[triplebtees]

.... of a difference in how the t-shirt will hold up after being washed? What i'm trying to say, is it worth it to pay an extra 50-75 cents per shirt. For example Gildan Ultra Cotton vs the Hanes Beefy Tee. What are the benefits of the higher priced tees? (Less of a hand, less fading, longer lasting, more comfort????) I'm using a Heat Press with transjet II paper, magic mix ink, etc... I just want to see it it is worth spending the extra money?

 

[jdr8271]

The hanes beefy tee is a really great t-shirt. Its thick and is made of ringspun cotton. The advantage of a higher quality t-shirts is that they are softer and thicker. That said...buy the cheaper shirt. Your customer will not know the difference. The customer is really paying for the design, not the shirt. Your customer could go to a department store and get a shirt off of the discount rack for cheaper than you will be selling yours for.

 

[CoolHandLuke]

Great designs belong on great shirts! Why put a great design on a crappy uncomfortable shirt that people won't like to wear? Your design is only as good as the shirt it goes on.

Check out your closet. I bet most are wearing comfort and feel over design and look.

 

[SpacemanFL]

I have only been in the game for a few months but I believe it is well worth the extra cost of using a better quality shirt. First, a high quality, comfortable shirt is likely to be worn more often and last longer. This means more chances for "nice shirt where did you get it" comments. Second, You want to stand out from all the other t-shirt sellers who are using average quality shirts. People do notice the difference. Third, I personally want to put out the best product possible. I can understand wanting to maximize profits from each sale. I believe each shirt becomes a walking advertisement to bring in other customers. The increased cost is more like an investment in your growth.

 

[Rodney]

I totally agree with both CoolHandLuke and SpacemanFL here...don't cheap out with the t-shirt brand.

If that extra .50 cents could get your shirt worn and talked about a few times more, it's worth it.

Gildan isn't a bad product (a lot of t-shirt sellers use it), but there are better t-shirt options out there that aren't too much more expensive.

I'm not your average consumer (however I buy a LOT of t-shirts), but I actually look for the brand of shirt the design is printed on before I buy and it does influence my buying decision.

 

[aokusman]

A great design on a better quality shirt will help you get repeat customers.

 

[triplebtees]

Thanks for the input, i'm going to order a 100 or so of the Hanes Beefy tee and give them a try. One last thing though, will the beefy tee give me less of a hand or less fading than the other tees? Or is the hand and the fading pretty much standard in the heat press industry?

 

[Rodney]

I don't think the t-shirt brand will effect the hand or fading. I'm pretty sure that has to do with the printing process.

There might be some things you can do to mitigate the level of fading (probably some tips in the Heat Press forum), but I think the thickness of the print is going to be the same on most heat press printed items.

I have noticed that heat pressed shirts that are on 50/50 shirts seem to "feel" better than 100% cotton shirts. Could be just me though.

 

[SpacemanFL]

FYI. I have found ssactivewear.com to be the cheapest wholesaler. You do need a tax id number.