Three blanks account for most print on demand apparel on Etsy: Bella+Canvas 3001, Comfort Colors 1717 and Gildan 18000. They are not interchangeable, they sit at different price points, and picking the wrong one is how a good design ends up with a bad margin or a bad review.
Side by side
| Bella+Canvas 3001 | Comfort Colors 1717 | Gildan 18000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Unisex tee | Garment-dyed tee | Crewneck sweatshirt |
| Feel | Light, soft, modern | Heavy, thick, lived-in | Heavy, standard |
| Fit | Retail, closer to the body | Boxy, relaxed | Classic, roomy |
| Blank cost | Low-mid | Highest of the three | Low-mid |
| Sells at | Mid | Premium | Mid |
| Best for | Everyday designs, wide sizing | Aesthetic-led, premium niches | Cold-weather and seasonal |
Bella+Canvas 3001: the default
If you do not have a reason to choose otherwise, this is the safe pick. It is soft, it fits like a retail tee rather than a bag, the colour range is enormous, and DTG printing handles it well because the fabric is smooth and light.
Where it disappoints: it is thin. Buyers who expect a heavyweight shirt sometimes read that as cheap, even though it is not. On very dark colours, DTG requires a white underbase that can leave a slightly stiff hand feel.
Use it for: most things. Everyday graphics, humour, family and pet designs, anything where fit matters more than heft.
Comfort Colors 1717: the premium one
Garment-dyed, heavyweight, with the soft washed look that has dominated aesthetic-led Etsy niches for years. Shoppers search for it by name, which is the single most useful fact about it: "comfort colors" is a keyword, not just a material. That means a tag slot spent on the blank brand actually earns its place.
Where it disappoints: it is the most expensive of the three, and garment dyeing means colour varies slightly between batches. Sizing runs boxy, so buyers expecting a fitted tee are sometimes surprised. Both of those need to be stated in the listing.
Use it for: premium niches where the shirt itself is part of the appeal, and where the price can carry the higher blank cost after Etsy fees.
Gildan 18000: the value sweatshirt
The crewneck behind an enormous share of value-priced POD sweatshirts. Heavy, warm, widely stocked by every supplier, and cheap enough to leave real margin at typical Etsy sweatshirt prices.
Where it disappoints: it is not soft. The fabric is coarser than a premium fleece, and the fit is roomy in a dated rather than deliberate way. Buyers comparing it against a boutique sweatshirt will notice.
Use it for: autumn and winter seasonal listings, and any niche where the design does the selling and the garment just has to be warm and correct.
How to choose in practice
- Match the blank to the niche's price expectation. A $22 humour tee does not need Comfort Colors. A $34 aesthetic tee usually does.
- Check what the ranking listings use. If everything on page one is garment-dyed, the market has already set the expectation.
- Order a sample. Once, for each blank you sell. It costs less than one bad review cycle.
- Say the fit in the listing. "Boxy, relaxed fit, size down for a closer fit" prevents the single most common return.
- Do not mix blanks in one design set without saying so. Buyers who order two products expect the same feel.