What Is the Best Screen Printing Fabric to Use?

Are you wondering what type of screen printing fabric you can use for custom garments and shirts? This guide will walk you through it.

The global custom T-shirt printing market grew from a worth of $6.63 billion in 2022 to an astonishing $7.21 billion in 2023.



Everyone loves T-shirts. Their versatile styling and array of bright and comfortable selections make them suitable for everyday wear. They are also ideal for use in custom apparel. 

There are many different types of garment printing options available. Each method comes with its unique advantages and attributes. Screen printing is well-suited for several custom apparel uses and designs.

But what is the best screen printing fabric to use? To learn more about the best types of screen printing fabric you can use for garment printing, shirt printing, and other custom apparel, keep reading.

Best Overall Screen Printing Fabric: Cotton

Cotton is, by far, the best screen printing fabric for garment printing. It is the most popular and versatile fabric choice because of its smooth surface, which allows it to hold onto colors much better.

With at least 36% of all consumers expecting some form of personalization on their T-shirts, cotton is the way to go to yield the best results every time.

Cotton fabric also works well with both plastisol and water-based inks. Cotton is widely available in various weaves and weights for even more variety. The smoother your cotton fabric is, the more effective it will be at absorbing and accepting the ink.

However, it is important to note that 100% cotton may shrink after printing, which can alter your screen printing design. To keep this from occurring, pre-shrinking the fabric is recommended beforehand. If you are T-shirt printing, select T-shirts that come in pre-shrunk varieties. 

Linen Fabrics

Linen is not as common of a screen printing fabric traditionally. It has a much looser weave than cotton and can give your screen printing designs an interesting texture or pattern. Linen is a natural fabric with a strong fiber content yet it has exceptional breathability.

If you plan to print on linen fabric, you may need special equipment and inks to ensure that the ink permeates the fabric smoothly.

If you wish to try screen printing on linen, you must always use a piece of test fabric first. Doing this ensures that you understand the eccentricities of this unique fabric before you attempt the full version.

Polyester Fabrics

Polyester is a synthetic fabric with unparalleled durability that is also highly wrinkle-resistant. It also has terrific moisture-wicking capabilities. This is why you'll often see polyester being used frequently for activewear, sports apparel, and other outdoor garments. 

While it is possible to use polyester as a screen printing fabric, polyester fabrics can be a bit difficult to work with. This is because they are much more sensitive to melting at high heat during the ink curing process. Polyester has a melting point of around 295º C or 482º F.

Many water-based inks cure between 300º-320º while plastisol inks cure at 320º for effective ink-to-fabric transfer. Therefore, you will likely need specialty low-temperature curing inks.

Those with a curing temp around 260º are ideal to complete successful screen printing on polyester.

Blended Fabrics

With blended fabrics, you can have the best of both worlds when it comes to screen printing fabrics like a poly-cotton blend. For example, you can have the comfort of cotton with the durability of polyester. While polyester may not always be the best fabric for screen printing on its own, polyester and cotton together offer the best of both worlds for garment printing.

You will still want to favor the highest percentage of cotton possible for screen printing, like an 80/20 or 90/10 cotton poly-blend for the best results. However, thanks to modern advancements with screen printers, it is possible to screen print on 50/50 cotton-poly fabric as well. 

Just like with other screen printing fabric types available, it is best to test garment printing on any blended fabric first. This ensures that you will have the proper levels of ink adhesion and color vibrancy. 

Tri-Blend Fabrics

Tri-blend fabrics, much like the blended fabrics mentioned above, are a combination of fabric types. The main difference is, tri-blends use three different fabric types together instead of two. The most common screen printing fabric combination for tri-blend fabrics is polyester, rayon, and cotton. 

Tri-blend fabric is known for its softness and lightweight nature, which makes it an excellent material for shirt printing. Tri-blend also has a distinct texture because of its many interwoven material threads.

Because of these interwoven material threads, the ink does not permeate completely into all the areas of the fabric. This often results in a faded or vintage appearance. Tri-blend shirts are popular in retail screen printing due to their vintage look and shirt comfort. 

Canvas Fabrics

Canvas is another durable screen printing fabric. It offers many great uses for custom apparel accessories such as backpacks, tote bags, and even shoes. This makes it ideal for promotional and branded merchandise.

Water-based inks on canvas are easily absorbed into the thick fabric, resulting in a slight texture along with a softer print. Plastisol inks don't permeate as deeply into the canvas material. Instead, these inks sit on the fabric's surface, which provides more vibrant colors and sharper outlines.

Pre-treatment on canvas may be necessary to ensure the ink's vibrancy and permeation into the thicker material. When done correctly, screen printing on canvas can provide a long-lasting result. 

Denim Fabrics

Denim, much like canvas, is also a durable screen printing fabric. You'll often see screen printing designs on custom apparel like denim jackets, jeans, purses, and other items. Screen printing on denim gives off a rugged and somewhat vintage aesthetic on more faded washes. 

Denim comes in a variety of different wash colors, weights, and fabric blends. You will need to pre-wash denim fabric before attempting any screen printing.

This is a key step since the inks and treatments used in dying the denim itself can interfere with the ink-curing process. Washing denim also helps soften the material so it's more receptive to the ink transfer.

Trust Your Dynamic Screen Printing Needs to Dynamic Designs Today

Choosing the right screen printing fabric for your custom apparel project is essential. You want to be absolutely sure that your screen printing efforts will yield the absolute best results possible. If you're not sure how to make your printing their most dynamic, trust the experts at Dynamic Designs.

Dynamic Designs, located in Jacksonville, FL, is here to help. We are a custom embroidery, screen printing, and business branding service. Let our expert team help you make the best promotional products and custom apparel for your business. 

Contact us for a free quote on your unique garment printing needs today.