Finding the best t-shirt for printing is critical for businesses looking to enhance their team's uniform with branded apparel.
Not only do these garments serve as walking advertisements, but they also contribute to a unified team appearance.
Our guide offers an in-depth look at the highest quality t-shirts that serve as the perfect backdrop for your company's message, blending practicality with professional aesthetics to bolster your team's appearance and spirit.
At CTS UK, we pride ourselves on offering a selection of the best t-shirts for printing, designed to meet the diverse needs of any business.
Our top picks are celebrated for their superior printability, durability, and comfort, making them the ideal choice for enhancing your brand's presence.
T-Shirt |
Description |
From |
- High-quality, soft-style yarns suitable for crisp, vibrant printing - Taped neck, shoulders, twin needle sleeve and bottom hems - Available in cotton and polycotton blends |
£4.90 |
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- Superior fabric quality, reactive dye for colour fastness - Taped shoulder to shoulder, enzyme washed to minimise shrinkage - 100% cotton, 180 gsm |
£5.50 |
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- High-quality cotton fabric for sharp, colourful prints - Taped neck and shoulders, twin needle sleeves - 100% pre-shrunk cotton, 185gsm mediumweight |
£5.05 |
|
- Belcoro yarn for clean, stable printing surface - Twin-needle stitching at neck, sleeves, hem - 25+ colours available |
£4.55 |
|
- Heavyweight fabric for vibrant, long-lasting prints - Taped neck and shoulders, seamless twin needle collar, sleeves, and bottom hems - 100% pre-shrunk cotton |
£6.25 |
Gildan's Softstyle Ringspun T-Shirt stands out for its exceptional suitability for printing, thanks to its high-quality, soft-style yarns that offer a smooth finish. This characteristic ensures that custom designs appear crisp and vibrant, making it an ideal canvas for branding.
With multiple colours to choose from and a fabric composition tailored for durability and comfort, this t-shirt is an excellent choice for businesses looking to elevate their presence through printed workwear.
Starting Price: £4.90
2. Uneek Classic T-Shirt - UC301
The Uneek Classic T-Shirt is an exemplary choice for printing due to its superior fabric quality and construction, ensuring both durability and a pristine canvas for various printing techniques.
Its reactive dye process guarantees colour fastness, enhancing the vibrancy and longevity of prints. This, combined with its comprehensive size and colour range, positions the Uneek Classic T-Shirt as a valuable asset for businesses seeking a high-quality, versatile option for their branded workwear.
Starting Price: £5.50
3. Gildan Heavy Cotton T-Shirt - GD005
Gildan's Heavy Cotton T-Shirt is especially suited for printing due to its high-quality cotton fabric, which ensures that printed designs are sharp, colourful, and durable over time.
Its construction, featuring a taped neck and shoulders and twin needle sleeves, adds to its longevity, making it an excellent choice for businesses aiming for durable and visually appealing branded apparel.
This combination of features positions it as a practical, reliable option for achieving vibrant and long-lasting prints.
Starting Price: £5.05
Fruit of the Loom's Valueweight T-Shirt is particularly suited for printing due to its use of Belcoro yarn, which creates a cleaner, more stable surface for designs, ensuring that even intricate details and vibrant colours stand out.
This t-shirt offers an ideal balance between cost-efficiency and quality, making it a practical choice for businesses looking to produce branded apparel that doesn't compromise on the clarity or durability of the print.
Starting Price: £4.55
5. Gildan Ultra Cotton T-Shirt - GD002
The Gildan Ultra Cotton T-Shirt stands out as one of the best t-shirts for printing, primarily due to its heavyweight fabric that ensures both a premium feel and high durability. This quality makes it exceptionally suitable for vibrant, long-lasting prints that require a robust but smooth canvas.
Its premium construction and the versatility it offers through a wide colour palette make it an ideal choice for businesses aiming for sophisticated and enduring branded apparel.
Starting Price: £6.25
When choosing the best material for T-shirt printing, there are several factors to consider, including breathability, softness, print quality, durability, and flexibility.
Cotton, polyester, and polycotton blends are among the most common choices, each with its advantages. Let's analyse each material and its associated benefits.
Cotton
Cotton stands out as the top choice for T-shirt printing due to its unique qualities that enhance the printing process and overall wearability:
Breathability: Cotton's natural breathability allows air to circulate freely through the fabric, keeping the wearer cool and comfortable. This is crucial, especially for T-shirts worn in warmer conditions or physical work environments.
