Today, we’re comparing two of our top bestsellers in the apparel blanks space: the Comfort Colors 1717 vs Bella + Canvas 3001.
With its lightweight fabric and slimmer silhouette, the Bella + Canvas 3001 has a completely different character from the Comfort Colors 1717. Both fall into the premium retail-style T-shirt category, but each has its own distinctive style.
Here’s how they compare in fabric weight and feel, fit and silhouette, printing and embroidery compatibility, color and size selection, and pricing.
At a Glance
| Comfort Colors 1717 | Bella + Canvas 3001 | |
| Fabric Weight | Heavyweight, 6.1 oz. | Lightweight, 4.2 oz. |
| Construction | 100% ring-spun cotton | 100% Airlume combed ring-spun cotton |
| Dye Process | Garment-dyed | Piece-dyed |
| Fit | Boxy, tubular | Semi-fitted |
| Color Options | 67 colors | 44 colors (+73 colors in the 3001CVC selection) |
| Sizes* | Adult S–4XL, Youth YXS–YXL | Adult XS–3XL/4XL, Youth YS–YXL |
| Pricing** | $13.70 per shirt | $11.32 per shirt |
*Size availability varies by color
**When ordering 50 shirts with one color screen printed
Brand Comparison
Comfort Colors and Bella + Canvas are both U.S.-based brands that are among the most recognized names in the apparel blanks industry. While they’re both known for producing premium-quality apparel, they appeal to different styles and aesthetics.
Comfort Colors built its reputation around garment-dyed apparel with a soft, lived-in feel. The brand is best known for heavyweight T-shirts with vintage-inspired colors and relaxed fits, making them a popular choice for lifestyle brands, university apparel, and casual everyday wear.
Bella + Canvas focuses on modern retail-inspired basics with an emphasis on a sleek, contemporary fit and a polished, fashion-forward look. Its shirts are known for their lightweight feel, clean silhouettes, and smooth fabric, making them a favorite for fashion brands, promotional apparel, and custom printing.
Garment-Dyed vs. Piece Dyed
The Comfort Colors 1717 is garment-dyed, which means the shirt is dyed after it is constructed. This process gives the shirt the slightly uneven, vintage, sun-faded appearance that Comfort Colors is known for. It also creates subtle variations from one shirt to the next, giving each one a more naturally worn-in look.
By contrast, most T-shirts, including the Bella + Canvas 3001, are piece-dyed. This means they’re sewn from fabric that’s already been dyed, resulting in colors that are even, consistent, and more uniform across the entire garment.
Neither method is inherently better, and your choice ultimately comes down to the style you’re trying to achieve. If you’re after a faded, vintage-inspired look, a garment-dyed shirt is exactly what you’re looking for. If you prefer clean, even colors that match your brand or team, piece-dyed shirts offer that consistency.
Fabric Weight, Composition, and Feel
Fabric Weight
The most noticeable difference between the two shirts is the fabric weight. The Comfort Colors 1717 is made from 6.1 oz. cotton and has a substantial, heavyweight feel. This makes the shirt extremely durable, resistant to stretching and wrinkling, fully opaque, and great to wear on its own, even in cooler weather.
The Bella + Canvas 3001, on the other hand, is noticeably lighter at 4.2 oz., making it much more breathable for warm weather while still being easy to layer on cooler days. The lighter fabric also creates a flattering drape, although it can be slightly sheer when worn over a dark bra or graphic undershirt.
Composition and Feel
Both the Comfort Colors 1717 and the Bella + Canvas 3001 are made from 100% ring-spun cotton, giving them a softer feel than shirts made from standard open-end cotton. While both are known for their exceptional softness, each achieves it in a different way.
Bella + Canvas uses its signature Airlume combed ring-spun cotton. During processing, shorter cotton fibers and impurities are removed, resulting in an ultra-soft, smooth fabric that’s ideal for retail-style apparel and detailed printing.
The Comfort Colors 1717 uses regular ring-spun cotton, which is still considered a premium option over standard cotton. The shirt develops its signature feel through the pigment-dyeing and washing process, giving it a soft, broken-in touch.
In the end, both shirts are exceptionally comfortable, but they offer different types of softness. The Bella + Canvas 3001 has a smooth, lightweight feel, while the Comfort Colors 1717 feels thicker, more substantial, and broken in from the first wear.
Fit and Silhouette
The Comfort Colors 1717 has a boxy, oversized silhouette, with roomy sleeves inspired by streetwear styles. It’s made with a tubular construction, which means the body is knit as a tube instead of using side seams that taper toward the waist, giving the shirt its signature straight silhouette.
