Fleece

Fleece gets its warmth from a mechanical brushing process that pulls the interior knit loops into a soft, raised nap, trapping air against the body the way a raw knit never could. Hoodie-weight material typically runs 7-10 oz, with heavier sherpa and polar variants pushing past 12 oz for outerwear-style pieces, and the brushing can be done on one side or both, the difference between a basic sweatshirt blank and a heavier brushed or polar version.

We've reprinted entire fleece runs because a shop ran hoodie flash and cure settings meant for a 5.3 oz jersey tee — the ink sat on top of the nap instead of bonding into it, and it cracked at the first wash. Loft is a blessing for warmth and a liability on press if nobody adjusts for it.

Printers spec a heavier ink deposit and longer dwell time to push plastisol past the nap into the base knit, and most add an extra flash stage on deep colors. Embroiderers back it with cutaway stabilizer rather than tearaway, since the open knit underneath won't hold stitch tension on its own.

Buyers who ask for tight, DTG-level photographic detail on fleece are usually disappointed — the napped surface absorbs and diffuses fine detail no matter what process lays it down, and a bold, simplified design will always outperform a busy one on this fabric.