Make your own shirt today
Got ideas for custom t-shirt designs but unsure where to begin?
Even if you’ve already chosen a specific fabric like polyester or cotton, there are still countless options to consider. How does the Stanley Stella STTU755 compare to the Gildan 2000 and other major brands known for high-quality prints?
Fear not! We’re here with helpful information and a list of the best t-shirts for printing to help you choose the right t-shirt brand for your designs.
Key takeaways
- Bella+Canvas 3001, Gildan 5000, Delta 11730, and Stanley Stella STTU755 are some of the best blank t-shirts for printing. They offer various fabric compositions for different printing methods.
- For direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, 100% cotton t-shirts provide the best results, while polyester t-shirts are ideal for sublimation printing due to their ability to bond well with the fabric.
- Heavier fabrics, like Gildan 2000’s 6.0 oz/yd², offer durability and comfort, while lighter fabrics, such as the 5.2 oz/yd² Delta 11730, are soft and great for everyday wear.
- Eco-friendly options, such as the Stanley Stella STTU755, made from organic cotton, and the adidas® Unisex Sport t-shirt, made from recycled polyester, are excellent custom shirts for sustainable printing.
- Key factors in selecting high-quality blank t-shirts for printing include fabric composition, stitch density, and whether the fabric has been pre-shrunk, ensuring better fit and durability.
What are the best quality t-shirts for printing?
Here’s a list of the best-quality short sleeves for various printing techniques, including direct-to-garment printing, direct-to-film, and more.
In our product Catalog, you’ll find high-quality t-shirts with smooth surfaces for optimal printing. Most come with a tear-away label, providing a clean canvas for custom designs.
Let’s explore some top picks:
1. Bella+Canvas 3001 unisex jersey short-sleeve tee
One of the most popular and high-quality t-shirts, the Bella+Canvas 3001 is made from Airlume cotton fibers (the polyester percentage varies from heather to solid colors), weighing 4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²), giving it a super soft feel.
This short-sleeve t-shirt is available in various colors, from light blue to dark heather. Its smooth surface ensures high-quality prints with DTG and other printing techniques. It also comes with double-needle sleeve stitching for added durability.
2. Gildan 5000 unisex heavy cotton tee
This industry leader is made from durable cotton fibers and features a high stitch-density fabric for superior printing results. Weighing 5.3 oz/yd² (180 g/m²), the light-medium fabric is perfect for direct-to-garment printing on custom t-shirt designs.
The Gildan 5000 also has reinforced bottom hems and double-needle sleeve stitching for a highly durable finish. With no side seams, it’s a great option for everyday wear.
3. Gildan 2000 unisex ultra cotton tee
A sustainable favorite, this extra comfy t-shirt weighs 6.0 oz/yd² (203 g/m²). Available in a wide range of colors, including polyester blends like black heather and athletic heather, it provides comfort and durability.
This heavier fabric shirt also ensures high-quality prints when using DTG or DTF methods, thanks to its high stitch-density fabric.
4. Stanley Stella STTU758 Rocker t-shirt – unisex
This organic, ring-spun combed cotton t-shirt offers a medium fit with lightweight fabric (4.4 oz/yd² or 150 g/m²) – perfect for custom designs. It comes in various solid colors, from classic white to heather grey.
The Stanley Stella STTU758 Rocker t-shirt is an eco-conscious choice, made from responsibly sourced cotton, with a double-needle sleeve and bottom hem for enhanced durability. Its relaxed fit and smooth surface make it ideal for high-quality prints.
5. adidas® unisex sport t-shirt
This 100% recycled polyester shirt is a sustainable, high-quality option – perfect for direct-to-film printing, delivering sharp, vibrant prints.
With moisture-wicking technology, it helps keep you cool and dry during intense workouts or everyday wear. Additionally, it offers UPF 50+ protection, making it an excellent choice for outdoor activities.
More high-quality shirts for printing
Looking to expand your selection of custom products? Here’s an additional batch of high-quality t-shirts for printing to consider:
AS Color 5001 men’s staple tee
This t-shirt is 100% combed, ring-spun cotton with a regular fit and true-to-size measurement. It combines a soft feel, high durability, and a sewn-in label.
Hanes 5180 Beefy-T® short-sleeve t-shirt
100% heavyweight cotton, this shirt offers a relaxed fit with enhanced durability thanks to double-needle stitching at the sleeves and bottom hem. It includes a black sewn-in label for a classic look.
Comfort Colors® 1717 unisex garment-dyed t-shirt
This is a 100% pre-shrunk US cotton shirt that features a soft-washed, garment-dyed fabric for a vintage, relaxed fit. It also comes with a signature sewn-in twill label.
American Apparel 2001W unisex classic crewneck t-shirt
This 100% combed, ring-spun cotton t-shirt provides a classic fit with durable double-needle stitching at the sleeves and bottom hem. It includes a tear-away label for easy rebranding.
How to pick a good quality t-shirt for printing?
Creating custom t-shirt designs goes beyond visuals – the shirt’s quality depends on its fabric composition and the printing method you choose.
Discover how to get a high-quality design file with our Product Creator.
DTG t-shirts
Direct-to-garment printing uses water-based, pigmented inks absorbed by the shirt’s fibers. This results in vivid, long-lasting prints.
The best fabrics for DTG printing are 100%cotton or blends. A pure cotton shirt will give you the most vibrant and high-opacity prints, while a cotton/polyester blend provides a more faded, vintage look over time.
AOP t-shirts
All-over print (AOP) uses sublimation printing, infusing designs into the fabric using high heat and pressure.
