DTG printing blanks: how to pick the shirt

Direct-to-garment printing puts water-based ink straight into the fabric, so the blank decides how bright and sharp the print comes out. The ten styles below are 100% cotton in most colors, from a 4.3 oz retail tee to a 7.6 oz boxy heavyweight, so you can choose by weight, fit and color.

The shortlist

Every style here is built on cotton, so the differences come down to weight, cut, yarn and dye.

• Next Level 3600 Cotton Tee: 4.3 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, regular fit, side-seamed, sizes XS to 6XL. Best for soft retail prints.
• Next Level 3900 Women's Cotton Tee: the same 4.3 oz combed ringspun cotton in a women's regular fit with a longer body, sizes XS to 3XL. Best for women's retail runs.
• Tultex 202 Fine Jersey T-Shirt: 4.5 oz, pre-shrunk 100% ringspun cotton, sizes XS to 5XL. Best for runs where sizes have to hold.
• Tultex 235 Youth Fine Jersey T-Shirt: the youth version of the 202, also pre-shrunk ringspun cotton, sizes XS to XL. Best for school and kids' orders.
• Gildan 64000 Softstyle T-Shirt: 4.5 oz ringspun cotton, modern classic fit, sizes XS to 5XL. Best for big orders that need a wide range of solid colors.
• Shaka Wear SHASS Active Tee: 6 oz, 100% USA cotton, classic fit, sizes S to 5XL. Best for a heavier everyday tee.
• Comfort Colors 1717 Garment-Dyed Heavyweight T-Shirt: 6.1 oz, 100% ringspun cotton, relaxed fit, garment-dyed. Best for a washed, vintage retail look.
• Comfort Colors 6014 Garment-Dyed Heavyweight Long Sleeve T-Shirt: the same 6.1 oz garment-dyed cotton with sleeves and rib cuffs. Best for cold-weather retail.
• Hanes 5180R Beefy-T Retro Street T-Shirt: 7 oz, 100% ringspun cotton jersey, oversized relaxed fit. Best for heavy streetwear prints.
• Lane Seven LS16005 Urban Heavyweight Tee: 7.6 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, oversized boxy fit, side-seamed. Best for the heaviest tee in the group.

Why does DTG need cotton?

DTG ink is water-based, and cotton fiber soaks it up. The pigment settles into the fiber and locks in when it cures, which is where both the color and the wash life come from. Polyester doesn't absorb water-based ink, so the more polyester a shirt has, the less ink it holds.

That's why every pick here is cotton. If the job calls for performance polyester, DTG is the wrong tool. DTF transfers press onto almost any fabric, and decorating on polyester covers the other options.

What surface gives the sharpest print?

A smooth, tight face. DTG can lay down thin lines and photo detail, but loose fibers on the surface break that detail up. Ringspun yarn is twisted tighter than standard yarn, and combing pulls out the short fibers first.

The yarn count tells you more. A higher "singles" number means a finer yarn and a smoother knit. The Next Level 3600 and 3900 are 32 singles. The Tultex 202 is 30 singles. The Comfort Colors 1717 and 6014 are 20 singles, the Shaka Wear SHASS is 18 singles, and the Lane Seven LS16005 uses a heavier two-ply yarn, so those use a coarser yarn. Pick the finer yarns when the art has small text or gradients.

Hanes says its Clean Canvas process gives the 5180R a print surface made for screen and direct-to-garment printing. Comfort Colors says the 1717 has a ringspun U.S. cotton face for better printability.

Do heathers and specialty colors print the same?

No, because most heathers and a few specialty colors carry polyester. The manufacturers list these blends:

• Next Level 3600 and 3900: Heather Grey is 90/10 cotton/poly. Oatmeal on the 3600 is 99/1.
• Tultex 202 and 235: Heather Grey is 90/10, and the other heathers are 50/50.
• Gildan 64000: Dark Heather and the Heather colors are 65/35 polyester/cotton. Graphite Heather is 50/50, and Sport Grey and the Antique colors are 90/10.
• Shaka Wear SHASS: Charcoal Grey Heather, Safety Green and Lime are 50/50.

A 90/10 color still takes DTG ink well. On a 50/50 or poly-heavy color, the ink has less cotton to grab, so colors print softer. When the print has to pop, pick a solid color, or run one heather sample before the full order.

How do dark shirts change the setup?

On a dark blank, DTG needs a pretreat coat and a white ink underbase so the colors sit up bright. White shirts usually skip both, which is why they run faster. Light colors often need only a light pretreat. Garment-dyed darks like the Comfort Colors range also take pretreat and white ink. Follow your ink maker's cure settings closely on those. The guide to printing on dark garments walks through pretreat, underbase and curing for every method.

Will the shirt shrink after printing?

Cotton that isn't pre-shrunk can move in the first wash. Comfort Colors says garment dyeing gives the 1717 and 6014 minimal shrinkage. Either way, wash and dry one sample and measure it before you lock sizes. If the size curve has no room to spare, the Tultex 202 and the youth 235 are pre-shrunk.

Which blank should I start with?

For soft retail DTG, we'd start with the Next Level 3600. It's 100% combed ringspun cotton at 32 singles, the finest yarn here, so detail lands clean. It runs XS to 6XL, and the 3900 gives you the same fabric in a women's cut. Then match the job:

• Pre-shrunk adult and youth sizes: Tultex 202 and 235
• Wide range of solid colors: Gildan 64000 (its heathers are 65% polyester, so pick solids for DTG)
• Heavier everyday tee: Shaka Wear SHASS
• Washed, vintage look: Comfort Colors 1717, or the 6014 for long sleeves
• Oversized streetwear: Hanes 5180R, or the Lane Seven LS16005 at 7.6 oz

New to matching a method to a fabric? Decoration method compatibility basics maps every fabric to the methods that suit it.