50/50 vs. 100% Cotton T-Shirts

When it comes to materials, I'm more than a little biased – I obviously think polyurethane's the best. Most people probably don't want their clothing made from it, though, even if we could stitch it together. So what is the best material for your custom t-shirts? Is it pure cotton or some kind of cotton blend? That's what we're here to find out!

How do you know when to use 100% cotton and when to use 50/50 blended cotton for your promotional t-shirts, towels, and other fabric items? Well, you could just flip a coin – or you can make an educated decision with the help of your fine friends at Quality Logo Products.

It’s All in the Technique

Your choice of fabric should depend on the budget you have available, how you want to use your item, and the decoration technique your product requires. In particular, screen printing results can vary from material to material, so it may not be the right choice for every kind of fabric. You should know which fabric best suits your needs before making a purchase.

Mixing it Up with a 50/50 Cotton Blend

Many promotional items are made from 100% cotton, but there are also some products that are considered a 50/50 cotton blend. When we talk about items made from a 50/50 cotton blend, we’re most often talking about items that are half cotton, half polyester. This combination of a breathable, natural fabric with an affordable, industrially made material is one of the most common in the textile industry.

Cotton and Printing

When it comes to printing your design, some may claim that you'll get the best screen printing results using 50/50 cotton, though not everyone agrees. If your item can be printed with digital sublimation printing (a process used for full color imprints), it works best with polyester. Digital sublimation printing involves printing an image onto a high-release paper substrate and transferring the image with heat and pressure. The transferred ink adheres better to polyester than to cotton, which is why even a cotton blend isn’t as good for digital sublimation as 100% polyester.

Polyester is generally more affordable than cotton, making a 50/50 blend a good compromise between polyester’s price and cotton’s feel.

A shirt made from a cotton blend is easy to care for. It’s less likely to shrink or wrinkle than a shirt made from pure cotton, and it’s often easier to clean.

Some people argue that cotton blends are more environmentally friendly because they use less cotton, which is a crop that requires a lot of water to grow.

Since we are talking about custom printed garments, we have to go back to the look of the imprint. Cotton is soft, but cotton blends are durable. Some t-shirt designers caution against using 100% ringspun cotton because the texture can lead to a fuzzy imprint after numerous washes.

Going All In with 100% Cotton

Cotton remains the favorite for many consumers for reasons we completely understand. Items made with 100% cotton are not only soft, but also generally heavier than 50/50 cotton blend items, giving them a high-quality feel. Plus, many items are made using organic cotton these days, a plus for consumers worried about the environmental impact of their fabric choices.

And then there are the imprints. While plain ringspun 100% cotton might not be the best choice for the digital sublimation process, it’s an excellent choice for digital four-color printing. As mentioned before, cotton is a heavier, denser fabric, so it absorbs the inks from digital printers well and provides a clear imprint right from the start.

Similarly, while 50/50 cotton garments work well for screen printing, 100% cotton garments are even better. Pure cotton items are less susceptible to dye migration (commonly referred to as bleeding) and are generally considered easier to work with than garments made from cotton blends.

Screenprinting & cotton

Because cotton is a natural fiber with texture (as opposed to smooth, manufactured polyester), it can easily hold on to ink that’s applied through a screen, helping your design retain its original appearance.

Whether you choose 100% cotton or a cotton blend, we've got the know-how to print your logo. Whichever type of cotton you prefer, make sure you understand the pros and cons of each fabric. Still aren't sure which one's best for your products? Give the nice folks at Quality Logo Products a call, and they'll point you in the right direction!