Specs at a glance
- Brand
- Comfort Colors
- Style
- 1717
- Fabric
- 100% cotton (ring-spun, US-grown), sewn with cotton thread
- Weight
- 6.1 oz/yd²
- Yarn
- Ring-spun cotton (singles count not stated)
- Fit
- Relaxed fit
- Sizes
- S–4XL
- Colors
- The maker lists 67 colors: 52 pigment-dyed, 13 direct/reactive-dyed and 2 others
- Construction
- Garment dyed after sewing; Topstitched classic-width rib collar; Tubular body with no side seams; Twill tape from shoulder to shoulder; Twill neck label; Sewn with cotton thread
- Care
- Wash separately before first wear, then in cold water with like colors, since pigment colors can shed loose dye; pre-shrunk in the garment-dye process
Specs per Comfort Colors 1717 Heavyweight Adult Tee product page (comfortcolors.com), checked 2026-10-04. Makers change colors and details; check the current spec before ordering.
Decorating it
| Method | What to know |
|---|---|
| Screen Printing | Plastisol and water-based both print well on the cotton. Because each dye lot shifts slightly, approve ink colors on the actual shirts, and expect pigment colors to soften contrast a little. |
| Screen Printing | Discharge depends on the dye. Pigment-dyed colors generally do not respond to discharge agents, while some of the reactive-dyed colors may. Test the exact color and lot first. |
| DTG Printing | The cotton takes DTG, and the washed base suits faded, vintage-style art. Pretreatment can leave a visible patch on some dark colors until the first wash. |
| Embroidery | At 6.1 oz the jersey supports a left-chest logo better than a light tee. Use a cut-away or mesh backing and keep fills moderate. |
The 1717 is closely tied to the soft, faded, lived-in look common in campus, brewery and boutique merch. Comfort Colors is part of Gildan, and the 1717 is its core adult tee. What sets it apart is not the cotton alone but the order of operations: the shirt is sewn first and dyed afterward, which changes how it feels, fits and prints.
Who the 1717 suits
Choose it when the shirt should feel like a favorite from the back of the closet on day one: clothing brands chasing a vintage feel, breweries and coffee shops selling retail tees, surf and skate shops, Greek life and campus groups, and souvenir merch. It is a weaker choice for crisp corporate color matching across reorders, or for tight budgets, since heavier garment-dyed cotton usually costs more than a standard midweight.
Fabric, weight and feel
The fabric is 100% cotton, ring-spun and grown in the US, and the maker notes that even the sewing thread is cotton. At 6.1 oz/yd² (about 207 GSM by conversion) it sits at the light end of the heavyweight band in T-shirt weights explained. Garment dyeing tumbles the finished shirts in dye and water, which pre-shrinks them and breaks in the hand. The maker says the result is almost no shrinkage at home.
The color list is really two families. Of the 67 colors, 52 are pigment dyes, which sit on the surface of the fibers and give a softer, chalky, washed tone. Thirteen are direct or reactive dyes that bond with the cotton and look more even. The garment-dyed blanks guide explains how those processes differ.
Construction is straightforward: a tubular body, a topstitched rib collar of classic width, and twill tape running from shoulder to shoulder across the back neck.
Decorating the 1717
Screen printing
Ring-spun cotton takes plastisol and water-based ink well. Two things are specific to this blank. First, the base color varies a little between dye lots, so approve ink matches on the shirts you will actually print, not on a swatch. Second, pigment-dyed colors have a slightly dusty surface, which mutes high-contrast designs; many people like that, but it is worth seeing on a sample.
Discharge
Discharge ink works by stripping dye that will respond to it. Pigment dyes generally do not, so most of the 1717 palette is a poor candidate. Some of the reactive-dyed colors may discharge, but results differ between colors and lots. If a discharge look is the goal, test on the exact color, or compare a cotton blank sold as discharge-friendly.
DTG
DTG prints clearly on the cotton, and the washed base suits distressed or vintage artwork. Pretreatment can leave a darker or shiny patch on some colors until the first wash, and the uneven garment-dyed base makes exact color matching harder than on a standard tee.
Embroidery
A 6.1 oz jersey gives the needle more to hold onto than a 4 oz tee. A left-chest logo with a cut-away or mesh backing is a sound plan; very dense fills still pull the fabric.
Sizing notes
The maker's chart runs from a Small at 18 1/4 inches across and 26 5/8 inches long to a 4XL at 29 3/4 by 33 1/2. The widths match a standard tee, but the bodies run shorter, which reads as relaxed and slightly boxy. There is no XS or 5XL. Comfort Colors lists companion styles: the 3023CL women's boxy tee, the 9018 youth tee and the 6014 long sleeve.
Garment-dyed blanks also vary more from lot to lot than piece-dyed shirts, so keep a few samples from each order for reorders. Colorways and stock risk covers planning around that.
Alternatives
- The standard midweight it is most often weighed against: the Gildan 5000, in Comfort Colors 1717 vs Gildan 5000.
- Heavier and garment dyed, made in Los Angeles: the Los Angeles Apparel 1801GD.
- Even heavier and boxier, with conventionally dyed fabric: the Shaka Wear Max Heavyweight.
- A midweight with a modern, regular fit: the AS Colour Staple Tee.
Sources
- Comfort Colors 1717 product page, checked 2026-10-04
- Comfort Colors care instructions, checked 2026-10-04
Useful for: clothing brands, breweries, skate and surf shops, schools and clubs.