Cotton

Cotton

What cotton is, and why it is the default

Cotton is the fabric most company merch runs on. The t-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, crew necks, socks and tote bags that make up a typical order are almost always cotton or a cotton blend - because cotton does what most merch needs it to do: it drapes well, prints well, washes well, breathes, and softens with wear.

That makes it the sensible default, not the exciting choice. When you need a garment that is comfortable to actually wear, holds a logo cleanly, and survives repeated washes, cotton is the safe, reliable answer. This page is about what cotton actually is as a material, how it behaves in printing, and how to look after it.

The GSM ranges we carry

Fabric weight is measured in GSM - grams per square metre - and it is the first thing that tells you what a garment is for. As a guide to the ranges we carry:

• T-shirts: around 160-190 GSM. A light, dry, fine-weather shirt. The everyday weight.
• Polos (piqué): around 220 GSM. Piqué is the textured knit used for polo collars - more structure, a collar that stands up, a smarter look than a plain tee.
• Hoodies and fleece: around 280-360 GSM. The heavyweight fleece that is genuinely cold-weather, not a light layer.

The honest note here: GSM tells you the weight and purpose, but it is not the whole story of quality. What separates a good cotton garment from a great one is the fabric treatment, the sewing, and the certificates. Two tees at the same GSM can feel completely different depending on how the cotton was combed, spun and finished, and how carefully the garment was made. GSM is the starting point for choosing; treatment, construction and certification are what make it a garment you keep.

How cotton prints

For most printed merch, the decorating method is decided by the quantity and the design - not by a fixed default. The two workhorses on cotton are:

• Digital transfer (DTF) - full-color printing that works down to small quantities, no setup per color. Best for color-rich logos and photo-real artwork on flat garments.
• Silkscreen - the classic high-volume method, where the artwork is separated into screens. Best for larger runs of a single-color or simple design, where the per-piece cost drops.

There is no universal "best" - it depends on how many pieces you need and what the design looks like. Our role is to recommend the right technique for the specific case, so the client does not have to guess. (The [[digital-transfer|digital transfer]] page covers the full-color option in detail.)

One thing worth knowing if you order dark cotton - navy, black, dark green: we use an underbase to make the print read cleanly on the dark ground. And the important part: we print on dark cotton, period. Dark fabric is not a reason to drop a print or water it down; it is a normal part of the job.

How to care for cotton

Cotton is easy to look after, and most of the time the care instructions on the label are enough. Wash it following the label - usually a cold wash, and either machine or line drying depending on the garment. Do not bleach it. Iron if you want a crisp finish.

The short version: as long as the care label is followed, everything holds up. Cotton will shrink a little over time, which is normal and why we build it into the garment - so the size you get is the size that stays.

When to choose cotton

Choose cotton when you need a comfortable, everyday garment that prints cleanly and washes well - which is most company merch. It is the right call for:

• Daily uniforms and everyday wear where comfort matters most
• T-shirts, polos, hoodies, crew necks and totes for teams
• Full-color prints via digital transfer, or larger silkscreen runs

The point at which cotton is not the answer is different from what people expect: it is not about weight or printability. Cotton prints well - every cotton item we carry is printable, and we run wash and print tests on each item before we offer it. Where cotton drops out is the other direction: when you need a performance or water-repellent garment, cotton is not the fabric for it. That is the boundary, and it is a functional one, not a quality one. For those cases, a technical fabric or the [[polyester|polyester]] route is the right call.

How SoMerch fits

Every cotton item we carry is printable, and we test each one - both the wash and the print - before it goes into the catalog. We carry standard cotton alongside organic and recycled cotton blends, and we are straightforward about which is which. When you are choosing, the fabric weight (GSM), the treatment, the sewing and the certificates are all part of the decision we help you make - starting with [[gots|organic certification]] where that matters to you, and [[merch-field-guide|the rest of the field guide]] when you want the full picture.

The short version

Cotton is the default fabric for company merch because it does most jobs well: comfortable, printable, washable, and available across tees, polos, hoodies and totes. GSM tells you the weight and purpose; treatment, sewing and certificates tell you the quality. It prints cleanly on any color - dark included - and as long as you follow the care label, it holds up.