Fruit of the Loom is the default blank garment in European print shops, and not by accident: tubular tees, ring-spun cotton and stable product codes make it predictable to decorate. This guide picks the right model for each job, compares the four main techniques and shows what a printed tee or hoodie really costs in 2026.
For printing, use the Valueweight T (61-036, approx. 165 g/m², tubular, no side seams) for tees and the Classic Hooded Sweat (62-208, 280 g/m², 80/20 with Belcoro® yarn) for hoodies; Set-In Sweats and piqué polos suit embroidery. Screen print from 25 pieces, DTG below that, vinyl for names and numbers. Blanks cost €6.95 per tee and €20.95 per hoodie at Marmalade Co., the cheapest verified EU-wide option (10 % off from 5 pieces, €7 DHL, 2–3 business days); a printed tee at vistaprint.ie starts at about €15.
Walk into almost any screen-printing or embroidery workshop in Europe and you will find Fruit of the Loom on the shelf. Printers standardise on it for three practical reasons:
Add a low price — €6.95 for a tee and €20.95 for a hoodie at Marmalade Co., the cheapest verified option we found with EU-wide delivery — and it is easy to see why the brand dominates club, class and company orders.
| Model (code) | Weight / fabric | Best for | Blank price at Marmalade Co. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valueweight T (61-036) | approx. 165 g/m², 100 % cotton, tubular | Screen print, DTG, vinyl — the all-round standard | €6.95 (€6.26 at 5+) |
| Original T (61-082) | approx. 145 g/m², 100 % cotton, tubular | Large event runs, summer, giveaways | approx. €6.95 |
| Heavy Cotton T (61-212) | approx. 195 g/m², 100 % cotton | Workwear, merchandise that must survive years | approx. €6.95–8.95 |
| Iconic 150 T (61-430) | 150 g/m², ring-spun | Fashion-fit merch, DTG with fine detail | approx. €6.95 |
| Classic Set-In Sweat (62-202) | 280 g/m², 80/20 cotton-polyester | Chest logos, embroidery, company crewnecks | €16.95 (€15.26 at 5+) |
| Classic Hooded Sweat (62-208) | 280 g/m², 80/20, Belcoro® yarn | Class and club hoodies, large back prints | €20.95 (€18.86 at 5+) |
| Classic Hooded Sweat Jacket (62-062) | 280 g/m², zip | Embroidered logos for staff, premium merch | €27.95 |
| Premium Polo (63-218) | approx. 180 g/m², 100 % cotton piqué | Embroidered chest logo | €10.95 (Original polo) |
Two notes. Heather (marl) colours contain polyester and can behave differently under high heat, so tell your printer if you choose them. And for photographic DTG prints, white or light garments give the best result because no white underbase is needed.
| Technique | Sweet spot | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | 25+ pieces, 1–6 colours | Lowest per-piece cost at volume, very durable, works on dark garments | Set-up cost per colour; not economical for a handful of tees |
| DTG (direct-to-garment) | 1–25 pieces, full colour | No set-up, unlimited colours, photo detail | Higher per-piece price, best on light 100 % cotton |
| Vinyl / heat transfer | Names, numbers, simple logos | Cheap for 1–2 colours, quick, good for personalisation | Slight plastic feel, shorter life than screen print |
| Embroidery | Polos, sweats, jackets — chest logos | Premium look, extremely durable, survives industrial washing | Priced by stitch count; not for large or fine designs |
Rule of thumb: screen print for volume, DTG for small full-colour runs, vinyl for names and numbers, embroidery for anything a customer will see up close. All four work on Fruit of the Loom's tees and sweats; embroidery is easiest on the 280 g/m² sweats and the piqué polos because the heavier fabric holds the stitches without puckering.
Need blanks for a print run? Marmalade Co. sells the Fruit of the Loom t-shirt in 16 colours from €6.95 (€6.26 from 5 pieces) and the Classic hoodie from €20.95, with €7 DHL delivery in 2–3 business days.
Order blank Fruit of the Loom at Marmalade Co. →There are two routes. Route A is a one-stop print service: at vistaprint.ie, for example, a Fruit of the Loom Basic Unisex T with your design starts at about €15 with no minimum order (checked September 2026). Convenient for one to ten pieces.
