Printed Mesh Tops and Dresses: How a Mesh Garment Is Made

Short answer: a printed mesh garment starts as printed fabric. We print your design on the mesh first, partner workshops cut and sew it, and you approve a production sample before the run. At Jersey Print Factory this starts at 50 pieces per style, and we quote each project separately.

What people make from printed mesh

• Long-sleeve mesh tops — the layering piece, worn over a bra top or under a dress.
• Mesh T-shirts — short-sleeve or sleeveless, light enough for summer.
• Mesh dresses — unlined for a sheer look, or over a slip, a bodysuit or a matching lining.
• Sets — a mesh top and a skirt or dress in the same print.

Step 1: choose the mesh

A 100% polyester mesh has a soft, natural give and suits relaxed tops and overlays. A stretch mesh with elastane suits fitted, body-skimming shapes. Both are printed by sublimation, so the colour goes into the fibre and the fabric stays soft and see-through.

Step 2: lined or unlined

Decide early, because it changes the pattern and the price. Unlined mesh is the most transparent and the lightest. A lining — a plain knit lining, a stretch jersey, or a lycra underlayer that turns the piece into a bodysuit — makes the garment wearable on its own and changes how the print reads, because the colour of the layer underneath shows through the mesh.

Step 3: seams that do not show

On a transparent fabric every seam allowance is visible. Mesh garments are usually sewn with narrow, flat, soft seams and finished edges rather than bulky folded hems, so the inside looks as clean as the outside.

Step 4: placing the print

The print is laid out on the pattern pieces before cutting. An all-over repeat is the simplest; a placement print — one large motif centred on the front, or a design that runs across the sleeves — needs the pattern pieces and the sizes so each panel is positioned correctly.

Step 5: sample, then the run

We sew a production sample for your approval. Changes happen at this stage, not after. Once you approve it, the mesh is printed, every metre is inspected before cutting, and the finished garments are checked, packed and shipped.

What we need from you for a quote

• The garment type and a photo, sketch or tech pack
• Sizes and the split between them, and the total quantity
• Your print file, or a description of it
• Lined or unlined, and your deadline if you have one

Send them through the form on our printed mesh page — you can attach files there — or read more on mesh tops and dresses manufacturing. We usually reply within one working day.