Custom Port & Company T-shirts

Both are men’s styles built around straightforward cotton construction, but they sit at slightly different points on the quality spectrum. The PC54 Core Cotton is generally considered the stronger of the two — it uses a heavier, more structured fabric that holds its shape better over time and gives prints a more substantial surface to adhere to. The PC61 Essential is a lighter, more economical blank that prioritizes affordability over premium feel. For sellers, the PC61 makes sense for high-volume orders where price per unit matters and the end use is relatively casual — events, giveaways, basic branded merchandise. The PC54 is the better choice when the shirt itself needs to feel like a quality product that someone would choose to wear beyond the occasion it was made for.

The “Fan Favorite” name refers to Port & Company’s lightweight, soft-washed cotton construction that was specifically developed to feel broken-in right out of the bag. Where a standard cotton tee can feel stiff and boxy until it’s been washed several times, the Fan Favorite starts soft. That matters when your customer opens a package and their first impression is the feel of the shirt in their hands. The PC450 is the unisex version, while the LPC450 is cut for women with a more fitted silhouette. Both share the same soft fabric, which makes them a good fit for lifestyle brands, graphic tee stores, and any seller whose customers care as much about how the shirt wears as what’s printed on it.

The LPC450 and LPC450V are essentially the same shirt with one key difference: neckline. The LPC450 has a classic crew neck, while the LPC450V has a V-neck cut. Both share the Fan Favorite’s signature soft-washed feel and women’s fitted silhouette. Some customers have a strong preference for one or the other, and that preference rarely changes based on design or price. Running both in your store is a low-effort way to capture both camps without creating new artwork — the same design works on both listings. On a platform like Etsy or Shopify, it also doubles your search footprint for the same product concept, since shoppers searching “women’s v-neck graphic tee” and “women’s crew neck tee” are effectively looking for the same thing through different filters.

Gooten prints Port & Company tees using DTG (Direct to Garment), with DTF (Direct to Film) available on select styles. DTG works by spraying ink directly into the fabric fibers, which produces prints that feel soft and integrated into the shirt rather than sitting on top of it like a stiff transfer. For cotton blanks like the Port & Company lineup, this is generally a reliable combination. The Core Cotton and Fan Favorite fabrics both provide a consistent surface for ink absorption. That said, DTG results are always most vibrant on white and light-colored shirts. Designs on black, navy, or charcoal tees require a white underbase layer, which adds opacity but can slightly affect the softness of the print. Designs that work well on dark Port & Company tees tend to be bold and graphic rather than photo-realistic or heavily detailed.

Port & Company’s lineup covers the core colors reliably: black, white, navy, cardinal, royal blue, forest green, gold, charcoal, and sport grey are all workable options depending on the style. White and light grey are the safest starting points for any DTG-printed catalog because print quality is most consistent on light fabric. Navy and black are popular with buyers and sell well, but designs need to be adapted for dark backgrounds — high contrast, bold, and minimal fine detail. For trend-driven or lifestyle brands, colors like charcoal, sand, and dusty tones have performed well in recent years and can give a Port & Company tee a more elevated, fashion-forward look despite the blank’s utility roots. Starting with three to five core colors per listing rather than every available option tends to keep the catalog manageable without limiting customer choice significantly.

All three brands occupy a similar price tier and are built for practical, everyday wear rather than premium fashion. The main differences come down to fabric feel, sizing consistency, and fit. Gildan is arguably the most recognizable name in this segment globally and produces an extremely consistent blank that prints well, but its boxy unisex fit is a known trade-off that affects how customers perceive the product. Hanes is similarly consistent but tends to skew toward a softer, slightly more comfortable feel in its better lines. Port & Company sits comfortably alongside both, with the advantage that its Fan Favorite series genuinely closes some of the gap with higher-end brands in terms of initial feel. For sellers who want to offer an accessible price point without sacrificing too much on wearability, the PC54 and Fan Favorite styles give Port & Company a real edge over the most basic Gildan or Hanes commodity options.