Comfort Colors 1566 is the premium pick: a garment-dyed crewneck with the washed, lived-in colour that suits vintage-style designs and higher-priced listings. Gildan 18000 is the dependable basic: a 50/50 cotton and polyester sweatshirt with a classic fit, steady colours and a lower blank cost, which makes it the safer default for everyday designs and price-conscious gift buyers.
This comparison is for sellers adding crewnecks to a shop for the colder months, or deciding whether one blank can carry every design. The two look alike in a search thumbnail and feel very different in the hand, so the blank you choose shapes your price, your photos and the reviews you collect.
Weight and fabric
Gildan's European spec sheet lists the 18000 as "50% U.S. Cotton, 50% Polyester, 280 G/SqM (White 270 G/SqM)", with a 24/1 yarn count and a classic fit. That even cotton and polyester mix is the classic basic sweatshirt fabric. If you quote a weight in ounces for US buyers, take it from your provider's current US sheet rather than converting or guessing. Our Gildan 18000 guide for Etsy sellers covers this blank on its own.
For the 1566, read the current spec sheet from your provider before you write a weight or fibre mix into a listing. Buyers comparing sweatshirts do read those numbers, and a figure copied from an old listing or another shop is how fabric claims end up wrong. Since March 2026, Etsy has removed the Materials tag field, so fibre content now lives only in the materials attribute, and it should match the blank you actually ship.
Look and colour
Garment dyeing means the sweatshirt is dyed after it is sewn, which gives Comfort Colors its soft, faded and slightly uneven colour. That is the appeal, and it comes with a caveat the brand prints on its own sheets. The spec sheet for its garment-dyed 1717 tee says "Please allow for slight color variation in production and washing," and adds that "Special consideration must also be taken when printing white ink on garment-dyed cotton." The 1566 is dyed the same way, so expect the same: two orders in the same colour may not match exactly.
The Gildan 18000 has the classic sweatshirt look: it is not garment-dyed, so its colours are more even from one order to the next, and it comes in a wide spread of solid and heather shades. Bright multicolour artwork, team and family designs, and anything that has to match across a group order all sit comfortably on it.
As a rule of thumb, muted palettes, retro type and minimal line art suit the washed look of the 1566, while designs that depend on exact colour belong on the 18000. Our article on why the Comfort Colors 1717 is popular for print on demand explains the appeal of the garment-dyed look in more detail.
Fit and sizing
Gildan's sheet gives the 18000 a classic fit. Comfort Colors describes its garment-dyed 1717 tee as "Relaxed fit", but do not assume the 1566 sizes like the 18000 or like the tee: check its own measurements.
Build each size chart from the measurements your provider publishes for that blank, not from a generic chart, and say plainly in the description that the sweatshirt is unisex if it is. A buyer who orders their usual size and gets a different fit leaves the kind of review that drags on every later listing. Our guide on building a size chart for Etsy apparel listings shows a layout that answers most fit questions before anyone asks.
Price point and margin
The Gildan 18000 is listed from $10.90 in the Alomations catalog (read October 17, 2026). Comfort Colors blanks generally sit at a higher price point than Gildan basics, so check the 1566's current from-price on the same page before you set a listing price. Shipping is quoted separately for both.
A higher blank cost needs a higher retail price, and the garment-dyed look only earns that price when your photos show it. Etsy's 6.5% transaction fee applies to the whole order, including the shipping you charge, so it grows with your price. Run the numbers with our guide to pricing print on demand products on Etsy before you decide.
| Comfort Colors 1566 | Gildan 18000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dye process | Garment-dyed after sewing | Not garment-dyed |
| Fabric | See your provider's current spec sheet | 50% cotton, 50% polyester |
| Weight | See your provider's current spec sheet | 280 g/m², white 270 g/m² (Gildan Europe sheet) |
| Fit | Check the 1566 size chart | Classic fit |
| Colour | Washed and faded, slight variation between orders | More even between orders |
| Blank cost | Usually higher, check the catalog | From $10.90 in the Alomations catalog |
| Best for | Vintage, muted and minimal designs at a higher price | Everyday designs, group orders, budget gifts |
Listing one, the other, or both
For a new shop, the 18000 is the easier start: a lower cost, consistent colours and a fit most buyers already know. Add the 1566 once you have designs that suit the washed look and photos that show it off.
Offering both works best as separate listings, because each blank has its own colour names, size chart and price. If you do combine them, Etsy now allows up to three variation types, such as style, size and colour, and price can vary by option. Either way, order a sample of each first: our checklist for ordering samples of your own products covers what to look at, from print colour to fit.
Both blanks in Alomations
The Comfort Colors 1566 and the Gildan 18000 are both in the Alomations catalog, alongside the Comfort Colors 1717, the Gildan 18500 hoodie and Bella+Canvas tees. Apparel is printed with DTF, and production for US orders is in the US. You build a template once with the product, sizes, colours and materials, and every listing made from it carries fabric claims that match the template's materials, with Etsy's listing attributes filled from the product.
Each design also comes back in light and dark versions, and tone rules per garment colour decide which version each sweatshirt colour gets. That matters on a muted garment-dyed palette, where some shades sit between light and dark, and you can override the choice for any colour.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Comfort Colors colours vary between orders?
Because the garments are dyed after sewing. Comfort Colors' own sheet for its garment-dyed tee asks buyers to allow for slight colour variation in production and washing, and the same process is used for its garment-dyed sweatshirts.
Does DTF print well on both sweatshirts?
DTF can print on cotton, polyester and blends, so both blanks take it. Comfort Colors notes that white ink on garment-dyed cotton needs special consideration, so check a sample of any white design on the 1566.
Which one should a new Etsy shop start with?
The Gildan 18000, for its lower blank cost and consistent colours. Add the 1566 once you have designs and photos that make the most of its washed look.
Can I put both blanks in one listing?
You can, with a style variation and a price set per option. Separate listings are usually clearer, since the two blanks have different colour names and size charts.
To list either sweatshirt with mockups, tags and prices already in place, try the Alomations free plan.