Licensed vs. Unlicensed Vendors

We briefly touched on the risk of working with unlicensed vendors earlier, but if you have more concerns about why you should opt for a company with collegiate licensing, here are our hot takes.

What’s the real difference between licensed and unlicensed vendors of Greek merch?

Licensed vendors route art for approval and remit royalties; unlicensed vendors don’t. With Fresh Prints, compliance is built‑in—we verify coverage, submit art for approval, auto‑apply royalties, and deliver on clear timelines. In short, with a licensed vendor like Fresh Prints, you’re pretty much guaranteed a smooth ordering process overall. Plus, you know you aren’t gonna have issues with Nationals that might put your chapter in trouble.

What are the penalties for violating trademark rules?

Violations can mean design rejections, cancelled orders, or worse: legal liabilities for your chapter if your design violates trademark and brand rules. Fresh Prints can prevent your chapter from facing all of that by not running unlicensed/unapproved designs. If something isn’t allowed, we’ll flag it and help you fix it before time or money is wasted. And definitely before Nationals reviews it.

Is paying a bit more for a licensed vendor worth it?

Definitely. Paying for compliance is cheaper than not being able to have merch printed in time for your event, or worse: Nationals flagging your chapter for brand violations. With Fresh Prints, you’re paying for quality merch AND certainty—correct licensing, clean approvals, realistic shipping windows, transparent quotes, and all the tools.

Save Yourself From Risks, Headaches, and Merch Stress

Working with Fresh Prints will basically offload most of the merch production chaos for you. Not only are we one of the top companies in the country for licensed Greek merch, we keep everything transparent. From how we produce your merch, how long things will take, if we’re licensed to produce your merch, and even all the rules Affinity/Nationals have for merch, we won’t keep your chapter guessing.

Ready to start working on merch? Head to our Design Tool, load up our Image AI and describe your perfect design, and let us handle the rest for you. And if you still have more questions, check out our Help Center. You’ll find the right answers to every question you have about Greek merch licensing, merch production, events to design merch for, and more.