Softness: Cotton fabric's inherent softness provides a comfortable and pleasant feel against the skin, making cotton T-shirts ideal for everyday wear. The soft texture also contributes to the overall comfort and satisfaction of the wearer.
Print Quality: Cotton's absorbent fibres create an excellent surface for printing, allowing ink to adhere effectively and produce vibrant, long-lasting designs. The smooth texture of cotton ensures that printed graphics appear crisp and clear, enhancing the overall visual appeal of the T-shirt.
Polyester
While not as popular as cotton for T-shirt printing, polyester offers distinct advantages:
Durability: Polyester fibres are inherently strong and resistant to abrasion, making polyester T-shirts highly durable. This durability ensures that printed designs remain intact even after extensive wear and washing, making polyester T-shirts suitable for long-term use in demanding environments.
Colour Retention: Polyester fibres have excellent colour retention properties, ensuring that printed designs retain their vibrancy and saturation over time. This feature is particularly beneficial for T-shirt printing projects that require long-lasting visual impact, as it helps preserve the integrity of the design even after repeated washings.
Polycotton Blends
Polycotton blends offer a balanced combination of cotton and polyester properties:
Versatility: Polycotton blends combine the softness and breathability of cotton with the durability and colour retention of polyester, making them suitable for a wide range of printing applications. This versatility allows for various printing techniques and design options, catering to diverse preferences and requirements.
Wrinkle Resistance: The polyester in polycotton blends enhances the fabric's wrinkle resistance, ensuring that printed T-shirts maintain a neat appearance with minimal effort. This feature is particularly advantageous for prioritising aesthetics and presentation, as it helps create a polished and professional look.
Cotton remains the best material for T-shirt printing due to its breathability, softness, and print quality. However, polyester and polycotton blends offer valuable advantages in terms of durability, colour retention, and versatility, making them suitable alternatives for specific printing needs and preferences.
Now you know which T-shirts we consider the best for printing, it's time to choose which is best for your employees.
To help you in this task, we've created a guide to the most important factors to consider when choosing a T-shirt.
Choosing Blank T-Shirts
Firstly, your T-shirt of choice must be suitable for rebranding. Blank shirts typically feature smoother surfaces and consistent fabric composition, making them ideal for achieving high-quality prints. Additionally, look for tear-away tags or tagless options to facilitate easy rebranding without leaving behind unwanted labels.
Style and Fit
When kitting out your team with branded gear, it's important that they feel good.
Ensure you choose a T-shirt compatible with their work environment, for example, if your team is active - we'd always recommend a comfortable fitting uniform.
Additionally, pay attention to the weight of the fabric, opting for lighter weights for warmer seasons and heavier weights for durability and a more substantial feel.
Fabric Quality
Ensure that the T-shirts are made from high-quality fabrics such as 100% ring-spun cotton or cotton/polyester blends with a high cotton content for optimal printability and comfort. Pre-shrunk fabric is preferable to minimise shrinkage and maintain size consistency after washing.
Long Lasting Colour
Long-lasting colour, especially in industries like construction or manufacturing, is vital for maintaining a professional appearance and brand consistency.
Reactive-dyed T-shirts offer durable, vibrant colours that resist fading, ensuring that employees always project a polished image. This longevity increases the life span of your workwear whilst reinforcing brand recognition among clients and customers, making it a valuable investment for businesses prioritising quality and aesthetics in their workwear.
Get the Size Right
A common headache when procuring workwear is getting everyone's size right. Following brand-specific guidelines and sizing charts can help avoid mishaps. These guidelines provide accurate measurements for each size, accounting for variations in body types and clothing styles.
For organisations equipping a significant number of employees, expert assistance can streamline this process and minimise errors. At CTS UK, our experts offer a free sizing session tailored to your organisation's needs. This service ensures that each employee receives workwear that fits well and enhances their comfort and confidence on the job.
Choosing CTS UK for your t-shirt printing needs means opting for a partner committed to quality and excellence. With a range of printing methods, including screen printing, DTG, and direct-to-film, CTS UK ensures that your branding stands out with clarity and durability.
With our free workwear consultation, we can collaboratively pinpoint your exact needs, ensuring the workwear and printing solutions we provide align perfectly with your brand's identity and requirements. This personalised service is a cornerstone of our commitment to excellence, guiding you through the selection process to guarantee your team looks professional and feels confident in high-quality, branded attire.
Reach out to us today to transform how your brand is perceived, one piece of workwear at a time.