How To Choose the Best Fabric for Custom Printed Shirts?

The branded clothing market is flourishing. From custom sweatshirts and tank tops to hoodies and tees, more and more custom-fit branded apparel is being sold out through print-on-demand ecommerce websites. Among all these growing items, tees stand out, with the worldwide market for customized t-shirt printing anticipated to exceed $5 billion by 2025 as per the report of ComCap 2019. 

It’s a fruitful business, but also has lots of competitors. Design is the key component to make a distinction between competitors. But it’s also important to consider the stuff you wish to print on t shirt. The choice of t-shirt fabric is very important to get the best and long-lasting print finish. With print-on-demand, several options are available to select from when we talk about t-shirt blanks. 

No doubt, it can be tough to know which t-shirt to select, especially when you are unable to feel or see the product physically. But nothing to worry about as you can easily take this decision by choosing your desired fabric. Three fabrics are commonly used for custom t-shirt printing i.e. cotton, polyester, or blended materials. When it comes to creating custom print on demand products like shirts, it is essential to know how to choose the best fabric for your specific design and printing needs. Here are our top picks for t-shirt fabric. 

It’s a man-made polymer, which is referred to as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). It’s very strong and durable, yet lightweight and dries quickly. Polyester is one of the most popular fabrics in printed t-shirts. These t-shirts are ideal for Sublimation Printing in comparison to Direct to Garment Printing. We suggest Direct to Garment Printing for most t-shirts because of its precise print design. But if you want a full print, go for Sublimation Printing. 

Cotton contains soft vegetable fibers that are knitted and spun into fabric for making parts of a t- shirt. For Direct to Garment (DTG) Printing, the higher the proportion of cotton, the brighter the print. Cotton is a natural fiber fabric, and thus, works better for printing as compared to synthetic fabrics. Plus, a cotton t-shirt will last longer. However, each cotton is not made equal. Normal cotton is regarded as the industry standard whereas for a more durable, softer cotton it requires ring-spun and combed. 

Ring-spun cotton is a premium formation for high-end printed t-shirt production. This type of cotton involves more tight and thinner twisting of fibers to get a stronger thread and softer feel. Also, it provides a smooth surface that improves the print quality. 

Combed cotton involves removal of impurities before spun. This method provides high-quality, stronger, and softer cotton. Therefore, the most sturdy t-shirt fabric is cotton, which is both combed and ring-spun. 

Triblend fabric is a combination of 3 different fabrics, usually 25% cotton, 25% rayon, and 50% polyester. They are softer, a bit more stretchable, and give a classic effect look. Though standard cotton is normally better for DTG t-shirt printing, a good-quality triblend t-shirt is also a better choice, particularly when you need a more budget-friendly printed t-shirt.