The Print Shop Blog
Practical writing on screen printing, DTG, embroidery, pricing, sourcing blanks, and building a profitable custom apparel business. No filler, no sponsored picks, no AI slop.
Guide
Fleece is the fourth-quarter money maker for most print shops. Here are the blanks worth stocking, and the dates you need to order by so they are decorated before the holidays.
October 2, 2026 · B2B Sportswear Editorial
Read the full guide
A tank top is a t-shirt with less fabric and more ways to go wrong. The right blank depends on the ink you are putting on it: screen print forgives a coarse jersey, DTG wants combed cotton, DTF barely cares. Here is how to match the tank to the process.
September 1, 2026
Most wholesale sportswear suppliers look identical on the homepage. The differences show up on the invoice, in the packing slip, and on the day a 300-piece order is late. Here are the seven questions that separate them — and how to score any supplier honestly.
September 1, 2026
Four Gildan style numbers account for a huge share of every print shop's blank spend. They are not interchangeable: a 5000 and a 2000 look alike on the shelf and behave differently under a squeegee. Here is the weight, fit, color, and print behavior of each — and the job each one is for.
September 1, 2026
Most screen printing losses aren't dramatic — they're quiet: a dryer running 20 degrees cool, a 12-piece order quoted at 72-piece prices, spoilage nobody tracks. Here are the ten leaks and the fix for each.
August 28, 2026
Gym merch isn't one product — it's a wall: women's racerbacks and crops, unisex muscle tanks, performance tees for the floor. Members buy identity, and the studios that get the blank mix right sell out every drop.
August 23, 2026
Food-and-beverage merch is a two-sided account: retail merch customers wear as a badge, and staff gear that survives a Friday-night shift. The blanks are different for each — and the shops that know the difference keep the account.
August 17, 2026
One school account can be worth more than a hundred walk-in orders: fall spirit packs, winter hoodies, spring sports, field day, staff shirts, graduation — the same logo, ordered on a calendar, every single year.
August 11, 2026
You printed crisp white ink on red polyester jerseys, and a week later every print is pink. That's dye migration — the garment dye re-gassing into your ink — and it's preventable if you know which blanks and temps trigger it.
August 6, 2026
Sublimation dye bonds to polyester and nothing else — the poly percentage of your blank IS the vibrancy of your print. Here's the honest math on 100% poly vs poly-rich blends, and the exact blanks to stock.
August 1, 2026
HTV is the lowest-barrier decoration method there is — but vinyl only looks retail on the right blank. Smooth-faced ring-spun cotton is the sweet spot; textured and coated fabrics are where vinyl peels.
July 27, 2026
A logo on a duffel outlives fifty T-shirts. Bags are the highest-perceived-value item in a corporate or team order — here's what to quote at each budget, from $2 drawstring packs to retail-brand Under Armour.
July 22, 2026
The bag material decides the printing method, not the other way around. Cotton canvas prints like a shirt, non-woven polypropylene melts under a normal flash, and polyester wants DTF or sublimation. Here's the full compatibility map.
July 18, 2026
Totes are the easiest add-on sale in printing: flat print surface, no size runs, and margins that beat T-shirts. Here's how to pick between promo cotton, mid-weight canvas, and heavyweight book totes — with the exact blanks shops reorder.
July 14, 2026
The shelf of dead blanks in the back of your shop is cash that stopped working. Here's the case for ordering per-job, the short list of styles worth stocking, and the reorder math that keeps you from ever missing a deadline.
July 8, 2026
Trend reports say pastels and earth tones. Wholesale order data says black, white, and navy still pay the bills. Here's how to stock both sides of that truth without eating dead inventory.
July 7, 2026
DTF flipped the blank-selection rulebook: the fabric barely matters, so the cheapest shirts suddenly print like premium ones. Here's what to buy and exactly how to press it.
July 4, 2026
Order 100 shirts in the wrong sizes and you'll run out of L and XL by lunch while a box of smalls gathers dust. Here are the size curves that actually match American audiences — by audience type.
