How To Choose The Best Cloth For T-Shirt Printing

When preparing custom t-shirts, you will need to spend time choosing the fabric. Having an awesome design will be worthless if you do not get the right fabric. If the t-shirt is of poor-quality material, that is the first thing people will notice. 

Besides the type of material, you also need to consider the type of printing you would like. Some fabrics work well with dye sublimation but may not be ideal for direct-to-garment (DTG) printing. You need to know various types of prints and how well they turn out on different fabrics. 

100% Cotton

Cotton t-shirts feel great on the skin. They help you remain cool, even on hot days. Cotton is one of the common fabrics preferred for custom t-shirts in Singapore. Not only does it take in ink well, but it is also affordable and is available in a range of colours. 

Although it has several advantages which make it the ideal choice for t-shirt printing, cotton wrinkles easily. Sometimes, this makes the printing process a little difficult. 

There are three main types of cotton fabric;

Combed Cotton 

Combed cotton is the softest cotton fabric. This is mainly because of the production process, where cotton fibers are treated before being spun into yarn. Unfortunately, this process comes at a price. Combed cotton is expensive compared to the other cotton fabrics. 

Supima Cotton

When it comes to quality, Supima cotton is the best. The fabric is ultra-strong. It doesn’t fade, nor does it stretch. The more you wash a custom t-shirt Singapore made of Supima cotton, the softer it becomes. 

Organic Cotton

This type of cotton, as the name suggests, is grown organically. Pesticides and fertilizers made of chemicals are avoided during the production process. Unfortunately, the price tag of organic cotton is higher than that of basic cotton. 

This explains the difference in cotton t-shirts, not just in the texture but in their appearance after washing.

Polyester

Polyester is a common synthetic fiber used for t-shirt printing. If you are interested in dye sublimation in the custom print, then polyester is an excellent choice. Besides its ability to absorb ink perfectly, polyester is also easy to wash, dries quickly, and does not wrinkle. 

Blends

If you cannot decide on one specific material, then you should consider having a blend of two or more fabrics. The most common custom t-shirt Singapore blend is that of cotton and polyester. T-shirts with poly-cotton blends are usually softer than 100% cotton. 

You also get the best of both fabrics in the t-shirt. For example, while 100% cotton wrinkles, poly-cotton t-shirts are wrinkle-free, thanks to the polyester. The polyester in poly-cotton blended t-shirts gives them a little stretch, which feels incredible. 

Tri-blends are also quite popular, with the most common being a mix of cotton, polyester, and Rayon. Rayon is made from a blend of plants and cotton. Its texture is similar to that of silk. However, the price tag is lower than that of silk. 

On its own, Rayon is delicate for a custom t-shirt Singapore. It also wrinkles easily and is not as durable as the other materials. However, when blended with cotton and polyester, Rayon makes the t-shirt super soft and comfortable. 

Conclusion

The fabric is very critical in customised t-shirt printing. Whether you are customising t-shirts for a one-time event, as a gift, or part of the work uniform, you need to ensure you pick a fabric that meets your custom printing preference.