The Best Styles & Fabrics to Use For Screen Printing Wholesale Sweatshirts

Screen printing has become a go-to method for small business owners and wholesale boutique operators. This technique allows you to transfer an image onto a surface—like a sweatshirt—by pushing ink through a fine mesh screen. It’s particularly valuable in the wholesale clothing world because it lets you create customized designs without having to stockpile a lot of niche inventory. If a customer requests something specific, you can easily accommodate them without the risk of leftover stock.

If you’re specializing in wholesale sweatshirts, you’re in luck—sweatshirts are one of the easiest items to screen print. But before you load up on blank sweatshirts for your shop, it’s important to choose the right fabrics and styles. Not all materials work equally well for screen printing. And while cost is always a consideration, choosing the cheapest fabric could lead to disappointing results.

The Best Fabric for Screen Printing: Cotton

When it comes to screen printing, 100% cotton—and cotton blends—are hands down the best options. Cotton’s natural fibers absorb ink exceptionally well, resulting in sharp, vibrant images that look clean and professional. In contrast, synthetic fabrics often repel the ink, causing it to bleed and blur. And let’s face it—no one wants a sweatshirt with a smudgy or faded design.

Cotton is also durable, meaning your prints will hold up through repeated washes and wears. We’ve all been there: you buy a sweatshirt with a cool design, and after a few washes, the image starts cracking or peeling. With cotton, that’s far less likely to happen.

Cotton-Polyester Blends: The Best of Both Worlds

If you want to offer a wider range of styles, consider cotton-polyester blends. While cotton is breathable and easy to print on, it can shrink. Polyester, on the other hand, brings flexibility and shape retention to the mix. A cotton-poly blend lets you offer stylish, fashion-forward sweatshirts without sacrificing print quality. You’ll still benefit from the cotton fibres that absorb ink beautifully, while the polyester adds durability and helps the garment keep its shape over time.

Fabrics to Avoid

While cotton and cotton blends are your best bets, some fabrics are much harder to work with. Steer clear of materials like fleece, corduroy, burlap, and nylon. These fabrics either have too much texture or too little absorbency, making it difficult for the ink to transfer cleanly. The result? Distorted images, inconsistent prints, and an overall lower-quality product.

For example:

• Fleece, corduroy, and burlap: Too textured, causing uneven ink application and blurry prints.

• Nylon: Too smooth and non-absorbent, resulting in faded or incomplete images.

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking to create high-quality, customized wholesale sweatshirts, you can’t go wrong with 100% cotton or cotton-polyester blends. These fabrics provide the ideal surface for clear, durable screen prints. There’s a reason cotton is often called “the fabric of our lives”—it’s reliable, versatile, and consistently delivers great results.