50/50

An even blend of cotton and polyester, the workhorse fabric of the promotional market. The polyester holds the garment's shape and cuts shrinkage to almost nothing; the cotton keeps enough absorbency to feel comfortable and take ink. It is cheaper and more wash-stable than 100% cotton and softer than all-polyester, which is why it dominates school, event and uniform orders. For printing it behaves as a compromise: plastisol works, discharge and water-based inks only partly, and dark 50/50 can suffer dye migration, so a low-bleed ink or a blocker underbase is the safe call.