Linen glossary

Calendering

Calendering is the industrial pressing of flat linen: sheets, covers and pillowcases pass between the heated cylinders of a calender (roller ironer), which dries, smooths and polishes the fabric in a single pass. It is what gives hotel sheets their impeccably taut, faintly satiny look.

Calendering is demanding on textiles: high heat, mechanical pull, speed. Two practical consequences — hems must be solidly stitched (a calender "eats" weak finishes), and fabrics with a high share of poorly heat-set polyester can glaze or pill. Our hotel polycotton is specified for the calender; if you outsource to a laundry, it is a criterion to check on any linen you buy.