A guide to picking the right blank for every kind of launch, merch drop, or activation
The blank you choose for a launch, activation, or client project affects how the print looks, how the finished piece feels, and whether the color and print stay intact after repeated washing. There are five decisions I often see agencies and brands facing when creating a merch drop: budget, print method, finished look, order size, and environmental impact. This guide is organized around them, using the wholesale blank t-shirts I recommend based on years of running merch drops out of our Portland studio.
Best blank for a cost-conscious launch
The AS Colour 5050 Block Tee is made from 100% carded cotton with a tubular construction that skips side seams. It's preshrunk with double-needle hems, and it's priced similarly to the Gildan 2000 while offering a softer hand feel. It's a fantastic budget tee that I think outranks many of the other options available.
The Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton is a 6 oz cotton tee with a classic fit, rib collar, and taped neck and shoulders. It has the widest color range we carry and the lowest cost per piece. It's our value workhorse, the classic tee everyone already knows.
Best blank for bold prints
The AS Colour 5001 Staple is combed cotton with a regular fit and crew neck, reinforced with shoulder tape and double-needle hems. Combed cotton has fewer fiber irregularities than standard cotton, which lets ink print cleaner colors and sharper detail. Prints turn out beautifully on the surface of these tees.
The Stanley/Stella Creator is certified organic combed ringspun cotton with a straight cut and medium fit, finished with twin-needle topstitching at the cuffs and hem. It comes in a wide color range, which is useful when a design needs a specific shade to print correctly. It holds fine detail and vibrant color really well.
Best retail-ready blank
The AS Colour 5086 Heavy Faded Minus is a 7.1 oz heavyweight blank with an oversized, cropped fit that runs about 2 inches shorter than a standard length. It's garment-dyed for a broken-in color from the start, and the dropped shoulders and wide neck ribbing give it a relaxed, boxy shape. It has a great street vibe, and the shorter length is popular right now.
The Lane Seven LS16005 Urban Heavyweight is ring-spun combed cotton with an oversized, boxy fit and a pigment-dyed finish. It's a structured heavyweight tee with real substance and a unique texture you don't see on most blanks.
Best blank for a small-batch drop
The Comfort Colors 1717 is relaxed fit, garment-dyed for a soft, broken-in feel. It's made with OEKO-TEX certified, salt-free pigment dyes in a WRAP certified facility. It's got that lived-in, vintage character that reads collectible, which makes it perfect for a limited run.
The Stanley/Stella SATU007 Crafter is a lighter 4.6 oz organic cotton tee with a straight cut and medium fit. The lighter weight makes it a good option for a small drop planned around warmer weather in the spring or summer. It feels special for a small, considered drop.
Best blank for a sustainability-conscious activation
Allmade's AL3000 is a recycled cotton tee with a dense it has a dense, broken-in feel that holds its shape well. Its carbon footprint has been measured and reduced through the ClimeCo Certified Product Program, which verifies emissions data for the shirt and applies carbon offset credits to lower its net impact.
The Stanley/Stella Creator is another option for sustainable merch drops. It's certified organic combed ringspun cotton with a premium hand, and it prints beautifully too. The rest of the Stanley/Stella line uses organic or recycled materials as well, so you can build a sustainable drop beyond one shirt.
Choosing the right blank
The right blank depends on what the drop needs to do, and often more than one of these factors matters for the same project. If you're not sure which applies to yours, send us the brief, including your budget, order size, print method, and any material requirements, and we'll help you pick the right one!
