The Authoritative Guide to the Custom T-Shirt Industry

100% Cotton

Cotton is the most widely used material in custom t-shirt production. It accepts screen printing and DTG ink exceptionally well, breathes naturally, and is comfortable across a wide range of body types and climates.

• Best for: Promotional giveaways, event shirts, casual retail, and nonprofit campaigns
• Considerations: Prone to shrinkage if not pre-shrunk; conventional cotton has a significant environmental footprint
• Weight range: Typically 4.5 oz to 6.1 oz per square yard; heavier weights feel more premium
• Price position: Budget to mid-range depending on weight and sourcing

Cotton-Polyester Blends

Blended fabrics combine the comfort of cotton with the durability and wrinkle resistance of polyester. They are a popular choice for athletic wear and workwear, and they tend to hold their shape better over time than pure cotton.

• Best for: Sportswear, staff uniforms, and performance-adjacent applications
• Considerations: Polyester content can cause "dye migration" with heat-based printing methods; DTG results can be less vibrant than on 100% cotton
• Weight range: Varies widely; mid-weight blends are most common
• Price position: Mid-range

Tri-Blend Fabrics

Tri-blend fabrics typically combine cotton, polyester, and rayon in roughly equal proportions. They are exceptionally soft, lightweight, and drape-friendly, giving finished garments a fashion-forward, retail-quality appearance.

• Best for: Premium lifestyle brands, fashion-oriented merchandise, and direct-to-consumer retail
• Considerations: Higher cost per unit; lighter fabric weight can reduce print vibrancy with some methods
• Weight range: Typically 3.4 oz to 4.3 oz; notably lighter than standard cotton
• Price position: Upper-mid to premium

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and is certified through recognized third-party standards. It has essentially the same feel and print properties as conventional cotton but carries verifiable sustainability credentials.

• Best for: Eco-conscious brands, certified product lines, and buyers with formal sustainability requirements
• Considerations: Higher unit cost; requires documentation of certification chain; limited supplier availability compared to conventional cotton
• Weight range: Comparable to standard cotton; 4.5 oz to 6.0 oz is typical
• Price position: Mid to upper-mid

Recycled and Sustainable Synthetics

A growing category of blanks incorporates recycled polyester, recycled cotton, or blends of both. These garments appeal to brands that want measurable environmental impact reductions and can point to certifications like the Global Recycled Standard.

• Best for: Corporate sustainability programs, outdoor and athletic brands, and ESG-focused merchandise
• Considerations: Print behavior varies by material; verify compatibility with your preferred decoration method before ordering
• Weight range: Varies by construction
• Price position: Mid to premium depending on certification level

Screen Printing

Screen printing is the dominant decoration method in the custom t-shirt industry and has been for decades. Ink is pushed through a mesh screen onto the fabric, one color at a time, producing bright, durable, and consistent results.

• Color capability: Spot colors only; typically 1 to 8 colors per design
• Durability: Excellent; properly cured plastisol or water-based inks can outlast the garment
• MOQ: Usually 12 to 144 units for domestic decorators; lower setup cost amortized over higher quantities
• Best for: Bold logos, simple graphics, team apparel, and high-volume promotional orders
• Cost structure: Per-color setup fees; declining cost per unit as quantity increases

Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing

DTG printing uses modified inkjet technology to apply water-based ink directly to the fabric surface. It excels at reproducing complex, photographic, or highly detailed artwork and requires no screens or physical setup.

• Color capability: Full color including gradients, photographs, and fine detail
• Durability: Good on 100% cotton with proper pretreatment; less reliable on blends and synthetics
• MOQ: As low as 1 unit; economical for small and variable runs
• Best for: On-demand retail, personalized orders, complex artwork, and sample production
• Cost structure: No setup fees; higher per-unit cost; most competitive at low quantities

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation uses heat to transfer dye directly into polyester fibers, producing vibrant, all-over prints that are embedded in the fabric rather than sitting on top of it.