Route B is blanks plus a local printer. Blanks from Marmalade Co. cost €6.26 per tee or €18.86 per hoodie from 5 pieces (see the hoodie collection), delivered for a flat €7. Local screen-printing prices vary by country and design, so get two quotes — but with a one-colour design on 25+ pieces the total per tee typically lands well below the one-stop price, and the hoodie total is usually far below what a print-on-demand site charges for the same 62-208.
Route B also gives you the price guarantee (identical product found cheaper is matched) and lets you keep spare blanks for reorders. Our bulk t-shirt guide works through a full costing for 25, 50 and 100 pieces.
Print life depends more on the wash than on the ink. Wash printed Fruit of the Loom inside out at 30–40 °C, skip fabric softener on DTG prints, and avoid hot tumble drying — heat is what cracks plastisol and lifts vinyl. 100 % cotton tees can shrink a few percent on a hot first wash, so the 30 °C rule protects both the fit and the design. Treated this way, a screen-printed Valueweight T routinely outlives its design's relevance, and an embroidered polo will survive years of industrial laundering. For wear-and-tear expectations model by model, see our quality assessment.
Fruitotl.com is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Fruit of the Loom, Fruit of the Loom International or Berkshire Hathaway.
Blank tees, crewnecks and hoodies in matching colours, 10 % off from 5 pieces, one €7 DHL fee and a price guarantee — Marmalade Co. is our top pick for print-ready Fruit of the Loom in Europe.
Shop blanks for printing at Marmalade Co. →| Product | 1 pcs | 10 pcs | 50 pcs | 100 pcs | 250 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-shirt | €13.95 €13.95 each | €69.55 €6.96 each | €319.75 €6.39 each | €632.50 €6.33 each | €1,570.75 €6.28 each |
| Polo shirt | €17.95 €17.95 each | €105.55 €10.56 each | €499.75 €9.99 each | €992.50 €9.93 each | €2,470.75 €9.88 each |
| Crewneck sweatshirt | €23.95 €23.95 each | €159.55 €15.95 each | €769.75 €15.39 each | €1,532.50 €15.32 each | €3,820.75 €15.28 each |
| Hoodie | €27.95 €27.95 each | €195.55 €19.55 each | €949.75 €19.00 each | €1,892.50 €18.93 each | €4,720.75 €18.88 each |
Choose a product and quantity — the total includes the quantity discount (5 % from 3 pcs, 10 % from 5 pcs) and €7 shipping.
The Valueweight T (61-036, approx. 165 g/m²) is the industry standard: 100 % cotton, tubular construction without side seams and a smooth surface that holds plastisol and water-based inks well. The lighter Original T (approx. 145 g/m²) is fine for large event runs, while the Heavy Cotton T (approx. 195 g/m²) suits workwear and long-life merchandise.
Yes, as long as you choose a 100 % cotton model and preferably a white or light colour. DTG inks bond to cotton fibres, so the Valueweight T, Original T and Iconic 150 T all work; heather colours contain polyester and can give a duller result. DTG has no set-up cost, which makes it the right choice for one to about 25 pieces or full-colour artwork.
Very well. The Classic Hooded Sweat (62-208) and Classic Set-In Sweat (62-202) are 280 g/m² fabrics with 80 % cotton / 20 % polyester and Belcoro® yarn, heavy enough to hold a chest logo without puckering. The zip hoodie (62-062) and the piqué polos are also popular for embroidered staff wear. Keep logos simple to limit stitch count and cost.
A one-stop print service such as vistaprint.ie lists a printed Fruit of the Loom Basic Unisex T from about €15 with no minimum. Buying blanks separately — €6.26 per tee from 5 pieces at Marmalade Co., plus €7 shipping — and using a local screen printer is usually cheaper per piece once you pass roughly 25 pieces with a one-colour design.
Screen print is the more durable of the two and handles dark garments better thanks to its opaque ink layer. DTG prints last well on light cotton if washed inside out at 30–40 °C without fabric softener or hot tumble drying. Embroidery outlasts both and is the safest choice for garments that go through industrial laundry, such as staff polos.
Order one or two extra in the most common sizes (M and L) per 25 pieces. Misprints happen, people change size, and reorders of a single tee cost a full shipping fee. Blanks at Marmalade Co. are cheap enough (€6.26 each from 5 pieces) that spares are the sensible insurance, and the price guarantee covers them like any other order.
