8 HIGH-QUALITY T-SHIRTS PERFECT FOR PRINTING
When it comes to launching a successful print-on-demand business, selecting the right t-shirts is just as important as creating standout designs. In this guide, we’ll introduce eight high-quality t-shirts that are perfect for printing. We’ll explore their unique features, fabric types, weight, and transparency to help you determine the best choice for your needs. Additionally, we’ll dive into different printing methods to ensure your designs come out crisp, vibrant, and durable.
Whether you’re starting a new clothing brand, expanding your product line, or simply looking for the best blank t-shirts to print on, this guide will provide the essential insights you need to make an informed decision. Let’s get started!
I. The high-quality t-shirts for printing
1. Unisex Staple T-Shirt | Bella + Canvas 3001
The Bella + Canvas 3001 is a premium, unisex t-shirt that offers a perfect balance of comfort, durability, and style. Designed to fit a wide range of body types, it comes in sizes from XS to 5XL, making it an inclusive option for diverse customer needs. Crafted from 100% combed and ring-spun cotton, the Bella + Canvas 3001 provides a soft, smooth surface ideal for high-quality prints. Its lightweight yet sturdy construction ensures breathability while maintaining shape over time. With one of the broadest color selections available, this t-shirt allows for endless creative possibilities. Compatible with DTG printing, this tee produces vibrant and lasting designs. Additionally, branding can be enhanced with custom inside labels, giving your products a polished and professional touch.
2. Unisex Basic Softstyle T-Shirt | Gildan 64000
The Gildan 64000 is a budget-friendly yet high-quality t-shirt that blends softness and durability. A favorite among print-on-demand businesses, this tee offers a lightweight and comfortable feel, making it ideal for everyday wear or business casual looks. Available in a wide variety of classic and vibrant colors, the Gildan 64000 is highly versatile and easy to customize. It’s compatible with DTG printing, screen printing, and other methods, ensuring crisp and long-lasting designs. Additionally, it allows for extra branding options, such as inside and outside label printing or sleeve customization, giving brands the flexibility to create a unique and polished product.
3. Unisex Organic Cotton T-Shirt | Stanley/Stella STTU169
If you’re looking for a sustainable and high-quality t-shirt, the Stanley/Stella STTU169 is an excellent option. Made from 100% organic cotton, this t-shirt is both environmentally friendly and incredibly comfortable. It carries OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and PETA-Approved Vegan certifications, ensuring that it meets strict sustainability and ethical standards. This regular-fit tee is designed for all-day wear, offering softness and durability without compromising on style. Available in 15 color options, it provides great versatility for different branding aesthetics. The STTU169 is perfect for DTG printing, delivering crisp and vibrant results.
4. Men’s Premium Heavyweight Tee | Cotton Heritage MC1086
The Cotton Heritage MC1086 is a premium heavyweight t-shirt that offers a structured yet comfortable fit. Made from high-quality combed ring-spun cotton, this tee provides a smooth surface that enhances print quality while ensuring long-lasting wear. Available in classic and neutral shades like Black, Charcoal Heather, and White, it’s perfect for creating versatile and sophisticated designs. This t-shirt supports both DTG and DTF printing methods, delivering vibrant and durable results.
5. All-Over Print Men’s Crew Neck T-Shirt
For those looking to make bold, eye-catching designs, the All-Over Print Men’s Crew Neck T-Shirt is the perfect choice. Utilizing sublimation printing, this t-shirt allows for vibrant, full-color designs that cover the entire fabric from seam to seam. Crafted from a premium mid-weight polyester jersey, this t-shirt is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, ensuring it meets high safety and quality standards. The fabric resists shrinkage and maintains a crisp, long-lasting print, making it an excellent option for complex patterns, artwork, and statement graphics. Whether for fashion brands or artistic designs, this all-over print tee provides endless creative possibilities.This t-shirt is designed specifically for sublimation printing, allowing for full-color, edge-to-edge designs. It’s an excellent choice for vibrant, high-detail graphics.
6. Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight T-Shirt | Comfort Colors 1717
If you’re looking for a t-shirt with a relaxed fit and vintage appeal, the Comfort Colors 1717 is an excellent choice. Made from thick, 100% cotton fabric, this heavyweight tee offers both durability and breathability, ensuring all-day comfort. The garment-dyed process gives each shirt a unique, worn-in look, making it a popular option for retro and vintage-inspired designs. It comes in a wide range of colors, including soft, muted tones and bold hues, providing plenty of customization possibilities. This t-shirt works exceptionally well with both DTG and DTF printing, delivering long-lasting and high-quality prints. Additionally, businesses can experiment with different design placements to create truly distinctive apparel that customers will love.
7. All-Over Print Women’s Crew Neck T-Shirt
Designed for those who love bold, seamless designs, the All-Over Print Women’s Crew Neck T-Shirt is perfect for creating striking, full-coverage prints. Made from smooth polyester fabric, this tee offers exceptional comfort and flexibility, making it ideal for casual wear. Utilizing sublimation printing, this t-shirt allows you to cover the entire garment with vibrant, long-lasting designs that won’t fade or crack over time. Additionally, the fabric is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, ensuring safety and premium quality.
