Whether you are starting your small business or attempting a DIY project at home, sublimation is a great option for customizing apparel! Before we go into the best shirts for sublimation let’s first jump into what, exactly, sublimation is and what fabrics work best.

Sublimation Meaning

Sublimation is a print process where the image is printed from a special sublimation printer, onto transfer paper, and then heat pressed into the garment until the ink fully disintegrates and fuses into the fabric. Shirts made from polyester and polyester blends are the best option for sublimation printing because sublimation ink will form the strongest bond with polyester molecules. We understand 100% polyester isn’t the most ideal fabric for comfort or breathability. So, we also recommend blended apparel that contains at least 60% polyester to ensure the ink will bond with the fabric. If you sublimate on a high cotton shirt you will notice very quickly how fast the print washes out and fades.

Alrighty, now that we have you up to speed on how sublimation works. We are excited to go into our best shirts for sublimation.

100% Polyester Shirts for Sublimation by SubliVie

Introducing SubliVie, the best polyester shirts for sublimation on the market! If you’re looking for a shirt that’s specifically designed to be customized with sublimation, this is the garment for you. The 100% polyester fabric is ideal for sublimation, and the variety of styles and sizes including adult, ladies, juniors, youth, and toddler mean there’s an opportunity to customize tees for the whole family. SubliVie shirts are the optimal choice for anyone wanting to create custom apparel with sublimation.

Sublimation on Black Shirts

A common question is “How do I print on dark or black t-shirts?!” To sublimate on black shirts is a process but manageable with the correct tools! We will also be going over the best shirts to bleach for sublimation as well as the bleaching process. 

The best dark or black shirts to sublimate on would be of a blended material such as a 65% Poly 35% Cotton blend or a 50/50 Poly Cotton blend. The purpose of bleaching a shirt for sublimation is so that the image is as vibrant as possible on the garment. The best shirts to bleach MUST HAVE COTTON in the fabric content so the bleach will react and lighten the area you are printing. 

Here are a few of our favorite polyester blend tees to bleach and sublimate.

Tultex Poly-Rich Tees for Sublimation: 65% Polyester 35% Cotton Shirts 

Next Level Poly-blend CVC T-Shirts for Sublimating: 60% Polyester 40% Cotton

50/50 Polyester and Cotton Blend Shirts for Sublimation

Here is a great video on the bleaching process as well as the specialty product and tools that you can use to accomplish sublimation on black tees without the bleaching process. Watch below then shop our best shirts for sublimation at Blankstyle.com!