Printing Tank Tops
Summer is here, and with it, tank tops become a part of our wardrobe. But printing on tank tops can come with its own unique challenges. Here is help to assure you get the best results.
Markets for Tank Tops
Tank tops can be a great additional offer for your t-shirt business. Here are some possible markets:
- Basketball teams
- Volleyball teams
- Athleisure/Fitness
- Cycling
- Resort wear
- Fashion Spirit Wear
Choosing A Tank Top Blank
We carry over 50 styles of blank tanks, each needing consideration when printing tank tops.
Racerback tanks have a narrower back panel so size your design smaller or use vertical designs. Some popular styles we carry are LST356 from Sport-Tek, DW138L from District and NL6733 from Next Level Apparel
Flowy tanks Watch for seams and curved edges that can make alignment a challenge. Some flowy tank tops we carry include BC8800, BC8803, BC8802, BC8809, and BC828 all from Bella+Canvas. District also offers a drapey tank, DM414, for a more budget-friendly option
Muscle Tanks These typically have a thicker arm strap and a more fitted style Some muscle tank options are NL3633 from Next Level, ST352 from Sport-Tek and BC6003 from Bella+Canvas.
Reversible Tanks This style is typically used for basketball for color identification. Reversible tank styles include ST900 and ST5000 from Sport-Tek and A4NF1270 from A-4
V-Neck and Scoop Neck These styles will force your print to be lower on the shirt, so size your design accordingly. Also, the neck seam will interfere with the pressure so be sure you are threading if printing the back, have the seam off the platen or raise the print area when printing tank tops with these features.
Creating the Art
Our free online designer, Easy View, will help you with the art creation. It is divided into easy to access categories to quickly find inspiration for your project. If you can’t find what you need in the customizable layouts, it is almost just as easy to build your idea from scratch with the help of our available clip art, fonts and effects.
Choosing the Transfer
You chose your blank and created the art, now it is time to choose the transfer. The same guidelines are used for printing tank tops as other apparel choices. Your transfer choice will be based on how many you need and how many colors are in your design.
If you need a quantity of 1-12 your best choice will be UltraColor Max, DTF transfers. These can be applied to any of the tank top materials and are perfect for small runs.
If the quantity needed is 12 or more your choice is based on number of colors
- 1-2 color a screen printed transfer will be the best option. For cotton and blends, we recommend Goof Proof screen printed transfers, for 100% polyester use Elasti Prints screen printed transfers.
- For full color orders needing a quantity of 12 or more, in most cases depending on the image size, it will be less expensive to switch to UltraColor Pro. UltraColor Pro is a hybrid transfer perfect for mid-size and large full color printing.
Tank tops are a great addition to your T-shirt business offering. Help your customers stay cool!