The Best Apparel By Decorating Method

There are many apparel options out there as well as decoration methods. Sometimes it is hard to know where to start, since not all techniques are good for all fabrics. For instance, if you have a thick cotton tee—the last thing you want to do is use sublimation to apply your design. So let's break it down! Check out our favorite styles for the different decorating techniques.

Cotton

The great thing about 100% cotton is that you can create awesome prints with almost any decorating method! Embroiders also love a good heavy cotton shirt to hold up their stitching. Our favorite method for 100% cotton is tie-dye! Don't forget that 100% cotton is also great with screen printing. Just use a water-based ink, and you'll have a printed tee that is so soft and comfy, you and your customers will want to wear it all day.


Gildan G200 Adult Ultra Cotton® 6 oz. T-Shirt Recommended for Tie-Dye	Gildan G64EZ0 Adult Softstyle EZ Print T-Shirt Recommended for Screen Printing	Comfort Colors C1717 Adult Heavyweight RS T-Shirt Recommended for Embroidery

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Polyester

Hands-down, sublimation is the technique for working with polyester fabric, especially if it is athletic wear. You can also use other methods too, such as screen printing and heat transfer. With screen printing, just be sure to use a performance ink with a white or gray under base, and during heat transfer—use high-quality paper, and pay extra attention to the time and pressure you apply! Sublivie S1910 Men's Sublimation T-Shirt Recommended for Sublimation.

Blends

Looking for the best of both worlds? Go with blends like cotton/poly, chief value cotton (CVC) or a tri-blend. While several decorating methods work for several types of blends, including screen printing and embroidery, these are our favorite recommendations.

Bella+Canvas 3001CVC Unisex Heather CVC T-Shirt
Recommend for HTV

District DM130DTG District® Perfect Tri® DTG Tee
Recommend for DTG