# A better T shirt



## Nativepimpgirl (Feb 12, 2015)

I am new to Sublimation and I am looking for a good quality t shirt to print on. I bought Vapor Apparel my 1st go around. I bought the basic Tee and I do not like it. It feels nice and thick but it is really thin. It's like a Hanes undershirt shirt, you can see through it. I would like to get started printing T shirts but I have no idea of what kind of T shirt to order. I know it needs to be 100% polyester, but it seems all the polyester t shirts are see through. Am I searching for something that does not exist? I want a regular looking t shirt (looks and feels like cotton) and is not thin and see through. Can someone please point me in the right direction?


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

We use tons of Monag's that feel like cotton


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## Nativepimpgirl (Feb 12, 2015)

Are they see through?


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## Nativepimpgirl (Feb 12, 2015)

I found a Starter shirt that is 80% polyester and 20% cotton in child size, but can not find that in an adult size. Every white t shirt I have found is see through. Is it just because it's white?


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

Nativepimpgirl said:


> I found a Starter shirt that is 80% polyester and 20% cotton in child size, but can not find that in an adult size. Every white t shirt I have found is see through. Is it just because it's white?


Not because of white per se, it's due to being thin. You can't see thru heavier poly material like they use to make tote bags and such.

There used to be a great sublimation tshirt made by Hanes called SoftLink that was cotton inside and poly outside, and no this is not a 50/50 blend typical in the market. Hanes discontinued it some years ago. Was actually a joint effort of Hanes and Sawgrass. Those you couldn't see thru.

I suspect that the tshirt was too "niche" for Hanes as technically they couldn't pitch it as a wicking t-shirt with the cotton inside.

I suspect it's desirable to keep the t-shirts as thin as possible due to the materiel being "performance" fabric. 

As such it would seem to be counter productive to have heavier thicker fabric and also be performance.


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## Nativepimpgirl (Feb 12, 2015)

I looked up the softlink and sad to see it is discounted. I just feel like the t shirts looks cheap because you can see through them. Wondering if it's going to be hard selling t shirts because of this. The Vapor Apparel looks nice and heavy but once you put it on you need a shirt or something under.


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

Nativepimpgirl said:


> Are they see through?


no they are heavy


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## Nativepimpgirl (Feb 12, 2015)

I have to check them out. THANK YOU!


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## HandyImpressions (Mar 25, 2015)

I have found the same thing. Most of these poly shirts are so thin I don't feel they would be worn alone like a 'normal' cotton tee. The jerzees 21m are supposed to be 5.8 oz and they are transparent. It also makes the printing method itself, sublimation, not look good because it appears the blacks aren't black and the print is just not as good due to any light being able to shine through it. I dread anyone picking up the shirt and holding it up to look at it because they will notice it and wonder what's wrong with it. I'm currently on the hunt for some poly fabrics that are thicker also...and I'm going to start experimenting with vinyls and other heat transfers.


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## Lucky7Matt (Oct 7, 2011)

Which Monag shirt are you referring to that has a heavy cotton feel?


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## Nativepimpgirl (Feb 12, 2015)

Im testing the waters with the siser glitter. At least I'll be able to put the vinyl on a cotton tee then sublimate over the glitter vinyl. https://youtu.be/4gucDB4oxi0 I just got my siser glitter in the mail today. I'm over looking for a good quality poly tee.


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## sister1 (Jun 16, 2008)

Vapor Apparel shirts are made to be sublimated, and really work the best of any of the MANY shirts I've tried over the years (except the SoftLink -- I'm still mad at Hanes for that, and taking out Outer Banks iced it -- no more Hanes in my shop!).

The Basic by Vapor has the more cottony feel that is acceptable to older folks; the Solar is preferred by people under about 45 (general rule here, not hard and fast). White tees are always more see-through.

Most brands of white shirts will sublimate reasonably well, although some are fussier than others about press marks. White is the best color to print on if you are sublimating photos. We often use sand/light gray/light blue for sport teams, you just need to be aware of how the shirt's base color will affect your image -- pink becomes orange on safety yellow shirts. If you want to use colored shirts, the best are Badger, Augusta and A4. Do not even try SportTek (we got through the smalls and mediums on a 50 piece order, only to discover that the larges leached color. SanMar said they are not recommended for sublimation). Also, under no circumstances try to sublimate the Gildan performance shirts unless they are white. We had to open all the doors and start up every fan we could lay hands on when we tried that, and the odor still did not dissipate for days. Jerzees are not as bad, but not as good as those listed above.

Get some different shirts in for testing -- the ones that work out alright can be used for samples, and you'll know which ones you want to steer your customers away from (and even they will come in handy for color testing down the road -- never throw away a bad shirt until every square inch is covered with ink, and even then you can use it for cleaning).


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## freebird1963 (Jan 21, 2007)

Try Denali. They have nice shirts. I don't consider them see through and used them for softball league jerseys. No one ever complained about seeing old fat guy nipples or beer belly buttons.
Not heavy like weighing you down. 
Fit is right too.


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