How To Choose The Perfect Tee: Think Fit, Fabric, And Funds

T-shirt drawers around the world are overflowing with custom tees. But only a select few tees earn the honor of being worn again and again. To the supermarket, the beach, the bar—everywhere. By making a few smart decisions, the brands that designed those tees get exponentially more marketing value. So how do you give your brand the best chance to make a shirt that your audience will love for years?

Choosing any old cheap, boxy shirt and slapping a logo on it just won’t cut it anymore. While price still matters, savvy brands should care about durability, fit, weight, and design versatility of their promotional tees. Each time someone wears your t-shirt, they market your brand for you. Put the right design on the right shirt, and it can become iconic. So why not give your tee a chance to be someone’s favorite—not just a bottom-of-the-drawer throwaway?

Smart t-shirt choices require knowing the costs, fabrics, and fits. Whether you’re looking to design a shirt for a team, a corporate event, or for resale, we’ll help you explore all the options. You can even create your own t shirt directly through a custom t shirt design website like ours.

Tee Fit

What’s the point of putting your brand’s awesome design on custom made t-shirts that’ll never get worn? Before you choose a t shirt printer, consider who your target market is. Every audience is different.

That’s why it’s important not only to choose high-quality printers and distributors, but also to make an informed fit choice. If you can appeal to your brand’s audience today, they’ll help grow your brand’s audience tomorrow.

Choose unisex fits for a safe, versatile option at trade shows or events. For example, custom Under Armour shirts or custom Nike shirts in unisex fits combine brand recognition with wearable comfort, making them great for giveaways and team apparel.

Men’s and Unisex Tee Fits

Women often fit men’s tees, but men rarely fit women’s—making men’s and unisex fits nearly the same.

Knowing this, if you’re intent on creating just one awesome custom shirt, the best option would probably be to go with one of the male-tailored unisex styles. For tradeshows, unisex shirts are safer when attendee demographics are uncertain.

Luckily, this won’t really limit you choices. From basics to v-necks, crews, baggy, or long body, unisex styles fit all.

Women’s Tee Fits

Many women can wear a unisex style, but it rarely provides the ideal fit. This is an especially important consideration when choosing promotional tees for audiences that are majority women. For these branded t shirts, it’s a good idea put in an additional order of a women’s fit style as opposed to just a unisex/mens fit.

Women’s fits run the gamut in terms of style, more so even than men’s tees. From slim to relaxed fits, deep vees to crews, endless style options await.

Evaluate style options across fits and align them with your audience’s preferences. Order samples to ensure the right choice before bulk commitments.

Fit is just as important when choosing other custom apparel, too. Whether you’re designing t-shirts or expanding into custom printed sweatpants, selecting the right cut and style helps ensure that recipients will love wearing your branded items regularly.

Tee Fabric

When choosing the fabric for your tee, there are several questions you should be asking yourself:

• • How will your brand’s shirt design be printed? Will you use water or oil-based ink?
• • Where is the tee most likely going to get worn?
• • How often will people where it?
• • What types of people will be wearing it?

These are all important questions to consider when thinking about what kind of fabric to use.

Medium-weight fabrics work great for boutique-style shirts, while heavy cotton is ideal for surf/skate brands. If you’re looking to make a shirt that balances softness with durability, a cotton/poly blend or triblend might be perfect.

The Bella Canvas 8803 Women’s Muscle Tank uses a soft poly-viscose blend that drapes beautifully, making it a great example of how blends can enhance both comfort and printability.

Also, make sure the fabric works with your desired method—screen printing, DTG, or embroidery. It’s a key consideration whether you’re creating shirts for a national brand or need t-shirt printing that can deliver on time. This is especially true for moisture-wicking options like custom Dri-Fit polo shirts, which balance comfort with excellent print and embroidery compatibility.

Beyond custom t-shirts, brands are also elevating their merchandise game with branded apparel like custom Nike sweatpants and custom joggers. These pieces offer a stylish yet comfortable way to showcase your logo, making them perfect for team apparel, brand giveaways, or athleisure promotions. Choosing the right fabric and fit for these items is just as crucial to ensure long-lasting wear and brand visibility.

Tee Price

Once you’ve identified your fit and fabric, the final factor is price. Whether you’re creating branded company swag or selling online, your shirt needs to reflect your budget and your goals. From low-cost bulk screen printed custom tees to premium brands like Nike or Marine Layer, you can make your own shirt that aligns with your vision.

At DTLA Print, we’re a t shirt company that makes it easy to make a shirt online, whether you want to create your own shirt for business or personal use. You can also find us if you’re searching for custom t shirts near me or t shirt printers near me—we ship nationwide.

For example, let’s say you want a crew neck, relaxed fit shirt for a primarily female audience. Well, within that style, you’ve got a wide range of price options to choose from. If you’re on a tighter budget, you might want to go with one of our simple, high quality 100% cotton tees from Bella + Canvas. If affordability is less of a concern for your brand, you might consider something like a burnout cotton/poly blend, or a semi-relaxed triblend.

Pricing for custom apparel like dri fit custom shirts or custom printed sweatpants varies depending on the brand and fabric quality. Premium options like custom Nike sweatpants offer unmatched comfort and brand recognition, while budget-friendly choices still allow for stylish, durable promotion.

Once you pick the right fit and fabric, you’ll find tees for every budget.

The Takeaway

The promotional tee is a powerful tool. Whether you want to make your own t shirt or work with a trusted t shirt shop, don’t just print anything—create something your audience wants to wear over and over again. And if you’re ready to branch out from tees into a wider apparel lineup, our ultimate guide to custom apparel can help you make smart choices across every garment type.

With tools that let you design a shirt from scratch and see it mocked up online, creating your own t shirt has never been easier. Whether you’re creating standout tees, custom design dri fit shirts, or branching into custom embroidered sweatpants, the key is always the same: make sure your merchandise is something people are excited to wear and show off.

And if you’re thinking bigger — like launching your own t-shirt brand — check out our 2025 Roadmap to T-Shirt Business Success for strategies on design, marketing, and scaling.

Need help deciding? You can always reach out to our team to talk through your needs and explore the best options for custom t shirts online.