July 1, 2026
Tank season is short, brutal, and profitable — if you order in spring. Here's which cuts to stock, how much printable area each one really gives you, and why women's rib fabrics need a different game plan.
June 29, 2026
Most “wholesale” apparel sites are retail with a discount sticker. Here's the six-point framework we'd use to evaluate any blank apparel supplier — and how to tell real quantity pricing from marketing.
June 27, 2026
A uniform polo has one job: survive a hundred washes with the logo still crisp. Here are the six blank polos worth embroidering for company uniforms, and how to choose between them.
June 24, 2026
The Comfort Colors 1717 is the most-requested premium blank in America right now — and the most misunderstood. Here's what garment dyeing actually does to sizing, print inks, and reorders.
June 20, 2026
A resale certificate is the document that lets you buy inventory without paying sales tax — because your customer pays it instead. Here's how it works, state by state, and how to set it up in your account.
June 17, 2026
Hi-vis is the easiest recurring order in wholesale apparel — construction and utility crews reorder every season. But one wrong print placement can void the ANSI rating. Here's how to buy and decorate it right.
June 15, 2026
There are really only four ways to buy blank tees in bulk, and three of them quietly overcharge you. Here's how each channel prices, what quantity breaks should look like, and the four styles to start with.
June 13, 2026
Why does shirt #48 cost less than shirt #6? Quantity-break pricing isn't a marketing gimmick — it reflects real warehouse and freight economics. Here's how the tiers work and how to profit from them.
June 10, 2026
Not every blank hat hoops the same. Here's how structured vs unstructured crowns, profile height, and panel count decide whether your logo pops or puckers — and why the Richardson 112 is the default answer.
June 6, 2026
Cotton, 50/50, or triblend isn't a style question — it's a production question. Each fabric takes ink differently, shrinks differently, and costs different money. Here's the full breakdown by print method.
June 3, 2026
Long sleeves are the most profitable square inches in blank apparel — a sleeve print costs you pennies and bills like a second location. Here's the calendar, the upcharge math, and the blanks that carry the season.
June 1, 2026
Fleece is where print shops make their real margin — a $12 blank hoodie sells printed for $35+. Here's how the Gildan 18500 and Champion S700 actually compare on press, plus the crewnecks worth stocking.
May 29, 2026
Embroidery punishes flimsy fabric. Heavier, tighter garments hoop flatter, pucker less, and make a $30 digitizing file look like a $300 one. Here's what to stock and why.
May 26, 2026
You don't need a factory in Portugal to launch a clothing brand. You need 2-3 proven blanks, one decoration method, honest margin math, and a supplier that ships fast in plain boxes. Here's the whole playbook.
May 23, 2026
Youth blanks are steady, repeatable money — schools, teams, and camps reorder every single year. But kids' apparel comes with federal rules (CPSIA) and sizing traps that adult blanks don't have. Here's what decorators need to know.
May 20, 2026
Fleece weight is the single spec that decides whether a hoodie feels like a gas-station giveaway or a $70 streetwear piece. Here's how to read oz and GSM — and match the number to the job.
May 17, 2026
Every print shop has the same debate: stock the cheap Gildan or the premium Bella? We tested both (and two others) on real jobs. The answer depends on who your customer is — not which shirt is "better."
April 10, 2026
Screen printing is still the cheapest way to print T-shirts in volume — but every new shop hits the same wall in month two. Here's the honest guide we wish we had.
April 9, 2026
The #1 reason print shops go out of business isn't bad prints — it's bad quotes. Here's the formula that stops you from underbidding every job.
April 8, 2026
You don't have to pick one method forever. Each decoration method has a sweet spot — here's exactly where each one pays off and where it loses you money.
April 7, 2026
Every print shop needs a go-to blank list. Here's the 10 we actually recommend in 2026 — no sponsored picks, no filler.
April 6, 2026
The tired version of print-on-demand has tired margins. Here's the 2026 playbook for launching a real apparel brand with zero inventory — and actual profit per unit.
April 5, 2026
Half your customers don't know what 'ring-spun' means — but they all feel the difference. Here's the science, the cost, and why you should charge more for it.
April 4, 2026
