How to choose the right t-shirts for heat transfer print

The understanding of t-shirts and their specifications is important because, as you might already know, there are several heat transfer types, which are considered according to the fabrics of the garment you are about to print on. There are some crucial factors for having the right choice. The quality of the fabric, color bleeding, elasticity, etc. are things you should consider not only if you plan to create a print by heat press and transfers. Those factors also matter even if you are using direct screen printing or digital print.

The quality of the fabric is too subjective and common to say, but what I generally mean is to remind you to have a look at few things, before deciding to buy particular t-shirts. The first thing you might check out and consider is the weight of the fabric. We recommend getting fabric with a density of a minimum of 145gr./m2. This way you could be sure that your t-shirts won’t be too thin, of course, if this is not your main intention.
Secondly, you could consider the fabric type. The best printable t-shirt would be a clean 100% cotton t-shirt, which is relatively common, but still, there are some cases where the cotton is not friendly for printing. Ask your t-shirt supplier for a small fabric sample and try to make a few tests with your heat press machine and some remaining transfers. This way you could be sure of the final looks of the prints, and you could go ahead with the other things you should consider before buying.

Garment elasticity is more important according to the exact print you are about to use. Not every t-shirt print is suitable to sustain a high elastic garment. This is a step of your decision, which you might consider taking it together with your printing supplier. It’s important to have the right choice from the beginning as this way you will be sure that the print will not crack after few pull stretches. Well, it’s actually good to happen before you print all of your t-shirts, right?
So…test before printing might save you from a lot of headaches.

Color bleeding occurs mostly with synthetic fabrics and more rarely on full cotton t-shirts. (Read more on this article )
You just have to double-check if the fabric is synthetic or there is some additional color overlay. There is a solution like this one but the most important is the potential problem to be caught before the ordering.

Elasticity is good to be considered also. There are some t-shirts that are so stretchable that the print just can’t hold on. In this case, the solution could be our Elastic Transfers or silicone transfer. Most of the times plastisol prints are stretchable enough, but if you find that this might be a problem with your fabric,
is good to make few tests again.