Anime Pillow Buying Guide: How to Make a Custom Body Pillow

If you have searched for an anime pillow and ended up staring at a hundred listings that all look the same, this guide is for you. A custom body pillow lets you skip the premade designs entirely and print the art you actually want, at the size you want, on the fabric that feels right. Here is what I tell people when they ask how it works.

What a custom anime pillow actually is

A dakimakura is a long body pillow, usually with a printed cover and an inner cushion. The term comes from Japanese fans, and a lot of our customers already know it. The difference with a custom dakimakura is simple: you upload your own art instead of choosing from a catalog. That means fan art you commissioned, your own illustration, or a favorite character design you have the rights to use.

Picking a size

Sizes run from 34x100 cm up to 60x180 cm. A few things to keep in mind:

• 34x100 cm is compact, good for a small bed or as a desk companion.
• 50x150 cm and 50x160 cm are the most common full-size picks, close to standard dakimakura dimensions.
• 60x180 cm is the largest, roughly the height of a person, and makes a single character fill the whole cover.

Bigger covers need higher-resolution art to stay crisp, so match your image to the size you want before you order.

Peachskin or 2way

We print on two fabrics, and the choice comes down to feel:

• Peachskin has a soft, matte surface with a light brushed texture. Colors stay bold and it is the budget-friendly option.
• 2way is smoother and stretchier, with a slight sheen. It hugs the pillow shape a little better and holds fine detail well.

If you are unsure, peachskin is a safe first pick. 2way is the upgrade a lot of collectors prefer once they know they like the format.

Prepping your art

The single biggest factor in a good result is your file. Upload the highest-resolution version you have, in full color, sized to the cover you chose. Leave a little margin around the edges so nothing important sits right on the seam. If your art was drawn at print resolution, it will look sharp at full size. If it was a small web image, it may look soft when stretched across 150 cm or more.

What you control

Every order is yours start to finish. You pick the art, the size, and the fabric, and we print and ship it. There is no stock design and no template you have to work around. That is the whole point of going custom instead of buying another identical anime pillow off a shelf.

When you are ready, upload your art and see it on a real cover in our customizer at customdakimakura.net.