Jersey Knit
Fabric — one of 56 in the glossary
The single-knit construction behind almost every t-shirt: one set of needles interloops the yarn into a fabric with a flat, smooth face and a looped, slightly textured back. It is light, stretchy across the body and cheap to knit, which is why it became the default. The flat face is the best print surface in the catalogue — ink lies on top without sinking into a texture, so edges stay crisp. Its one quirk is that a single knit curls at a raw edge, which is why jersey garments are hemmed and their collars are ribbed rather than cut.
One needle bed, two faces
Jersey is a single knit: one set of needles interloops the yarn into a fabric with a flat, smooth face and a looped, slightly textured back.
It is fast to knit and uses less yarn than a double knit of the same weight, which is why it is cheap and why it became the default.
It stretches mostly across the body rather than along it, because the loops can widen more easily than they can lengthen.
The curl, and what it forces
The two faces are under different tension, so a raw jersey edge rolls towards the back at the top and bottom hems and towards the face at the sides.
That is why a jersey garment is hemmed and why its collar is a separate ribbed piece rather than a cut edge. The construction exists to deal with the curl.
It is also why raw-edge styles look the way they do: the roll is not a fault, it is what the fabric does when you stop finishing it.
The best print surface there is
The flat face means ink lies on top rather than sinking into texture, so edges stay crisp and fine detail survives. Nothing in a blanks catalogue prints better.
The quality of that face depends on the yarn underneath it. Combed ring spun jersey is smoother than open-end carded jersey of the same weight, and fine halftones will show the difference.
It moves under the squeegee more than an interlock does, so very large solid areas need a careful hand.
Common questions
- What is jersey knit?
- A single knit made on one needle bed, with a flat smooth face and a looped back. It is the construction behind almost every t-shirt.
- Why does jersey curl at the edges?
- Because its two faces are under different tension. The fabric rolls towards the back at top and bottom hems and towards the face at the sides, which is why jersey garments are hemmed and collared.
- Is jersey good for printing?
- It is the best surface in a blanks catalogue. The flat face lets ink sit on top rather than sinking into texture, so edges stay crisp.
- What is the difference between jersey and interlock?
- Jersey is a single knit with one smooth face and one looped one, and it curls. Interlock is a double knit with two smooth faces that does not curl and is heavier and more stable.
Where this comes up
Last reviewed