The wrinkle resistance treatment together with plasma pretreatment is especially very important to cotton fabrics because of their high wrinkling tendency. However, the processes improved the wrinkle recovery property of cotton fabrics, but, at the same time, may worsen the fabric handle, which is an important factor when designing the end-uses of fabric because handling of fabric also a critical factor for purchasing decision. The Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics (KES-F) measures the scale of "basic hand'" and "total hand" values determined by the combined results of sensory tests conducted by the instrumental measurements. In the present article, the effects of plasma treatment and catalyzed 1,2,3,4-butanete-tracarboxylic acid (BTCA) treatment on the fabric yellowing are also studied. The results found that the wrinkle-resistant treatment had a negative effect on the tensile properties, shearing properties, bending properties, and surface friction and variation, whereas the compressional properties are improved by the treatment. In addition, the plasma treatment improves the tensile properties and bending properties but not the compressional properties, shearing properties, and surface friction and variation. Besides, it is concluded that these treatments can influence not only the fabric handle but also the yellowness of fabrics. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 2875-2884, 2011