This method is ideal for creating bold, durable prints that cover the entire t-shirt. The best fabric for AOP is polyester, as sublimation works best with synthetic fibers.
Check out our list of the best shirts for sublimation printing to find the right blank t-shirts for your immersive designs.
DTF shirts
Direct-to-film printing involves printing designs on a special PET film, which is then transferred to the t-shirt using adhesive powder and heat.
This method produces vibrant prints that can be applied to various parts of the garment. DTF is versatile in terms of fabric types, working well on both cotton and polyester.
Find the most popular t-shirt printing methods on our blog.
The different types of cotton
Cotton is a soft and furry ball of fiber that grows inside a cotton plant’s seed pod. It’s primarily used to create textile materials and some of the best quality custom t-shirts for printing.
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, breathable, and durable fiber.
Regular cotton is used to make t-shirts, socks, towels, bedsheets, and even denim for jeans.
There are many commercially grown species of cotton, and new uses for this versatile fiber continue to emerge, enhancing its quality and making our lives even more comfortable.
Cotton is one of the most popular fabric types in custom t-shirt printing as it offers exceptional print quality.
Ring-spun cotton
Ring-spinning is the process of spinning fibers into yarn. This helps strengthen the material, and the number of spins determines the softness of the garment.
Ring-spun cotton is smooth, long, and super soft. It’s also more durable than average cotton.
The softness of quality t-shirts made from ring-spun cotton is thanks to the alignment and the shortness of yarn fibers, which feel like a light layer of soft fuzziness.
Open-end cotton
Open-end spinning is an affordable and eco-friendly method that transforms raw cotton fibers into yarn by spinning and twisting them.
Unlike ring-spun cotton, this approach creates a heavier and fuzzier texture due to individual wrapping rather than continuous spinning.
Combed ring-spun cotton
This cotton undergoes an extra combing process, removing short fibers and impurities to ensure a smoother, finer, and more durable yarn.
Combed cotton is a more refined choice compared to open-end cotton, making it one of the best options for printing t-shirts.
Airlume ring-spun cotton
A higher-quality combed ring-spun cotton. Before regular cotton is spun into yarn, it’s put through an intense combing process to remove all impurities. This ensures that Airlume ring-spun cotton is of the highest standard and provides unmatched print quality.
Pre-shrunk cotton
Pre-shrunk cotton is exactly what it sounds like. It’s subjected to a pre-shrinking treatment that resembles the processes it would go through during the washing and drying cycle.
This process ensures sizing consistency; a pre-shrunk cotton t-shirt won’t shrink to a smaller size after additional washes.
Start custom t-shirt printing with Printify
Creating and selling t-shirts is a breeze with the right tools.
Use the benefits of Print on Demand to make t-shirt designs and streamline the production and selling process.
With Printify, start printing and selling garments quickly and easily, with no upfront costs or need to manage inventory.
Explore the best strategies to launch your t-shirt business.
1. Create your Printify account
Signing up takes just a few minutes, and it’s completely free for businesses with up to five stores.
As you grow, check out the benefits of Printify Premium.
2. Select the best quality t-shirts for printing from our Catalog
Browse our product Catalog to find good quality t-shirts for printing.
We offer various shirt types made from natural or synthetic materials in styles that fit any occasion.
3. Design your custom t-shirts
Try our Product Creator to create your print designs.
Use our free graphics to position, layer, and scale your artwork and add text in various fonts and colors in the available t-shirt print area.
Once you’ve created your design, save your t-shirt to generate high-quality mockups for your store listings.
4. Order a sample to check t-shirt quality
Place a sample order before selling the t-shirts in your store.
This is a good way to evaluate the quality and printing process, ensuring that the final product meets your standards.
5. Show it to the world
Wear your quality t-shirt sample around town, or use our product photos to display designs to your target market.
Many people visualize wearing a t-shirt before ordering one, so provide your customers with quality product mockups.
Take a look at these Shopify t-shirt stores for inspiration.
FAQ
The best shirts for printing depend on the method used:
- For direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, 100% cotton shirts are best, as they ensure vibrant, detailed prints with high opacity.
- For sublimation printing, choose polyester or poly-blend shirts. This allows the design to bond with the fabric for long-lasting, vivid results.
- If you want to print designs that cover the entire garment, opt for an all-over print (AOP) t-shirt made from polyester or a polyester blend to achieve seamless and vibrant prints across the entire fabric.
Some of the best t-shirt brands for printing include Bella+Canvas (e.g., the 3001 model), known for its soft, lightweight Airlume cotton; Gildan (5000 and 2000 models), which offers durable, heavy cotton tees with a variety of colors; Delta (11730), valued for its pre-shrunk, soft cotton fabric and vintage feel; and Stanley Stella (STTU755), which stands out for its use of 100% organic cotton and eco-friendly practices. These brands are praised for their comfort, durability, and suitability for different printing methods.
A high-quality t-shirt is usually made from soft, durable fabrics like ring-spun cotton, combed cotton, organic cotton, or polyester blends.
The stitching should be even, with reinforced seams at the sleeves and hem to prevent fraying. Check the fabric’s weight – mid-weight t-shirts (around 5 oz/yd²) strike a good balance between durability and comfort.
After washing, a high-quality t-shirt should also retain its shape and size, indicating it’s made from pre-shrunk or treated materials. Additionally, premium t-shirts often have a tear-away or sewn-in label.
Conclusion
Explore the diverse t-shirt options in our Catalog, pay attention to fabric composition, and decide based on the unique requirements of your designs and audience.
Ultimately, the best quality t-shirts are the ones you choose to add to your store and sell to your customers.
