Cotton is a natural fabric that goes way back in History. The earliest evidence for the use of cotton fibers in textiles is from the Mehrgarh and Rakhigarhi sites in India, which date to approximately 5000 BC. It’s possible that people in the Americas used cotton for textiles as long ago as 5500 BC. An example of this is the image we see above, a museum piece from the Wari civilization. The Wari civilization flourished in the coastal and highland areas of ancient Peru between c. 450 and c. 1000 CE. and are particularly known for their textiles, which were well-preserved in desert burials.

You may be asking yourself why cotton is the king of DTG printing? We’ll soon get there.

Let’s begin with a quick introduction to how cotton is produced. Cotton fabric producers derive this textile from the fibrous protective casing that surrounds cotton seeds -balls. Cotton seeds are quite small, but the balls that encase them are considerably larger in proportion. The process of separating the cotton seed from the ball used to be done manually, until the cotton gin was invented, which expedited the process. Today, automation makes easier and faster the cotton separation process. In fact, up to 60 raw cotton bales weighing 500 pounds each can be processed in the space of an hour.

After being cleaned, the raw cotton is carded, which is the process of forming cotton fibers into long strands. Next, these strands are spun to create yarn. Once the process is completed, the cotton yarn may undergo a variety of mechanical treatments and even be dyed. There are several cotton plant varieties as well as several cotton fabric varieties, but let’s not get too scientific here.

Cotton is very water-absorbent and, since Direct to Garment (DTG) printing relies on water-based inks, 100% cotton tees or related apparel make cotton fabric the king of DTG. Having said that, we need to identify several qualities of it in terms of refinement, which have an impact on the item price of course. There are 4 main subtypes: Cotton, Combed-Cotton, Ringspun Cotton, and Organic Cotton.

These fibers are often combined together. For example, the combination of ringspun and combed cotton makes an amazing quality fabric ‒ regardless of whether it is organic or not. At our shop, you will see these combinations, as well as amazing 50/50 polyester/cotton blended shirts that produce excellent results with DTG.

Cotton

The most basic Cotton (regular or open-ended) is made in two steps. First, soft vegetable fibers are twisted together to make a yarn. Then, the material is constructed by weaving the yarn together.

Combed Cotton

Combed Cotton goes through extra combing processes before the yarn is constructed. The combing process removes all the short fibers, which are prone to breakage. As the fibers are longer, it allows the Cotton to be more robust with longer life. Combing the garment helps align the threads and reduce the number of fibers sticking up or out, which affects the print quality. Some manufacturers also take an additional step to run the fabric through an enzyme wash that helps to further remove fly-away fibers that impact the print quality on a DTG print.

Ringspun Cotton

Ring-spun cotton is created differently than regular cotton fabrics. Ring-spun cotton sends the yarn through a spinning process to soften and straighten the fibers, allowing for a tighter weave. As a result, ring-spun cotton T-shirts last longer and feel softer to the touch. They also give you the best results when printing with DTG because it has a more flat/smooth finish.

Organic Cotton

Organic Cotton is cotton that is grown without using any chemical fertilizers or pesticides on it. It is grown on land that has been treated and given sufficient time (at least three years) for the removal of all the toxic residues of chemical fertilizers and pesticides used earlier on it. The cotton is from original plants, meaning plants that are not genetically modified and that have not been treated with any chemicals (washes, bleaches, colors, or scents) during its processing and packaging. So if you are eco-conscious as we are, visit the eco-friendly section of our ArtTeeShop store.

So there we go, you are now armed with enough information to make an informed decision at the time of buying your next tee. It goes without saying that if you choose ArtTeeShop for it, we wouldn’t mind in the least 😉☺️