Best Blank T-Shirts for Printing and Embroidery, by Brand

Key Takeaways

• Pick the Gildan 5000 for price, Bella + Canvas 3001 for softness, Comfort Colors 1717 for weight, or Next Level 3600 or 6210 for 6XL.
• Gildan Activewear also owns Comfort Colors, Hanes, and American Apparel, so compare spec sheets, not brands.
• Heather colors are often blends, even in "100% cotton" styles.
• Every tee we carry takes printing, embroidery, and patches.

Table of Contents

• What Are the Best Blank T-Shirts for Printing?
• Which Blank T-Shirts Take Embroidery, Printing, or Patches?
• Every T-Shirt Brand We Print On, by Weight
• Who Owns Which T-Shirt Brand?
• How to Read a Blank T-Shirt Spec Sheet
• Can You Buy Wholesale T-Shirts for Printing From Us?
• Which Hoodie, Polo, and Jacket Brands Do We Carry?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Which Blank T-Shirt Should You Order?

What the trade calls a blank is a plain, undecorated tee made to be printed or embroidered. The best blank t-shirts for printing come from four brands: Gildan, Bella + Canvas, Comfort Colors, and Next Level. The Gildan 5000 wins on price and on big sizes in the most colors, and the Bella + Canvas 3001 on a soft retail feel. The Comfort Colors 1717 brings a heavy vintage look, and the Next Level 3600 or 6210 the widest size range, XS to 6XL.

We print and embroider on 43 t-shirts from 15 brands, and every one of them takes printing, embroidery, and patches. So the right blank depends mostly on who wears the shirt. Weights and fabrics below come from each style's spec sheet, and the cut from the sheet or the maker's own product page. Every count on this page is as of October 2026.

What Are the Best Blank T-Shirts for Printing?

Our shortlist is five shirts from four brands: the Gildan 5000, Bella + Canvas 3001, Comfort Colors 1717, and Next Level 3600 and 6210. Each covers a different need, set out in the table from the makers' spec sheets and our own size and color grid. The two Next Levels share one cut and size chart, in cotton (3600) or a 60/40 cotton and polyester blend (6210). Choose among the five by the weight and cut that suit the person wearing the shirt.

The Gildan 5000 costs the least of the five per shirt, and the Comfort Colors 1717 costs the most. Our guide on how the Comfort Colors 1717 is dyed and why it barely shrinks explains where its faded color comes from.

On the 5000, the 3001, and both Next Levels, the largest sizes come in fewer colors, so check your color in the size grid first. On the makers' charts, all five measure 20 to 20 1/2 inches across a medium's chest, laid flat. The chart alone will not settle fit, so for a group with mixed builds, compare the cut column too.

Shop custom t-shirts to compare all 43 by color and size.

Which Blank T-Shirts Take Embroidery, Printing, or Patches?

All three customization methods work on every tee we carry, so the method does not rule a brand out. For embroidery, a heavier cotton tee such as the Gildan 5000 or Comfort Colors 1717 is the safer base for a large, filled logo.

On the lightest tees, a large, dense, filled stitch logo can pucker the fabric, and a lighter, more open design sits flatter. If a logo is too dense for the shirt, we flag it on your design proof. A small chest logo with open lettering suits even the lightest tee.

Two kinds of tee change the spots on offer. Pocket tees have no left chest; they take a design above the pocket or on the right chest instead. All but the Carhartt pocket tee also take a small print on the pocket itself. Youth tees take a front print up to 10 inches wide. On Gildan's youth tees, a left or right chest design runs up to 3 x 3 inches.

When you order printed shirts from us, we do the printing, so the shirt never has to suit your own press. Your choice comes back to feel, fit, sizes, and price.

Every T-Shirt Brand We Print On, by Weight

The U.S. weight on a spec sheet is how much a square yard of the fabric weighs. A higher number means thicker, heavier cloth, not a bigger shirt. Our 43 tees from 15 brands run from 3.5 to 6.75 ounces, grouped here by fabric, lightest first.

Six polyester tees from four brands list a UPF sun rating, from UPF 40+ on the Team 365 to UPF 50+ on the Paragon. Price tracks the brand more than the weight. The basic Gildan, Hanes, Port & Co, Tultex, and M&O cotton tees cost the least per shirt, even at 6 oz. Bella + Canvas, Next Level, and Comfort Colors cost more, and the Nike, Carhartt, and Paragon tees cost the most.

Five tees run to 6XL: the Port & Co PC54, Next Level 3600 and 6210, Sport-Tek PosiCharge Competitor, and M&O Soft Touch. Most others stop at 4XL or 5XL. Nine of the 15 brands offer a long-sleeve tee on our site. Our youth tees are Gildan and Team 365 styles, and our women's cuts are Gildan's.

Who Owns Which T-Shirt Brand?

Gildan Activewear owns Gildan, Comfort Colors, Hanes, and American Apparel, and the distributor SanMar completed its purchase of Bella + Canvas in June 2026. Gildan's annual information form for 2025, filed with the SEC, lists those four brands and dates the Hanes purchase. The same filing says Gildan sells mostly undecorated shirts to wholesale distributors, who sell them on to the shops that print and embroider them.