Although the 1717 is known for its oversized look, some customers find that it runs slightly smaller than expected compared to other oversized tees, with a noticeably shorter body. If you’re after the signature oversized fit, we recommend sizing up by one.
The Bella + Canvas 3001 is designed with a very different fit in mind. It has a semi-fitted cut, with side seams that create a slight taper through the waist for a sleek, modern silhouette. The sleeves also fit closer to the arms than those of the 1717, creating a more tailored overall look.
The body is slightly longer, which may be a plus or minus depending on your preference. Overall, the 3001 fits true to size.
Print and Embroidery Compatibility
Screen Printing
The 100% cotton fabric on both tees provides an excellent surface for screen printing. The Comfort Colors 1717 offers a sturdy heavyweight base, while the smooth Airlume cotton of the Bella + Canvas 3001 excels at reproducing crisp lines and fine details.
Direct-to-Garment
When it comes to direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, the Comfort Colors 1717 isn’t the ideal choice because of its garment-dyed process, which can affect how the pretreatment and inks interact with the fabric and make it more difficult to achieve consistent, accurate results.
The Bella + Canvas 3001, on the other hand, is one of the most popular blanks for DTG printing. Its smooth, piece-dyed fabric provides a consistent printing surface, allowing vibrant colors and fine details to reproduce more accurately. If DTG is your printing method of choice, the Bella + Canvas 3001 is the stronger option between the two.
Embroidery
Both shirts can be embroidered, but the Comfort Colors 1717 has the advantage thanks to its heavyweight fabric. The thicker material provides better support for the stitches, helping designs sit flatter and reducing the chance of puckering.
The Bella + Canvas 3001 can also be embroidered, but because the fabric is lighter, it’s generally better suited to smaller, simpler designs. Large or densely stitched embroidery designs may cause the fabric to pucker or lose some of its natural drape.
Color and Size Availability
Colors
Both shirts come in a wide range of colors, making it easy to find one that fits your project.
The Comfort Colors 1717 has the larger selection of the two, with 67 colors that range from muted earth tones and soft pastels to bright, saturated colors and even neon shades. The 1717 is especially strong when it comes to earthy colors, with a variety of greens, oranges, browns, and grays that pair well with its vintage look.
The Bella + Canvas 3001 comes in a solid selection of 44 colors, including all the basics, a handful of earthy tones, and a good mix of vibrant colors and pastel options. While it doesn’t offer quite as many earthy shades as the 1717, there’s still plenty of variety for most projects.
If you’re looking for even more color choices, the Bella + Canvas 3001CVC is available in 73 colors, including additional heather and neon shades. It’s the same shirt but made with a cotton/poly blend instead of 100% cotton.
Sizes
The Comfort Colors 1717 is available in Adult S through 4XL and, in select colors, Youth YXS through YXL. Size availability varies by color, so be sure to check our website or contact us directly to confirm that the sizes you need are available.
The Bella + Canvas 3001 comes in Adult XS through 3XL, with select colors also available in 4XL. Youth YS through YXL are available in select colors.
Price
For an order of 50 shirts with a one-color screen print, the Comfort Colors 1717 comes out to $13.70 per shirt, compared to $11.32 for the Bella + Canvas 3001. Although the difference may not seem like much on a per-shirt basis, it can add up quickly when you’re ordering for a larger group. So if price is one of your main considerations and you’re ordering in larger quantities, it may be worth leaning toward the Bella + Canvas 3001.
You can get a per-shirt quote for your exact order quantity using our QuickPrice tool on the product page.
Which One Should You Choose?
The Comfort Colors 1717 and Bella + Canvas 3001 are both premium-quality blanks, but they’re designed with different priorities in mind.
Choose the Comfort Colors 1717 if:
- You’re looking for a heavyweight T-shirt with a substantial feel.
- You prefer a boxy, oversized silhouette.
- Your project calls for a vintage, garment-dyed look with softly faded colors.
- Embroidery is your decoration method of choice.
- You want a T-shirt that works well as a standalone piece.
Choose the Bella + Canvas 3001 if:
- You prefer a lightweight T-shirt with an ultra-soft feel.
- You’re after a sleek, modern fit.
- DTG printing is your preferred method.
- You want a wider selection of bright, clean colors.
- Keeping costs down is a priority, especially for larger orders.
Still not sure which one is right for your project? Feel free to contact us. We’re happy to help you choose the best blank based on your design, printing method, and budget.