How to Prepare Blanks for Printing: Removing Tags, Pre-Washing, Stretching & More

Properly preparing your blank apparel can greatly impact your printing results. Even the highest-quality inks, transfers, and prints can fall short if your apparel hasn’t been prepared correctly. Whether you’re a seasoned t-shirt designer or just starting your printing journey, here’s a complete guide on how to properly prepare your blank apparel for printing.

Why Proper Blank Prep Matters

After spending countless hours on creating designs and coming up with an overall vision, adding more steps into the mix might seem daunting. However, these small steps will save you lots of time, money, and headaches in the long run. Skipping out on these key steps can lead to prints that crack after a single wash, misaligned designs, dye migration or ink bleeding, or shrinkage that distorts your wonderful artwork. A few extra steps of preparation per batch will eliminate the need to reprint or spend more money all while delivering a polished product to your customers. 

Understanding Your Blank Apparel for Printing

Not all blank apparel are made the same. Some styles are made with cotton, other styles are made polyester, and some styles are made with fabric blends. Cotton, polyester, tri-blends, fleece, and performance fabrics all behave differently when paired with specific printing techniques. For instance, cotton apparel pairs notoriously well with direct-to-garment (DTG) printing. Knowing what fabric you’re working with will help you determine what prep you need to do.

Before using, it’s also important to inspect your blank apparel. For instance, take a look at the side seams of the garment and stitching alignment, neckline construction, ribbed cuffs, and shoulder seams because any of these details could potentially interfere with the print. Inspecting the construction of the apparel helps prevent misaligned prints and inconsistent results.

Overall, choosing the best blanks for printing depends on fabric type, weave, and intended print method — smooth, tightly woven cotton garments typically produce the most consistent results.

Removing Tags and Labels from Blank Shirts

Another key step in properly preparing your blank apparel is removing any and all tags and labels. Removing the tags and labels not only makes your apparel more comfortable, but also creates the opportunity for you to add your own branding with a neck label. This instantly elevates your apparel and creates a clean, professional finish.

Best practices for tag removal:

• Use a seam ripper or small scissors for sewn-in tags
• Carefully pull tear-away labels along the stitch line
• Avoid cutting into the neckline seam
• Press the area after removal to flatten the fibers

To save time, Team Clothing Shop Online (CSO) highly recommends choosing blank t-shirts and sweatshirts with tear-away labels. These styles are specifically designed for printers and make relabeling quick and seamless. If you’re looking for a place to start, check out a fan-favorite style here at CSO - style #3600. The Cotton T-Shirt from Next Level Apparel has a tear-away label as well as hemmed sleeves and a set-in 1x1 baby rib collar. This wonderfully made t-shirt is available in 45 different colors and sizes XS-6XL.

Pre-Washing Blank Apparel Before Printing

Pre-washing is one of the most important (and most commonly skipped) steps in prepping your blank apparel. Pre-washing your apparel prevents shrinkage, removes factory residues, and helps identify potential dye bleeding before printing. Even though this may seem like a tedious extra step, pre-washing protects your print quality.

Pre-washing is one of the most important steps when prepping t-shirts for printing, especially for cotton garments that may shrink or release chemicals from the manufacturing process. Pre-washing your apparel, especially 100% cotton t-shirts or sweatshirts, completely eliminates the risk of your design getting cracked, warped, or misaligned.

Some blanks are treated with fabric softeners or chemical finishes during manufacturing, which can also interfere with ink adhesion. Pre-washing helps remove these treatments and ensures consistent print quality across batches.

When Pre-Washing Is Optional vs Required

Pre-washing is essential for 100% cotton and fleece garments but may be optional for pre-shrunk or polyester styles. Always test one garment first if you’re unsure.

How to Pre-Wash Blank Apparel for Screen Printing & DTG

Pre-washing apparel isn’t complicated, but following the right steps ensures consistent results and protects your blank apparel before printing. 

Step 1: Sort Apparel by Color and Fabric 

Separate lights, darks, and brights to prevent any dye transfer and bleeding. 

