Two fabrics cover almost every dakimakura cover sold. Most comparisons stop at which one looks better in a product photo, which is the least useful question. Here is what each is like to actually own.
Peach skin
Matte, soft, very slightly brushed, a little like fine suede. The name comes from the surface texture rather than the colour.
How it prints
Colours come out accurate but a touch quieter than on a screen. There is no added sheen, so a painterly piece or a photograph looks like itself rather than like a poster. Very deep blacks read slightly lifted.
How it wears
This is where it earns its place. It breathes, so a face against it on a warm night does not get clammy. Small marks do not show. It survives being sat on, dragged around and washed without special handling.
2 way tricot
Smooth, cool to the touch, slightly glossy, and stretchy in both directions, which is where the name comes from.
How it prints
The tighter surface holds fine line work and pushes saturated colours further. Flat cel shaded illustration gains the most, which is why most character art is printed on it. Deep blacks stay dense, and the contrast against pale skin tones holds.
How it wears
It marks more readily than peach skin and needs a laundry bag in the machine. The stretch that makes it look good also lets it distort, and pulled tight over a firm insert the print shifts slightly. On a full body character that shift lands across the middle of the design.
Side by side
| Peach skin | 2 way tricot | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Soft, matte, suede like | Smooth, cool, slightly glossy |
| Colour | Accurate, slightly muted | Brighter, more saturated |
| Fine line work | Good | Crisper |
| Stretch | Very little | Both directions |
| Marks | Hides them | Shows them |
| Washing | Straight in, cold and gentle | Cold and gentle, in a laundry bag |
So which one
Match the fabric to the artwork first and to your habits second.
- Anime, cel shaded or bold flat colour: 2 way tricot.
- Painterly work, soft gradients or photographs: peach skin, which does not add gloss to something that was never meant to have any.
- Sleeping against it every night: peach skin, because comfort and forgiveness beat saturation over a year.
- Mostly on display: tricot, because that is where the extra colour earns its money.
- Selling to other people and unsure: peach skin. It disappoints nobody.
What both share
Both are fully opaque, so a white insert never shows through a dark design. Both close with a hidden zip along one long edge. Both are double stitched at the seams, and both wash cold on a gentle cycle.
Where to go next
- Dakimakura covers, and how to measure an insert before ordering one.
- Anime body pillows, for art guidance at full length.
- Custom dakimakura printing, for file resolution and colour.