Updated By TeckWrap Craft On April 07, 2025
What Are The Best Shirts For Sublimation?
Sublimation is an amazing printing and designing technique that may not yield excellent, long-lasting results if the right shirt is not used. The composition of fabric matters a lot. The best shirt for sublimation is a white, 100% polyester one. Some poly-blends give excellent performance too, but the polyester content should be high in them, preferably 65% or more. In this blog, we present detailed information on which shirts are best for sublimation printing.
Best Shirts For Sublimation Printing
Sublimation is an excellent process for transferring long-lasting designs on polyester shirts. When heat is applied for a specific time, the special sublimation dyes fuse with the fibers and get a durable print that lasts as long as the life of the shirt. The best feature of sublimation is that you can print any image or design that you want. So let’s discuss what is the best shirt on which you can sublimate.
100% Polyester Shirt For Sublimation
The white 100% polyester t-shirts, such as the Dri-Fit shirts available on the market, are the best for sublimation. Polyester is a synthetic material that has excellent color retention. It readily absorbs the ink so the images are long-lasting, vivid, and detailed. They do not fade or lose their color consistency.
Another great feature is that you will not feel your design lying at the top of the shirt. It will become part of the fabric and soft to the touch. These sublimation shirts survive many wash cycles without fading at all. Some of the shirts that you can try sublimation on are the Hanes Sport Cool Dri Performance T-shirt, Sublimation Crop T-shirt, Gildan Performance T-shirt, and so on.
Poly-Blend Shirts For Sublimation
You can also sublimate shirts that are poly-blends provided they should have a high polyester content preferably 65% to 70%. These shirts and tees accept excellent sublimation prints but the design might fade with time, after multiple washes. Here’s a brief discussion on different shirt fabrics:
- Polycotton Knit Blend with 96% Polyester and 4% Cotton: These shirts have cotton hence they are softer and do not have the pure polyester shiny feel. These can easily be sublimated and will give superb results.
- Suplex Shirt 98% Polyester and 2% Elastane: They are flexible and adapt to your body easily. Due to their high polyester content, they are good for sublimation. The same is true for shirts made with neoprene that also have 98% polyester.
- 65% Polyester and 35% Cotton Shirts: This is also a great combination for sublimation. The design might fade but after a long time. Examples of such shirts that you can sublimate wonderful designs on are Bella+Canvas Ecomax Tees and Gildan G640 Softstyle T-shirts.
- 95% Polyester 5% Spandex Shirts: This is another blended shirt that is best for sublimation. It takes the sublimation print beautifully and looks perfect. The feel of the fabric is good as well and it is comfortable to wear. These will remain the same after washing too. The Cricut Sublimation Shirts such as their V-Neck and Men’s Crew Neck T-shirts are examples of this composition.
- Tri-Blend Polyester Shirts for Sublimation: These have 50% polyester, 25% combed and ring-spun cotton, and 25% rayon like the Bella+Canvas Triblend shirts. These are not suitable for sublimation printing because the polyester content is low in them. The design will not come out as vibrant as expected and will not be durable too.
Best Sublimation Shirts That Feel Like Cotton
We know that 100% polyester shirts do not have a great texture, especially if you like wearing cotton. These cannot be used for daily wear but there are certain shirts that have a cotton-like feel and the right polyester content for sublimation.
The Gildan G420, Bella+Canvas EcoMax Tees, and Cricut T-shirts are all best for sublimation and are comfortable to wear. Just remember, if you are opting for blends, do not go for less than 65% polyester shirts for sublimation.
How To Sublimate On Shirts?
Once you have selected the best shirt for sublimation, here is a brief process of how to transfer design to it:
Step 1: Gather The Tools
You will need the following:
- Sublimation paper.
- Sublimation printer.
- White T-shirt with high polyester.
- Heat press.
Butcher paper .- Sublimation tape.
Step 2: Select And Print The Image
Work on design software such as Canva, Adobe Photoshop, or CorelDRAW to set the dimensions of your chosen image according to the space on your T-shirt and mirror it. Print it on the sublimation paper.
Step 3: Apply Heat To Sublimation Print
Place your printed sublimation paper face down on the shirt where you want the design to be and secure it with sublimation tape. Place butcher paper on top and apply heat and pressure for the recommended time preferably 390°F to 400°F (195°C to 205°C) for 35 to 40 seconds. Remove the sheet when the design has cooled down and you have successfully sublimated your shirt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get The Right Shirt For Perfect Sublimation Results
Now that you know which shirt and fabric composition are the best for sublimation, get the best shirt and start transferring beautiful designs to it. Always use premium-quality products for the process. For high-grade sublimation sheets, visit the TeckWrap Craft online store.
