Mesh
Fabric — one of 56 in the glossary
A knit or woven fabric with deliberate open spaces between the yarns, used where airflow matters more than coverage — athletic jerseys, cap panels, shorts linings and the back of performance polos. Hole size ranges from a fine micro-mesh to the wide holes of a basketball jersey. Printing directly on mesh is difficult because ink pushes through the openings onto the platen and the design breaks up over the holes; heat transfer vinyl, sublimation and tackle twill are the usual alternatives. Note that mesh in blanks is almost always polyester, with all the dye-migration caveats that brings.
Openings on purpose
Mesh is knitted or woven with deliberate gaps between the yarns. The gaps are the product: they let air and moisture through where coverage matters less than ventilation.
Hole size covers an enormous range. A fine micro-mesh used in a performance polo's back panel is almost solid to the eye; a basketball jersey's mesh has holes you can put a finger through.
In blanks it is almost always polyester, which brings the usual dye-migration and heat caveats.
Where it turns up
Athletic jerseys, the back panels of performance polos, cap panels, shorts linings and the vented sections of outerwear.
On a cap, mesh back panels are what distinguish a trucker from a full-fabric cap.
As a lining it does a second job: it stops a shell sticking to the skin, which matters more than the airflow in many garments.
Why it is hard to print
Ink pushes through the openings onto the platen, which contaminates the next garment and leaves the print uneven.
The design breaks up across the holes, so anything with fine detail disintegrates.
Heat transfer vinyl, sublimation and tackle twill are the normal alternatives, and numbers on sports jerseys are almost always twill or vinyl for exactly this reason.
Common questions
- What is mesh fabric?
- A knit or woven fabric with deliberate open spaces between the yarns, used where airflow matters more than coverage — jerseys, cap panels, linings and vented outerwear.
- Can you screen print on mesh?
- Badly. Ink pushes through the holes onto the platen and the design breaks up across the openings. Vinyl, sublimation and tackle twill are the usual alternatives.
- Is mesh always polyester?
- In blanks, almost always — which means the usual polyester cautions apply: dye migration under heat, scorching, and no water-based ink.
See also
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