Discuss the wholesale blanks industry: Factory direct, custom labels. You can also use this forum to locate a wide variety of wholesale products including t-shirts, hoodies, mousepads, coffee mugs and other imprintable products.
I am brand new to this and I want to start making t-shirts specifically for individuals who work out - I've always worn 100% cotton or cotton/lycra - but I think that wicking may be preferred. Can I use regular silkscreen on these materials - or do I need to look into a different process? Also, where would I find this type of shirt? I would like a fitted cap sleeve and a tank.
Hi, there are a ton of performance t shirts vapor apparel has a great line , Nike , Ping, ---- Expert Performance T ---- is a good source,Otto caps is great,, I would sublimate or inkjet transfer with a heat press, that way you can do one of's and also vinyl for a sports look, if you screen print its hard to do one of's, instead of screen print I would do dtg printing. Hope this helps.
I believe the best way to decorate wicking garments is dye-sublimation - because your design is dyed into the yarn and not applied on top of the fabric, it will not impair breathing ability of the fabric. Look at cycling, netball, tennis, triathlon shirts - they are always sublimated, because this way you can decorate them with big bright graphics without interfering with moisture management system of the garment.
There are also "perforated" vinyls for sporting applications that come in rolls or sheets of pre-cut numbers and letters - where little punctures in vinyl aid wicking ability of the fabric.
We are exclusively using screen printing on our wicking garments. They don't need as much ink as cotton but the material doesn't like to be flashed so most designs are 1 colour or printed wet on wet.
I hope to do some sublimation on the shirts shortly as I think that opens up a whole new area.
I want simple line drawings one or two color at the most. Does this make a difference with which printing process I choose? I don't plan on doing the printing. Can I outsource dye sublimation?
Cherrus, The price of these shirts are expensive and to outsource them you may not be able to market them at a good price or even if you can hit fair market value the bottom line for you will be skinny, unless you are printing a ton of the same design so outsource on of's will be pricey
So I would have to stay with regular cotton or cotton blends until hopefully I can become a recognizable brand and then switch over to dry-wicking? Is it affordable to produce my own shirts?
You can buy a press and get the sublimation transfers done for around $2.00 a transfer,, that would be a cheap way to do it,, the other thing is to get some quotes from someone who does dtg, then you wouldnt have to do the work.
Roger,
Is it much cheaper to do DTG then dye-sub in the US? What kind of DTG printer would work on performance polyester?
Curios, as sometimes I get requests for printed black or red Vapor Apparel t-shirts and since dye-sub in not an option for dark garments I got some quotes from DTG companies here in Australia and it seems that for team wear they are more expensive than dye-sub (unless you do big runs).
I'm yet to find someone willing to print on performance/poly fabric.
Not sure what kind of machines are used by the companies I've got quotes from.
I.e. for DTG printing of 1-50 shirts I was quoted about US $8 per unit per side + US $70 set up + an extra $2.50 per side for printing on dark garments. Not to mention there is an additional charge of 20% if the image is bigger then A4, plus GST, plus bagging charges...
So, if my math is right, when someone orders 50 team shirts for a cycling event DTG printed with full size graphics back and front they will have to pay about US $25 just for printing - shirt is NOT included. Roughly half of that for a run of 200 shirts.
Would be very curious to find out what are the ball park figures for the same kind of service "across the pond"?
Here is the email of a DTG printer in Australia. He uses a Kornit unit and does good work. Prices for 51-100 shirts is $6.50 Australian or approximately $5.70 USD. Email is
We also get good prices for wicking wear with great quality men's and ladies mesh t's at about $14.50 USD.
After saying all that do not hesitate to screen print wicking shirts. We have been screen printing wicking for almost 2 years.
Here is the email of a DTG printer in Australia. He uses a Kornit unit and does good work. Prices for 51-100 shirts is $6.50 Australian or approximately $5.70 USD. Email is
We also get good prices for wicking wear with great quality men's and ladies mesh t's at about $14.50 USD.
After saying all that do not hesitate to screen print wicking shirts. We have been screen printing wicking for almost 2 years.
Cody,
When a basketball team or a corporate running team order their shirts it's usually less then 51-100, so from where I stand using sublimation on light garments and vinyl on dark works out more cost effective.
What brand of wicking gear do you print on?
We use two sources. Although I often import shirts from the USA we get our mesh from China. Check out Welcome to Fashion Biz
This company sources their clothing in China and we buy from them. Top quality.
We also bring in rolls of mesh from local suppliers and have them made here in Fiji. That way I can get other colours not regularly available.
I watch the Net with interest as there appears to be so many "Name Brand" mesh but from our experience there is not alot of difference as it still is 100% polyester....sometimes spandex or lycra added.
performance t's? wicking - how to print? 
