Choosing the right t-shirt for your brand
It’s one of the more important things to consider when starting a small business, but it often gets overlooked – after all, things like design quality, website layouts, branding and marketing are more important, right? Well, yes. And no.
Choosing the right t-shirt is important, and not just in terms of product quality. Different brands offer different styles, and each style brings something different to the table: different weights, different fits and even different print qualities. It’s important that you base your decision on what is right for your brand, and not on the cost or whether or not you recognise the manufacturer.
With so many different blank garment brands and styles on offer things can get a bit confusing. Inkthreadable alone offer over 50 different styles of t-shirts for printing on demand, and each has it’s own pros and cons – so to make things simple here are our four most popular t-shirts with a breakdown of what makes them so attractive: Continental Clothing NO3 / Sol's Regent / Gildan Premium Cotton / Skinnifit Feel Good T.
T-Shirt: Continental Clothing N03 (Ladies alternative: N09) / Design: Artokingo - Space Surfing
If fashion-fit t-shirts are important for your brand then here's an ideal option. Continental Clothing have a huge catalogue of blank garments designed with contemporary fashion in mind, so if your brand is targeted towards this market then you’ll certainly be more than happy with their products.
The N03 is the basic tee from Continental Clothing. It’s 100% combed cotton, with a weight of 165gsm. Even though it’s their standard t-shirt, the N03 has been cut to offer a slimmer fit with tapered side seams.
It’s just as versatile as other options too, with 19 colours available in sizes small to 2XL and certain colours available in sizes up to 5XL. There’s also a ladies alternative, the N09.
Continental Clothing’s N03 is also great for rebranding, again making it ideal for fashionable brands who want to take advantage of our relabeling service. And for those brands looking for an ethical product, all of Continental’s blanks are manufactured in Fair Wear accredited factories where employees are paid a living wage to produce Continental’s garments.
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T-Shirt: Sol’s Regent (Ladies Alternative: Sol's Miss) / Design: Artokingo - Great Advice Shark
This t-shirt is a pretty standard weight at 150gsm, with a tubular body and a ribbed collar. Not only is it a fan favourite with Inkthreadable customers but it’s one of our favourites too. We love a good print, it makes us warm and fuzzy inside, so when we see a DTG print come out looking better than expected it just makes us happy. Sol’s Regent T-Shirts offer some of the best DTG printing results we’ve ever achieved, so for print quality this is always the garment we recommend.
The Sol’s Regent T-shirt is very versatile too – it’s available in 39 different colours, from the bog-standard black and white to some more niche options like sand and zinc. It’s also available in a women’s fit tee, the Sol’s Ladies Miss T-shirt (11386) which is the same quality, weight and style but cut for ladies with a side seam for a better fit. The 11380 is available in sizes small to 3XL, with the ladies 11386 available in small to 2XL. And to top it off, the Regent tee is one of the cheapest blank t-shirts we offer for on demand printing.
Sol’s regent t-shirts are standard sizes too – so if you generally wear a UK large, you should find that a large Regent tee fits comfortably – though all sizes are approximate, so this can’t be guaranteed.
Whilst the Sol’s Regent T-shirt is certainly a nicer fit than a standard regular fit t-shirt, it’s still a regular fit t-shirt – meaning it’s not tapered or designed to fit a specific body type. Now this isn’t necessarily a negative, but for those looking to build a fashion brand to compete with the high street, the Sol’s Regent might not be the t-shirt for you.
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T-Shirt: Gildan Premium Cotton (Ladies Alternative: Ladies Premium Cotton) / Design: Artokingo - The Butterflies & The Gloves Of Stingers
If you’ve already done a bit of research into the blank garment manufacturer scene you’ll have come across Gildan. Chances are you’ll have heard of them even if you haven’t done any research - in fact it’s likely that you have a Gildan t-shirt in your wardrobe somewhere, though you might not know it if it has been rebranded.
Gildan are the go-to brand for a lot of newcomers to t-shirt printing, and rightly so. The Gildan Premium Cotton T-Shirt is a heavyweight at 180gsm for white and 185gsm for colours, making it a great option for those looking for a t-shirt with a high quality look and feel.
The Gildan Premium Cotton T-shirt is very versatile too – it’s available in 21 colours in sizes small to 2XL, as well as being available in a ladies cut version, the GD90. Both the GD08 and GD90 offer taped neck and shoulders and twin needle stitching on the sleeves and hem. The 100% ringspun cotton provides a great canvas for DTG printing, and the print we can achieve is both a high quality and durable.
Gildan’s Premium Cotton tee is a great all rounder, but the extra weight brings a higher price tag than the Sol’s Regent T-shirt. It’s also a regular fit t-shirt, meaning it’s not the best option if you’re looking to start a fashion-fit brand.
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T-Shirt: Skinnifit Feel Good T (Ladies Alternative: Ladies Feel Good T) / Design: Artokingo - It's a Small World After All
Skinnifit is the newest brand to be added to Inkthreadable's online catalogue (at the time of publishing). The Skinnifit brand is inspired by city street style, with modern finishes and flattering lines used to create a modern blank garment option that you might not have come across before.
They're a newcomer to our online catalogue, but that doesn't make Skinnifit's products amateur compared to the competition: in fact we'd recommend the SF121 Feel Good T over longstanding t-shirts in our catalogue depending on what you're looking for. The Feel Good T weighs in at 165gsm, with twin needle stitching at the sleeves and hem, a ribbed crew neck with back neck tape and a modern long line fit adding up to a fantastic fashion-fit blank t-shirt option.
The Skinnifit Feel Good T isn't as versatile as some of our other t-shirts – it’s available in just 8 colours in sizes small to 2XL, as well as being available in a ladies cut version, the SK121. Both the SF121 and SK121 are enzyme washed for a unique soft-hand feel. The 96% cotton content offers an ideal blank canvas for DTG printing, and the tear-away Skinnifit label makes it a perfect candidate for brand re-labelling.
Skinnifit's Feel Good T is a great t-shirt, though it won't suit every customer's needs. The Feel Good T is a serious contender for those looking for a fashion-fit blank t-shirt, but it brings with it a higher price-tag than other options like Gildan’s Premium Cotton T-Shirt.
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These four t-shirt styles are our most popular options for on demand printing, but that doesn't mean they'll be right for you. If you're still undecided about which brand or style of t-shirt best suits your needs then get in touch with our team today. During office hours you'll find us on Live Chat by clicking below, but if you prefer you can call the office on 01254 777 070 or send a message through our contact form.