2025 Fabric Power Ranking: Which Materials Print Best, and Which Fail Miserably?

Choosing the right material can make or break any custom fabric printing project. As digital textile printing, patterned fabric design, and online fabric printing continue to boom in 2025, the differences between stretch cotton jersey fabric, cotton polyester spandex fabric, and jersey lycra fabric have become more important than ever. Today, we break down which fabrics print beautifully—and which ones fail the test—based on real production performance at Facto Textile, a leading fabric printing company serving global brands.

Top Performers: Fabrics That Print Exceptionally Well

1. Cotton Lycra Fabric (Best Overall for Custom Printing)

Cotton lycra fabric remains the most requested material in 2025, particularly for customers seeking custom printing on fabric, print custom fabric, or custom printed cotton fabric. It delivers excellent color absorption, soft handfeel, and strong elasticity—ideal for cotton lycra dresses, children's wear, leggings, and printed cotton sheets.

It also supports accurate details for small print fabric, floral print material, and modern fabric prints. Whether customers want to design your own fabric, print your own fabric, or explore patterned cotton fabric, cotton lycra fabric consistently ranks at the top.

2. Cotton Spandex Jersey Fabric (Best for Apparel Brands)

If your project involves T-shirts, kids’ clothing, or jersey cotton lycra, cotton spandex jersey fabric provides brilliant color saturation and excellent recovery. It is one of the top choices for digital printing on fabric, fabric digital printing, and fabric print design.

This fabric also performs well for custom textile printing and printed cloth fabric, making it highly reliable for commercial apparel lines.

3. Polyester Spandex & Performance Fabrics (Best for Active & Swimwear)

For activewear brands seeking durability, cotton polyester spandex fabric, swim knit fabric, and stretch knit fabric are strong performers. These fabrics are popular among customers who need get fabric printed for sportswear or swim lines.

They resist fading, stretch comfortably, and work well with digital fabric printing and digital print fabric, though they require specialized inks.

Average Performers: Fabrics That Need Careful Handling

1. Jersey Fabric & Jersey Knit Fabric

Jersey fabrics—including jersey spandex fabric and lycra jersey fabric—print fairly well but require strict tension control to avoid distortion during production. They are widely used for printed cloth, printed textile fabric, and printed fabric online, but they may not achieve the same crisp detail as cotton-rich fabrics.

2. Cotton Modal Spandex Fabric

A favorite for premium loungewear, cotton modal spandex fabric produces soft, luxurious prints, though slightly muted. It remains a reliable choice for customers who prefer comfort-oriented materials.

Worst Performers: Fabrics That Often Fail in Printing

1. Highly Textured or Loose Knit Fabrics

Materials such as knit stretch fabric or loose fabrics intended for heavy drape often struggle with detailed graphics. They distort easily and absorb ink unevenly.

2. Low-quality Wholesale Fabric

Generic wholesale fabric or untested blends often deliver unpredictable printing outcomes. These materials may cause bleeding, poor colorfastness, or inconsistent results.

This is why at Facto Textile, we recommend customers inspect printable fabric samples before placing bulk orders—and why we do not rely on low-grade cheap fabric even if pricing seems attractive.

How Facto Textile Ensures High-Quality Results

At Facto Textile, we use professional digital fabric printers, printer for fabric, and both reactive and disperse technology to ensure your custom printed material comes out vibrant and durable.

Whether you are printing cotton lycra fabric by the yard, creating your own fabric pattern, or exploring custom scarf printing, our controlled workflow helps eliminate issues that other suppliers often fail to manage.

We assist customers who want to:

• create your own fabric

• design my own fabric

• print to fabric

• print own fabric

We support all types of projects—from cotton lycra knit fabric to cotton with spandex fabric, patterned fabric, and cotton and lycra fabric.

2025 Recommendation Summary

If your goal is the best balance of print clarity, stretch performance, and durability, our top recommendation remains:

Best Overall: Stretch Cotton Jersey Fabric

Perfect for apparel, costumes, kidswear, and everyday garments.

Best for Swim/Active Lines: Polyester Spandex & Swim Knit Fabric

Excellent for color vibrancy and elasticity.

Best for Home Textiles: Printed Cotton Fabric

Reliable, soft, and universally versatile.