Step 2: Choose The Right Wash Method

Team CSO recommends washing your apparel using the same method you plan to use for the finished, printed garment. For instance, for cotton apparel, wash warm/hot.

Step 3: Dry Your Apparel

Always defer to the style’s care instructions, first. If possible, Team CSO recommends air drying your apparel after it has been washed. If low on time, you may use a machine dryer. However, try to use this method for more durable fabrics, such as cotton. 

Step 4: Inspect After Washing

Once your apparel is dry, check for fabric pilling, color bleeding, or unexpected shrinkage. Catching any of these issues will save you time and money in the long-run. 

Stretching and Flattening Garments for Print Alignment

Another key step in prepping your apparel for printing is stretching and flattening your apparel. Smooth, even surfaces are vital for clean print results. Pro Tip: Lightly stretch out your garment on your platen and remove the wrinkles with a quick pre-press. Make sure to let your garment cool before going right into printing. 

Surface Prep Checklist Before Printing

Even the most minor detail can greatly impact your prints. Below, Team CSO has created a “Surface Prep Checklist,” so you can defer to it any time you're ready to print.

Surface Prep Checklist: 

• Lint roll each garment
• Use a pre-press to remove any moisture
•  Spot test inks on a sample blank apparel item
• Keep garments dust-free before printing

Think of this step as your garment preparation checklist before any ink or heat has been applied — checking for lint, wrinkles, moisture, and fabric inconsistencies can prevent costly print issues later on. Completing this small list of to-dos will ensure you have polished results!

Time-Saving Pro Tips

All of these tips may seem overwhelming, but once you complete these tasks a few times, it will quickly become a part of your printing routine. However, in order to save you time, check out some time-saving pro-tips!

1. Prep garments in batches: Rather than pre-washing one singular t-shirt or pre-washing a few shirts, prep your apparel in batches. Prepping a batch of apparel reduces setup time and keeps your workflow consistent.
2. Create a garment prep checklist: As previously stated, having a checklist ensures you’re not missing a step. Having a simple checklist helps maintain consistency and makes sure steps are completed in a timely manner.
3. Store prepped blanks in sealed bins: Placing your prepped apparel in sealed bins ensures that dust, lint, moisture, and accidental wrinkles don’t interfere with your prepped blanks. Keeping prepped blank apparel sealed and separated also eliminates confusion between washed and unwashed inventory. 
4. Keep sample blank apparel on hand for testing: Testing inks, pretreatments, or transfers on sample blank apparel helps avoid any costly mistakes. This tip is especially important and helpful when working with a new style, fabric, or printing method.

Special Considerations by Printing Method

Below, Team CSO shares some tips and tricks on how to properly prep your apparel based on your preferred printing technique.

Screen Printing Garment Prep

Screen printing works best on pre-washed, lint-free garments with smooth surfaces. Always pre-press to remove moisture before applying ink.

DTG Garment Prep

DTG printing requires flat, tightly woven cotton garments. Pre-pressing is critical to ensure even ink absorption.

Heat Transfer & DTF Prep

Heat transfers require wrinkle-free surfaces and proper temperature control. Avoid fabrics with heavy textures or coatings. Understanding how to prepare garments for heat press applications is essential, as wrinkles, moisture, or uneven surfaces can lead to poor adhesion and inconsistent transfers.

Stock Up on Your Blank Apparel Needs with CSO

Don’t compromise quality for price and shop for all your blank apparel needs at CSO. At CSO, we offer 3,000+ different styles and over 90+ brands for you to shop and choose from. Shop CSO for blank t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and much more. The best part? There are no minimum order requirements to enjoy CSO’s wholesale pricing. Check out all of our latest and greatest deals here. It’s truly easy to shop for all your printing needs at CSO.

Prep for Success!

Prepping your blank apparel for printing doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be completed. Whether you’re screen printing, using DTG, or applying heat transfers, following proper preparation steps ensures better results when printing on blank apparel at any scale. From removing label tags, to pre-washing and stretching, each step ensures polished results and happy customers! When you stock up on blank apparel from CSO and incorporate these tips and tricks, the entire prepping process becomes easy and seamless. Happy prepping and printing!