Summer is finally with us, temperatures are soaring, and we thought it would be an ideal time to look at lighter weight blank tees. We’ve picked out 8 great lightweight t-shirts for printing, garments which feel a little less substantial and perhaps more suitable for warmer weather. Not to say that we don’t still love heavier weight tees. They’re excellent for print and always popular when it comes to personalisation. But something lighter can be worth considering when the mercury starts rocketing up your thermometer.
For reference, t-shirts tend to fall into three classifications with regard to weight. Heavyweight tees are approximately 6oz or more, around the 180 to 200gsm mark. Mid or medium weight shirts are in between 5 and 6oz, roughly 160/170gsm. Lightweight t-shirts are generally less than 5oz or 150gsm. By the way, oz is simply an abbreviation of Ounce, a unit used in the Imperial System. GSM stands for grams per meter squared, a measurement in the International System of Units (SI). Britain switched from Imperial to metric in 1965 and, as a consequence, both are often seen here.
Anyway, let’s go. A selection of great lightweight t-shirts for printing. As usual, items are numbered for reference, rather than ranking order.
1. Continental Clothing Ecovero T-Shirt N48
Let’s start our look at lightweight t-shirts for printing with a shirt from our good friends over in NW6, Continental Clothing. Their unisex N48 EcoVero t-shirt is a gloriously innovative mix of EcoVero™ viscose and organic cotton and comes in at 4.57oz / 155g. This cracking Continental tee could be a summer sensation with a little creative artwork and a dash of expert screen printing.
Click Here to view our Continental N48 product page.
2. Stanley Stella Rocker T-Shirt STTU758
This is described by Stanley Stella as the essential unisex t-shirt and we aren’t about to disagree. The SS Rocker tee is screaming out to be rebranded for the summer market. Furthermore, it’s sustainably manufactured, made from eco-friendly organic ring-spun combed cotton. The weight is an attractive 150gsm and the quality what you would expect from such a highly respected supplier.
Click Here to see the Stanley Stella Rocker product.
3. Earth Positive Tencel Blend T-Shirt EP42
Earth Positive produce some superb sustainable garments and their EP42 t-shirt is one of them. Plus it ticks all the boxes for our great and light weight list, weighing in at a delightfully wearable 4.13oz / 140g. The EP42 is made from half combed organic cotton and half Tencel© Lyocell. An interesting twist on the traditional all-cotton shirt if you fancy something different.
Click Here for more info on the EP42 EarthPositive tee.
4. Anthem Organic T-Shirt AM010
Another environmentally friendly option, the AM010 Anthem organic t-shirt has plenty to recommend it beyond being GOTS certified organic cotton. The weight is 145gsm, ideal for those brands which focus on fashionable summery ranges and need some tees in the collection. This shirt also has a great choice of colours and a very wide selection of sizes, XS to 6XL in selected shades.
Click Here to view details for this Anthem shirt.
5. AS Colour Unisex T-Shirt 5005
Our list of 8 great lightweight t-shirts for printing wouldn’t be complete without an entry from the guys over at AS Colour. The 5005 AS Colour t-shirt is a versatile men’s / unisex fitting and made from quality organic cotton. Hitting the scales at 4.4oz / 150g, this definitely qualifies as a lighter weight winner. Add a touch of inspired ink and you could have a knockout on your hands.
Click Here to visit our AS Colour 5005 page.
6. Anthem Marl T-Shirt AM010M
Anthem make their second appearance with this AM010M Marl t-shirt. Tag free and infinitely rebrandable, this shirt is a 60% cotton and 40% polyester blend. It’s a contemporary retail fashion fit and has an appealing soft feel to the hand. As with the previous Anthem item, there are lots of sizes, although only four colours. At 145gsm, the weight makes it a genuine contender.
Click Here for details on the AM010M.
7. Stanley Adorer -T-Shirt STTM606
Described by Stanley Stella as the men’s light shirt, the Stanley Adorer fairly floats onto our list at a feathery light 140gsm. That’s got to make it a real possibility for any sort of summer branding. The size range goes from Small to 2XL, although it is currently only available in four colours. Still, white, black, heather grey and French navy should be enough to be going on with.
Click Here to browse Stanley Stella tees.
8. Bella + Canvas Unisex Polycotton T-Shirt 3650
Let’s finish off with a tee from the folks at Bella and Canvas. Their 3650 unisex polycotton t-shirt is an established favourite in the printing and personalisation world. These shirts are crafted from a very soft poly cotton blend of materials which obviously scores on the summer front. And they also produce them in some scintillating shades, marbles, neons and acid washes.
Click Here to read more on the Bella & Canvas 3650 t-shirt.
Well, that’s it, our 8 great lightweight t-shirts for printing article is more or less done. In truth, we’ve limited it to 8, there are lots more blank t-shirts out there that could qualify. However, one thing is for sure. Choosing the right base garments is a crucial step on the road to creating a seasonal sensation with your printed tees. You need to hit the sweet spot with that before you do anything else. Nail this aspect and you have a pretty good start on a summery success story. The mix still requires more ingredients. A stunningly effective design is one biggie and it has to work for both your customers and the season. Another important one is an experienced and ethical printing partner. We’ll refrain from blowing our own trumpet, suffice to say that we’ve been printing t-shirts for a long time.