What Does Triblend Mean?

A triblend t-shirt versus a regular t-shirt is one of the choices that will come up when creating a t-shirt business or when you’re shopping. When I first started working at Threadless and didn’t know the lingo yet, I kept wondering: WTF is a triblend?

If you were to ask me, I’d tell you that a triblend tee is the softest thing you’ll ever touch. In fact, you’ll want everything in your life made out of triblend. But that’s not the most technical definition, so I’m here to shed some more light on the subject.

Triblend Defined

As you might have guessed from the name triblend, the blend of the shirt is made of three different fabrics. While a regular t-shirt is 100% cotton, triblend tees are 50% polyester, 25% cotton, and 25% Rayon, which makes them softer. Kinda like a fancy t-shirt that runs a little bit smaller and have more stretch to them.

What is Tri-Blend
Left: Regular cotton tee | Right: Triblend tee (“Stay Inspired” by Katie Lukes)

They look a little bit different too, having a bit of a dappled look to them, whereas the fabric of regular t-shirts are solid color.

What About Printing on Them?

Does this different triblend material mess up graphic designs printed on it? Not really. There’s a little bit of color variation between triblends and cotton shirts, but the differences are small. If anything, triblends make designs look a little bit better, but that’s my opinion. For more guidance on color on different materials and printing processes, check out this post.

So there you have it: the softest tee material ever, the triblend.

Want to start a business selling triblend t-shirts? Try out Artist Shops for free!

We’re an artist community built on the power of helping each other succeed — if you’re reading this and have tips of your own to share, please do so in the comments. Thank you!

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