Best Blank for Screen Printing

Almost any blank screen prints, so choose by budget and hand-feel. A heavyweight 100% cotton like Gildan 5000 takes plastisol flat and cures forgivingly, which is why it dominates bulk runs. For retail-soft prints, a ring-spun tee like Bella+Canvas 3001 reads more premium at a higher cost.

Cotton vs blends under the press

Cotton is the forgiving base: plastisol and water-based inks both cure clean with no dye migration to fight. Polyester and poly-heavy blends can bleed dye into the ink at cure temperature, so they need low-bleed inks and a blocking underbase. If you are new to a press, start on cotton.

Weight and hand-feel

A heavier 6 oz tee holds a print flat and reads premium off the rack, at a higher blank cost. A lighter 4.2 oz to 4.5 oz tee feels softer and ships cheaper. Match the weight to what the order is for.

What to buy

For volume, a heavyweight cotton workhorse keeps per-piece cost down. For retail, a ring-spun tee earns the upcharge. Browse the tee catalog below and filter by weight and brand.