So the Gildan 5000, the Comfort Colors 1717, and the Hanes Beefy-T on our site come from one company, yet their spec sheets differ. The 5000 is 5.3 oz cotton. The 1717 and Beefy-T are both 6.1 oz ring-spun cotton, but the 1717 is dyed after sewing and cut in a relaxed fit. The Port & Co and Sport-Tek tees are a distributor's own brands.

How to Read a Blank T-Shirt Spec Sheet

Four things on a spec sheet are worth checking before you order.

1. Compare U.S. weights with U.S. weights. Spec sheets often give two weights. The U.S. figure is ounces per square yard. The Canadian figure is ounces per linear yard: one yard cut across the fabric's full width. The same 3001 reads 4.2 oz in the U.S. and 7 oz in Canada, and the 5000 reads 5.3 and 8.8.
2. Check the fabric for each color. Heather and specialty colors are often a blend, even in a style sold as 100% cotton. Most Gildan Softstyle heathers are 65% polyester, and Hanes Beefy-T heathers are 60/40 cotton and polyester. Port & Co PC54 heathers run 50/50, except Athletic Heather at 90/10. A group that wants all cotton should skip the heathers and check every color it picks on the maker's spec sheet, or ask us.
3. Read "ring-spun" as a stronger yarn, not a smoother one. Cotton Incorporated's 2003 bulletin on open-end spinning compares open-end yarn with ring-spun yarn from the same cotton. It lists open-end yarn as less hairy and more even, but 10% to 30% weaker.
4. Find weight and yarn on the spec sheet. The FTC's textile labeling rule requires fiber content, country of origin, and the company's name or registered number on the label. Weight and yarn are not on that list, so those numbers live on the maker's spec sheet.

Can You Buy Wholesale T-Shirts for Printing From Us?

No. We do not sell blank shirts for you to print yourself. If you print your own, wholesale apparel distributors sell blanks to print shops.

If you want printed shirts at a bulk price, "wholesale pricing" at Griwolfe means our standard bulk pricing on custom orders. There is no minimum: one price list covers 1 shirt or 500, and the price per shirt drops as more shirts share one design. Once you approve your design proof, apparel ships in 1 to 2 weeks, and transit time is separate. Our bulk t-shirt printing guide explains how a large order is priced, paid for, and scheduled.

Which Hoodie, Polo, and Jacket Brands Do We Carry?

Gildan, Hanes, Port & Co, Carhartt, and Comfort Colors make sweatshirts as well as tees, and Nike, Team 365, and Sport-Tek make polos too. Our apparel range runs to 89 pieces from 24 brands.

A team that wants matching pieces can stay with one brand. Port & Co covers a tee, a fleece hoodie, a quarter-zip, and a polo, and Nike covers tees, polos, and half-zips. Every hoodie and crewneck we carry weighs more than any tee. The Gildan 18500 hoodie is 8 oz per square yard, and the Carhartt Loose Fit Midweight hoodie is 10.5 oz.

Browse custom apparel to see every brand we carry by garment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which t-shirt brands are best for printing?

Gildan, Bella + Canvas, Comfort Colors, and Next Level, and we carry all four. Shirts within one brand still differ, so compare styles: Gildan makes both the 4.5 oz Softstyle in ring-spun cotton and the 6 oz Ultra Cotton.

Will customers notice a cheaper t-shirt brand?

Not as a thinner or smaller shirt. The Gildan 5000, the lowest-priced of our five picks, is heavier than the Bella + Canvas 3001, at 5.3 oz against 4.2. The makers' charts give the two the same chest and length at every size from S to 5XL. What differs is the yarn: the pricier 3001 is combed and ring-spun cotton, and the 5000's spec sheet claims neither. Compare the two in hand before a big order.

Can I mix t-shirt brands in one order?

Yes. Shirts from different brands, colors, and sizes count together for bulk pricing when they share one design. One design means the same artwork in the same spots, made the same way, with the same note on each side. A different design, or the same logo in different colors, is priced on its own.

What if the brand I want is not on your site?

Ask us. Sourcing a style we don't list is available on request: contact us by phone, email, or live chat before you order. Tell us the brand, the style number, the color, and the sizes you need.

Which Blank T-Shirt Should You Order?

To pick the best blank tee for your order, start with what the wearer needs.

• The lowest price and big sizes: the Gildan 5000 (5XL in 45 colors) or Port & Co PC54 (to 6XL).
• A soft, store-bought feel: the Bella + Canvas 3001 or Next Level 6210.
• A heavy, faded, vintage look: the Comfort Colors 1717.
• Heat and sweat: a 100% polyester tee such as the Sport-Tek PosiCharge Competitor.
• A large embroidered logo: a heavier cotton tee, such as the Gildan 5000 or Comfort Colors 1717.

Before a big order, you can feel a shirt two ways. A blank sample is available on request for a small fee plus shipping. To check a finished custom shirt, order one. Custom orders that match your approved proof can't be returned or refunded. A one-piece order is refundable only for a defect or a proof mismatch.

Browse custom t-shirts →

Have a question before you order? Contact us, and we'll get back to you within 24 hours on weekdays.