8. Women’s Relaxed T-Shirt | Bella + Canvas 6400
The Bella + Canvas 6400 is designed for those who prioritize comfort without compromising on style. Crafted from soft, combed ring-spun cotton or a poly-cotton blend (depending on the color), it offers a smooth texture that enhances print quality. This versatile tee supports DTG printing, ensuring crisp and detailed designs. For an added professional touch, businesses can customize it further with inside and outside label branding.
II. T-shirt properties
1. Fabric blends
Fabric blends combine multiple fiber types to enhance strength, comfort, and printability. Synthetic fibers like polyester add durability, wrinkle resistance, and color retention, while natural fibers like cotton ensure softness and breathability. One of the most popular blends, poly-cotton, merges the best of both worlds—delivering a long-lasting, vibrant print with superior comfort.
2. Fabric composition
T-shirt fabrics come in different compositions, and each type affects the softness, durability, and print quality. The most commonly used fabric in the industry is cotton, but not all cotton is the same.
- Regular Cotton
Regular cotton, also known as standard cotton, is made by twisting raw cotton fibers into yarn and weaving them into fabric. It is cost-effective and widely used in t-shirt manufacturing due to its affordability.
- Ring-Spun Cotton
Ring-spun cotton undergoes a more refined production process compared to regular cotton. The cotton fibers are continuously twisted and thinned to create a finer, stronger, and softer yarn. The result is a fabric that is more durable and has a smoother surface, making it an excellent choice for high-quality prints.
- Combed Cotton
Combed cotton is a step above ring-spun cotton in terms of quality and refinement. During production, the cotton fibers are combed to remove shorter fibers and impurities, leaving only the longest and strongest fibers. This results in a fabric that is exceptionally soft, smooth, and durable. Combed cotton t-shirts offer a premium feel, making them ideal for high-end apparel brands.
- Ring-Spun Combed Cotton
Ring-spun combed cotton combines the benefits of both processes—ring-spinning and combing—to create the highest-quality cotton fabric available. After the cotton is spun into yarn, it undergoes the combing process to eliminate any remaining impurities and weaker fibers. The final fabric is ultra-soft, strong, and smooth, providing the best surface for high-definition printing.
3. Fabric weight
Fabric weight is measured in ounces per square yard (oz./yd²) or grams per square meter (GSM). Lightweight fabrics (120-150 GSM) are breathable and ideal for summer, while mid-weight (150-180 GSM) offers a balance of comfort and structure. Heavyweight fabrics (180+ GSM) provide durability and warmth, making them great for premium and winter wear collections. Choosing the right fabric weight ensures your customers get the best experience based on their needs and preferences.
4. Fabric transparency
Fabric transparency depends on weight, color, and weave. Lightweight fabrics, especially in light colors, may be more sheer, while darker and heavier fabrics offer greater opacity. Understanding transparency levels ensures better print visibility and overall garment appeal.
III. Methods of fulfillment:
Choosing the right printing method is crucial for achieving high-quality results. Each technique offers unique benefits depending on the fabric type, design complexity, and desired durability.
1. Direct-to-garment printing (DTG)
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing applies ink directly onto the fabric using a specialized printer and water-based inks. The ink absorbs into the fibers rather than sitting on top, creating a smooth, seamless feel. This method excels in printing detailed, multicolor designs, including photographs. DTG works best on natural fabrics like cotton, with higher cotton content producing more vibrant prints. For darker garments, a pretreatment process is required to ensure colors stand out clearly without blending into the fabric.
2. Direct-to-film printing (DTF)
DTF printing is a highly versatile method that allows for vibrant and durable prints on a wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, and blends. Unlike DTG, this process involves printing the design onto a specialized transfer film, applying an adhesive powder, and then heat pressing it onto the garment. This technique is excellent for intricate, multicolor designs with strong color vibrancy. DTF prints also offer superior stretchability and resistance to cracking or fading over time. Additionally, it works well on garments with a lower cotton content, making it a flexible option for various material choices.
3. All-over print sublimation
All-over print sublimation is ideal for creating full-coverage designs that seamlessly integrate with the fabric. This printing method is available exclusively for polyester fabrics, as the ink needs to bond with the fabric’s polymers to produce rich, long-lasting prints. The process begins by printing the artwork onto special sublimation transfer paper. Next, the design is transferred onto the fabric using a heat press, ensuring the ink becomes a permanent part of the material. Finally, the fabric is cut and sewn into a finished t-shirt, making sublimation an excellent choice for custom, vibrant, and highly detailed all-over prints.
IV. Branding options
Once you’ve selected the perfect t-shirt and printing method, the next step is custom branding. Elevate your t-shirts by adding inside and outside labels, which give your product a polished, professional appearance. Many premium t-shirts also offer sleeve customization for an extra touch of uniqueness. Implementing custom branding helps establish a strong identity, enhances customer loyalty, and ensures your brand stays top-of-mind every time the t-shirt is worn.
V. Which is the greatest t-shirt for printing?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing the best t-shirt for printing. The right choice depends on the purpose of the shirt, the type of design you want to create, and most importantly, your target customers. Your goal should be to select high-quality t-shirts that your customers will love and be willing to pay for, ensuring both customer satisfaction and business profitability. When picking the right t-shirt, consider key factors such as fabric composition, weight, transparency, printing method, and overall cost. By evaluating these elements, you can find the perfect t-shirt to meet your printing and business needs.