Most print-on-demand comparisons pit two nearly identical fitted tees against each other. This one isn't that. The AS Colour 5001 and the Bella Canvas 3001 are genuinely different garments, and which one you should sell depends less on quality and more on what kind of shirt you're trying to put on someone's back.
We make mockup software, not shirts, so we have nothing to sell you here either way.
The short answer
The AS Colour 5001 is a heavier, boxier 5.3 oz tee. The Bella Canvas 3001 is a lighter, slimmer-fitting 4.2 oz tee. They are not two versions of the same shirt, they're two different silhouettes aimed at different customers.
For most print-on-demand sellers, choose the Bella Canvas 3001 for lower cost, near-universal stock across every provider, and a fitted cut your buyers already expect from a graphic tee. Choose the AS Colour 5001 instead when you want a heavier, boxier tee with a streetwear feel that stands apart from the fitted-tee crowd, and you're comfortable with a smaller color and provider selection.
Specs, side by side
| AS Colour 5001 | Bella Canvas 3001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 5.3 oz/yd2 (approx. 180 GSM) | 4.2 oz/yd2 |
| Fabric | 100% combed cotton | 100% Airlume combed and ringspun cotton |
| Yarn | 28 singles | 32 singles |
| Fit | Regular, boxier | Retail slim fit, side-seamed |
| Collar | Ribbed crew, shoulder taping | Ribbed crew, shoulder taping |
| Label | Tear-away | Tear-away |
| Availability (US POD) | Listed on Printful and Printify, narrower provider and color selection | Stocked by nearly every print-on-demand provider |
| Relative cost | Higher | Lower |
Fabric weight sources on the 5001 aren't fully consistent (some list it as 150 g/m2, others as 180 GSM), but the math on 5.3 oz/yd2 lines up with roughly 180 GSM, and that's the figure most retailers and manufacturers' partners use. If a provider's listing shows something different, trust their page over this table.
Is the AS Colour 5001 good for print on demand?
Yes, with a caveat on reach. The AS Colour 5001 Staple Tee is a legitimate, well-constructed 100% combed cotton tee with a ribbed crew neck, shoulder-to-shoulder taping, double-needle hems, and a tear-away label, the same construction checklist you'd expect from any premium POD blank. The catch isn't quality, it's availability: the 5001 is listed in both Printful's and Printify's catalogs, but the pool of print providers offering it, and the colors each of them stocks, is smaller than what you'll find for the Bella Canvas 3001. Check your specific provider's current color and size lineup before you build listings around it.
Is the Bella Canvas 3001 good for print on demand?
Yes, and it's the default for a reason. The Bella Canvas 3001 is 100% Airlume combed and ringspun cotton at 4.2 oz, spun from 32 singles yarn, with a slim retail fit and a ribbed crew collar. It's stocked by essentially every DTG and screen-print provider in the US, in more colors than almost any competing blank, and it prints cleanly on fine detail and halftones thanks to that finer yarn. The tradeoff for all that ubiquity is that it's the shirt your competitors are also selling.
How do the AS Colour 5001 and Bella Canvas 3001 actually feel different?
The biggest difference isn't softness, it's weight and cut. The AS Colour 5001 is about 25 percent heavier by fabric weight than the Bella Canvas 3001 (5.3 oz versus 4.2 oz), and it's cut in a regular, boxier silhouette rather than a fitted one. Several retailers describe it as running closer to standard men's sizing than Bella's slim fit. Put the two shirts side by side and the 5001 drapes looser, holds its shape more on a hanger, and reads heavier in a flat-lay photo. The 3001 sits closer to the body and feels lighter in hand.
Neither is "better" in an absolute sense. A heavier, boxier tee is the look a lot of streetwear and graphic-merch brands are actually going for. A lighter, fitted tee is what most buyers picture when they think "soft graphic tee." They're different tools.
Yarn fineness matters for print quality, not just feel. Bella's 32 singles is a finer yarn than AS Colour's 28 singles, which generally gives the 3001 a smoother print surface for fine linework and halftones. The 5001's coarser weave isn't a problem for most designs, bold graphics, text, and standard illustration work print fine on it, but if you're running very fine detail, the 3001 has a slight edge.
Which one fits a brand better, boxier or fitted?
That depends entirely on what you're selling. If your audience expects a classic, fitted graphic tee, the fitted retail cut of the Bella Canvas 3001 is the shape they already have in their head, and deviating from it can read as a sizing mistake rather than a style choice. If you're selling into streetwear, skate, or oversized-silhouette trends, the AS Colour 5001's boxier regular fit is closer to what that customer is already wearing, and a fitted tee would actually look out of place in your photos.
This is also a differentiation play, the same one that comes up in every blank comparison on this blog. The Bella Canvas 3001 is on an enormous share of competing POD listings. Putting your design on an AS Colour 5001 instead means a buyer who's bought a lot of graphic tees will notice the shirt is built differently, heavier, boxier, less "generic POD fit", even before they look at the print.
What about color range and sizing?
Bella Canvas wins decisively on color range, and it's not close. The 3001 ships in dozens of solid and heather colors across most providers, while the 5001's color selection through POD platforms is meaningfully narrower, and some colors or sizes may only be available through specific print providers rather than all of them.
Sizing information for the 5001 is inconsistent across retailer listings, some show it topping out at 2XL, others at 3XL, so don't take either number as gospel. Check the actual size chart on your specific provider's product page before you finalize a listing, since the range you see depends on which print provider is fulfilling the order.
The real tradeoff: reach versus distinctiveness
This is the same tradeoff that shows up whenever a print-on-demand seller considers a less common blank, just more pronounced here because the shirts themselves aren't interchangeable.
Choose the Bella Canvas 3001 when:
- You want the lowest-friction option with stock everywhere and no sourcing risk
- Your buyers expect a fitted, lighter tee
- Color variety matters for your listings
- You're optimizing cost per unit
Choose the AS Colour 5001 when:
- You want a heavier, boxier tee that doesn't look like every other POD listing
- Your brand or niche leans streetwear, skate, or oversized
- A narrower color and provider selection is an acceptable tradeoff
- You've confirmed your specific print provider stocks the sizes and colors you need
Show the actual shirt, not a generic tee silhouette
Because these two shirts genuinely fit and drape differently, a generic flat mockup template will hide the exact thing a buyer needs to see: whether a tee sits fitted or boxy on a real body. Drop Studio generates photoreal mockups on the specific blank you sell, in the color you sell it in, so a boxier AS Colour cut actually looks boxier in your listing instead of getting smoothed over by a template built around a fitted tee.
Related reading:
- Bella Canvas 3001 vs. Next Level 3600
- Bella Canvas 3001 vs. Gildan Softstyle 64000
- How to Choose a Print on Demand Shirt Blank
Sources: AS Colour retailer and print provider listings for the 5001 Staple Tee (Printful, Printify, and blank apparel distributors), and the manufacturer spec sheet for the BELLA+CANVAS 3001. Fabric weight and size range for the 5001 varied across sources; always confirm current specs with your specific print provider before listing.