Tri-Blend T-Shirts: Your New Favorite Promo Tee

Have you ever wondered what makes your favorite tee shirt so darn comfortable? Chances are it’s not just plain cotton. We polled some of our sales staff about their favorite tee, and tri-blend t-shirts won hands down.

“It’s the promotional tee shirt that people will actually wear…over and over again.” Gena Mueller, VP of Sales

The magic behind tri-blend t-shirts lies in the material. The combination of three different yarns (polyester, ringspun cotton and rayon) yields a super soft, slightly stretchy fabric. (If you’ve ever wanted to wear pajamas all day, tri blend tees are the next best thing.) Tri-blend t-shirts started gaining popularity thanks to retail companies like American Apparel and Bella Canvas. This year, we also saw some great tri-blend options emerge from private label manufacturers. Here’s a quick guide to ordering tri-blend t-shirts, including sizing and decoration tips as well as our favorite styles.

Sizing

Tri-blend t-shirts tend to run a little slimmer in the body than a traditional tee, especially if you order a retail brand like Bella Canvas or American Apparel. You might hear it called “fashion fit” or “retail fit.” For a retail fit, we like this one from Bella Canvas. We almost shouted for joy when District Made released a tri-blend t-shirt with a traditional fit early this year. Now you can safely order your regular size in this style without worrying about sizing issues. Although it’s technically a men’s style, we recommend it as a unisex option. (Most ladies’ tri-blends run small. If you want to order the ladies version, make sure you see a sample first.)

Decoration

Some people like a soft, vintage feel to their logo on a tri-blend, and if so, you’ll want to ask for thinner ink. Less ink produces a more muted (some might call it faded or distressed) look to your design. However, if you want a really bright, vibrant imprint, we’ll need to use a thicker coat of ink. (This really matters when we’re printing with light ink on darker colors.) Just let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll customize the print to your specs.

Pricing

Tri-blend t-shirts do cost more than a plain cotton tee, but you might find that the trade off is worth it. People really do love a super soft tee, and if people love it, then they’ll wear it over and over again. Every wear means an impression for your brand, so if they wear it more often, you’ll ultimately get a better return on your investment. As with all screenprinting, price hinges on quantity, the number of colors in your logo, and the number of imprint locations. If you’re really watching your budget, stick to one or two colors on the front only. That will definitely keep cost down.