• Color capability: Full color, unlimited; all-over print coverage is possible
• Durability: Outstanding; the dye becomes part of the fiber and will not crack, peel, or fade with normal washing
• MOQ: Low to moderate; compatible with on-demand workflows
• Best for: All-over printed designs, sportswear, performance apparel, and fashion-forward lifestyle brands
• Cost structure: No color-based setup fees; requires 100% polyester or high-poly blend fabrics; not suitable for dark garments

Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)

HTV involves cutting designs from colored vinyl sheets and pressing them onto garments with heat. It is a straightforward, low-investment method well suited to small shops and custom one-off orders.

• Color capability: Solid colors only per layer; multi-layer designs are possible but labor-intensive
• Durability: Moderate; quality varies significantly by vinyl grade and application technique
• MOQ: Effectively 1 unit; no minimum
• Best for: Custom names and numbers, personalized gifts, small-batch customization
• Cost structure: Low equipment and material cost; labor-intensive at scale

Embroidery

Embroidery stitches thread directly into the garment fabric, producing a tactile, raised design that conveys craftsmanship and quality. It is a premium decoration option frequently used on structured or upscale apparel.

• Color capability: Up to 15 thread colors; not suitable for photographic detail or fine gradients
• Durability: Exceptional; embroidered designs routinely outlast the garment itself
• MOQ: Typically 12 to 24 units; a one-time digitization fee is required to convert artwork into a stitch file
• Best for: Corporate uniforms, premium retail, staff apparel, and logo-only designs
• Cost structure: Digitization fee plus per-unit cost based on stitch count; economical at moderate to high volumes

Domestic Decorators

Domestic decorators purchase blank garments wholesale and decorate them in-house or through local contract printers. They offer faster turnaround, easier communication, and greater accountability than overseas suppliers.

• Lead times: 5 to 15 business days for standard orders after artwork approval
• MOQ: Typically 12 to 72 units for screen printing; lower for DTG
• Best for: Time-sensitive campaigns, buyers who require domestic production documentation, and orders where frequent revisions are expected

Overseas Manufacturers

Overseas suppliers, primarily based in Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan, manufacture garments from scratch and can handle decoration in the same facility. This vertical integration allows for lower unit costs and greater customization of the garment itself, including custom labels, custom sizing, and woven tags.

• Lead times: 8 to 20 weeks including ocean freight; air freight can reduce this to 2 to 4 weeks at higher cost
• MOQ: Typically 200 to 500 units per style per color
• Best for: Established brands scaling production, private label apparel lines, and buyers with predictable demand and longer planning horizons

Print-on-Demand Platforms

Print-on-demand platforms stock blank inventory in fulfillment warehouses and decorate shirts to order as individual customer purchases come in. They typically integrate directly with e-commerce platforms, eliminating the need for the seller to manage inventory, production, or shipping logistics.

• Lead times: 2 to 7 business days for standard fulfillment
• MOQ: 1 unit
• Best for: New brands testing designs, independent artists and creators, low-risk market entry, and sellers who want to avoid inventory overhead entirely

Design Software

Professional-grade design tools give you full creative control over your artwork. For vector-based designs -- logos, typography, and clean illustrations -- Adobe Illustrator remains the industry standard. For photo-based or raster artwork, Adobe Photoshop provides unmatched editing capabilities. Both export in formats accepted by every major print vendor.

Template-Based Design Platforms

If you prefer a faster, more accessible workflow, template-based platforms are an excellent choice. Adobe Express offers thousands of customizable t-shirt templates, professional typography tools, and print-ready exports at no cost. Canva is another popular option with a large template library and a drag-and-drop interface.

Print-on-Demand Partners

If you plan to sell custom t-shirts online without holding inventory, a print-on-demand partner handles production and shipping for you. Printful integrates with most major e-commerce platforms and offers a wide range of blank garments and decoration methods. Custom Ink is well suited for bulk orders, group fundraising, and event-based production with dedicated design support.