5 Common Printing Mistakes and How The Right Garment Can Prevent Them

In the world of decorated apparel, your print is only as good as the garment you put it on. Even the most experienced printers have seen a great design fall flat because the fabric wasn’t the right match for the job. Whether you’re running a screen printing press, DTG machine, or embroidery hoop, choosing the right garment is as important as choosing the right ink or thread.

Here, we break down five common printing mistakes and how the right Gildan® garment can help you avoid them.

1. Colours That Don’t Pop

The problem:


You’ve got a design full of bold, vibrant colours, but when it hits the shirt, it looks muted. This is a common issue when printing on dark fabrics without proper underbase layers, or when the fabric absorbs more ink than intended.

The solution:


Choose garments with a tight-knit surface for a smooth print area. For screen printing, the Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton® T-Shirt is a solid choice. Its midweight, 100% cotton fabric provides an ideal base for colour retention. If you’re printing on darker colours, pre-treating and using a ring-spun cotton option like the Gildan Softstyle® 64000 will help inks sit on top of the fibres, so they appear brighter and sharper.

2. Ink Cracking or Peeling After a Few Washes

The problem:


Nothing undermines your work faster than a customer washing their shirt once and seeing cracks in the print. This usually happens when ink doesn’t cure properly, but certain fabrics can make the curing process more difficult.

The solution:


Go for a stable, consistent fabric that allows for even curing. 100% cotton is the safest bet for most screen printing inks, options like the Gildan Ultra Cotton® 2000 provide excellent heat resistance during curing. If you need a blend for performance or comfort reasons, our DryBlend® styles balance polyester’s quick-dry benefits with cotton’s print-friendly surface — just remember to adjust your curing temperature for blends to avoid scorching.

3. Dye Migration on Polyester Garments

The problem:


You print a bright white logo on a red polyester shirt, and after a few washes, the print turns pink. This is dye migration: when the garment dye seeps into the ink during curing. It’s most common with 100% polyester and other synthetic blends.

The solution:


If your design needs to go on a polyester-rich fabric, choose garments designed to minimise bleed. For sublimation printing, our 100% polyester tees are purpose-built to accept sublimation inks without unexpected colour shifts. And for heat transfers, keep your press temperatures in check and use low-bleed inks where possible.

4. Prints Looking Faded or Patchy

The problem:


Your design looks great on your monitor, but after printing, the ink coverage is uneven or appears faded. Often, this happens because the fabric surface is too textured or because you’re working with a fabric that repels water-based inks.

The solution:


For crisp, even prints, opt for garments with a smooth, tight-knit finish — ring-spun cotton styles like the Gildan Softstyle® 64000 or 64V00 are ideal for water-based inks, DTG, and discharge printing. The fine yarns create a clean surface for detailed designs and full-colour prints. If you need a heavier weight without sacrificing print clarity, the Ultra Cotton® 2000 is a reliable option.

5. Shrinkage Ruining Print Alignment

The problem:


You nail the placement of your design, only for the shirt to shrink after washing, causing the print to look warped or off-centre. While some shrinkage is natural, excessive shrinkage can distort prints and frustrate customers.

The solution:


Pre-shrunk cotton styles like the Gildan Heavy Cotton® 5000 and Ultra Cotton® 2000 help maintain size consistency after printing and washing. For blends, our DryBlend® range offers excellent dimensional stability, making it ideal for garments that need to keep their shape over time. Always wash-test a sample from the same batch you’re decorating to confirm how it reacts.

Final Thoughts

Printing is as much about preparation as it is about execution. By matching your decoration method to the right garment, you can avoid many of the headaches that lead to wasted stock, reprints, and unhappy customers.

At Gildan, we design our apparel with decorators in mind — from the yarns we choose to the way we dye and finish each garment. Whether you’re printing a bulk run of promotional tees, crafting high-end retail merch, or kitting out a sports team, there’s a Gildan style made to work with your method.

Pro tip: Keep a small “print library” of test garments in your shop. Test new inks, settings, and designs on these before committing to a full production run.

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