Since 2012, The Textile District has combined artist-designed fabric with digital textile printing to give customers more choice in both the artwork they use and the fabric they use it on.
Our business is built around a simple idea: a printed design should not force you to compromise on the textile underneath it. The right fabric matters just as much as the artwork, whether the finished project is a dress, quilt, upholstered chair, window treatment, table linen, accessory or product line.
That philosophy shapes both sides of The Textile District—our artist-designed fabric catalog and our custom fabric printing service.
A Different Way to Buy Printed Fabric
Traditional fabric shopping often starts with a finished bolt: the print, color and substrate have already been decided. If you love the artwork but need a different weight, hand, drape or performance, your choices can be limited.
At The Textile District, the design and the base textile are separate choices. Customers shopping our artist-designed catalog can select a design and colorway, then choose from the available base fabrics to better suit the project.
Customers printing their own artwork have access to the same broad textile selection.
This creates more flexibility to choose fabric based on how the finished piece needs to look, feel and perform—not simply on which substrate happened to be stocked with the design.
How Print-on-Demand Changed Fabric
Digital textile printing changed the fabric industry by making it practical to print designs in smaller quantities without the setup requirements of traditional screen or rotary printing. Print-on-demand opened the door to more designs, more colorways and more flexible ordering for both artists and customers.
That flexibility was important, but we believed the fabric itself deserved just as much attention as the artwork printed on it.
The Textile District developed around a broader approach: offer quality base textiles, help customers choose the right fabric for the end use, use printing and finishing processes appropriate to the fiber, and support projects beyond the initial print.
For us, print-on-demand has never meant treating every textile the same.
Why the Base Fabric Matters
The same artwork can produce a very different finished result depending on the textile underneath it.
A lightweight cotton lawn behaves differently from a structured cotton twill. Linen brings its own texture and character. Upholstery fabrics need body and durability, while activewear requires stretch and recovery.
That is why fabric selection is an important part of our model. We offer 15+ quality base textiles across cotton, linen, cotton-linen blends and specialty polyester options so customers can choose the substrate that makes sense for the project.
Printed to Order, Not Built Around Seasonal Sell-Through
Our artist-designed catalog is built around print-to-order production rather than conventional seasonal inventory.
That matters because fabric is often part of a larger story. A customer may want to return to a favorite print for another room, add coordinating pieces later, replace a cushion or reorder fabric for a continuing project.
Developing collections with long-term availability in mind gives customers more flexibility to return to favorite designs and colorways instead of relying entirely on what happens to be in stock during a particular season.
Individual designs and collections can change over time, but the underlying goal is continuity rather than short-term inventory turnover.
Artist-Designed Fabric & Custom Printing
The two sides of The Textile District serve different creative needs but share the same production foundation.
Our artist-designed catalog gives customers access to original work from independent artists and surface pattern designers without requiring them to create the artwork themselves.
Our custom printing service is for customers who already have their own artwork and want to turn it into finished fabric by the yard.
Both approaches allow the customer to think beyond the print itself and choose the textile that best supports the finished project.
Why Fiber-Reactive Printing Matters on Natural Fibers
For cotton, linen and cotton-linen blends, we print with OEKO-TEX® certified fiber-reactive dyes. These dyes bond with the fibers rather than sitting primarily on the surface of the fabric.
After printing, the fabric is steamed, washed and dried as part of the finishing process. The result is rich color, a soft textile hand and dependable wash-and-wear performance, with no pre-washing required before sewing.
Our polyester and specialty synthetic fabrics are printed using processes appropriate to those fibers and their intended performance.
The printing method, finishing process and base fabric all contribute to the quality of the finished textile. That is why we do not approach every substrate as though it should be printed or finished the same way.
Digital Printing with a Human Touch
Digital textile printing makes it possible to work with more designs, colorways and quantities than traditional large-run printing methods typically allow. But we do not believe digital production should mean removing people from the process.
For custom printing, new files are reviewed by a member of The Textile District team before production. If we see a common file or setup issue that may affect the printed result, we contact the customer before the file moves forward.
We do not resize, recolor or otherwise alter customer artwork.
Customers can compare fabrics before ordering, use printed color references when planning a custom project and begin with a one-yard production-quality proof when color, scale or the finished appearance needs to be evaluated on the actual fabric.
Explore Custom Printing Resources
From One Project to Ongoing Production
Some customers come to us for a single meaningful project. Others are developing interiors, product collections, custom apparel or ongoing production needs.
Digital printing allows us to support both. Custom printing starts at 1 yard, while qualifying larger orders can benefit from volume pricing.
Multiple designs and colorways can also be combined toward volume thresholds when they are printed on the same eligible base textile. When a project allows, consolidating designs on one substrate can make larger-order pricing more efficient.
Approved custom print files are retained for easier future reordering, and larger production or fulfillment needs can be discussed with our team.
View Fabric Pricing & Volume Discounts
See How Our Fabric Moves Through Production
Take a quick look behind the scenes at The Textile District’s printing and finishing process.