lets talk about t-shirt printing

Fabric has a very significant role in determining a number of elements of a shirt. Aside from determining how well a t-shirt will preserve its shape after all the number of washings and wearing it will go through, fabric also sets the quality of your t-shirt printing results.

What is the best type of t-shirt fabric will fit your specific purpose? The discussion below will help you discover the different varieties of t-shirt fabrics.

 

A great majority of t-shirts found in the market are manufactured from polyester, 100% cotton, or cotton-polyester blends. In addition to the three common kinds of shirt fabrics, there are manufacturers who make fabrics from organically grown cotton and natural dyes; they do this for the purpose of saving the environment.

Knit fabrics, such as jerseys, interlock and rib knits, are ideal for t-shirts that need some form of “stretch”. Considering that jersey is extremely multi-functional, flexible, and relatively inexpensive, it is one of the most popular kinds of fabric for silk screen printing or heat transfer printing.

For sturdy fabrics that do not shrink in the dryer or get faded due to exposure to the sun’s rays, you can select cotton/polyester blends, as these usually serve the purpose. Considering that the most common types of t-shirt fabrics in the market these days are cotton and/or cotton/polyester blends, we will discuss these types in depth, as well as compare their characteristics in relation to their serviceability for t-shirt printing.

There are 2 types of cotton fabric: combed cotton and carded cotton. On touch, one can note that combed cotton fabrics are softer in feel than carded ones.

The combing procedure allows for the separation of cotton fibers, generating longer, thinner, and more even fibers. These thinner fibers are twisted together to create a smoother, finer thread. This technique supplies the smoothness noted in combed cotton fabric.

In the meantime, carded cotton is created through a mixture of short, thick and ragged cotton fibers. The ragged fibers are blown together, which produces a rough, thick thread. The coarse texture of carded cotton makes the fabric’s quality lower to that of combed cotton.

For top-quality t-shirt printing, printers would always prefer combed cotton over carded cotton for its smoothness and tight-knit weave. These features of combed cotton makes it perfect for silk screen t-shirt printing and embroidery.