Sometimes I can tell, but most of the time I can't. I just used a gold batik for a border and as I was sewing the strips together to create the border I could not tell front from back. So I decided not to worry about it. I say if you can't see a difference then it's ok.

The fabric reps that we deal with in the shop say this, true batiks do not have a wrong or right side just what you choose and the ones that do have a wrong and right are usually printed. This is not a 100% rule, just a general rule.