What Are The Common Textile Printing Processes

There is nothing more beautiful than a colorful printed fabric on the table.

Creating and printing beautiful designs and patterns on different fabric materials is called textile printing. Drawing patterns and designs by hand takes time, effort and expense. Also, repeating the same design on fabric by hand is difficult to achieve perfection. Textile printing is an ancient art with a long history in various parts of the world. Over time, textile printing technology has gone through an evolution from manual to automatic digital printing. We provide custom shirt printing services in Dallas so we are providing the information about textile printing techniques that are still in use.

There are three common processes in textile printing. They are direct printing, drop printing and resist printing.

• The process of printing directly on the fabric with colored dyes and chemicals is called direct printing.

• Discharge printing refers to the removal of specific colors from printed fabrics and the use of appropriate chemicals.

• By using a resistant paste on colored fabrics, stains will only appear on the areas not affected by the glue. This process is called resist printing. This is the main printing process.

We will now take a closer look at traditional and modern methods of fabric dyeing.

1. Block printing Block printing is the oldest technique, originating from Egypt or Persia. Many also believe that the art of woodblock printing developed in East Asia and later spread to European countries. Block printing was first performed on calico, linen and of course wool. In addition, red dyed cotton from Turkey was used to print the blocks. On a piece of wood, the desired design is hand carved and will be used to form the pattern. Use different blocks according to the design, color and size of the print. To create special effects and details, such as birds or flowers, strips of copper are hammered into the blocks. These blocks use bias pins to ensure that the color applied to the fabric is accurate. Apply the ink paste to the block and press firmly onto the fabric. Each block is arranged and repeated in a unique way, making the fabric look beautiful in one big continuous design.

2. Roller printing Roller printing is also called roller printing or rotary printing. This has been the most common method of textile printing worldwide since the mid{1}} century. The method involves passing the fabric through a continuously rotating drum and pressing it into the drum. The cylinders are engraved with complex and delicate patterns, leaving prints of different colors on the textile. The cylinder press improved and began to produce fabrics with brighter, more vibrant colors. The process is also speeded up as it can print a large number of clothing prints in one day. After that, the dyed fabric undergoes a washing and steam drying process that allows the dye to penetrate the textile.

3. The advancement of digital printing technology is advancing every day. With the progress of the textile industry, digital printing was born. It’s all about using the desired printing technology on the material. It is cost effective, unique and very fast. Printing houses use computers to record prints on fabric. Moreover, you can use any fabric for your design. Polyester, linen, cotton, silk, rayon, blend and many other options. Digital printing uses inkjet technology. It’s a little expensive, but it prints great. A heat press or tunnel dryer will help the paint dry on the fabric. Digital printing uses acid, reactive or pigment inks. Acidic and reactive inks are used on natural and artificial fibers, and printed fabrics require a process of steaming, washing and drying. This requires large amounts of water, steam and energy and produces waste water. Pigment-based inks are environmentally friendly and can be used to print on knitted and woven cotton, linen, rayon, silk, polyester, nylon, blended materials. It does not require steaming and washing processes, so it is very cost-effective and environmentally friendly. All in all, you can get great quality clothes with digital printing.

4. Screen printing Screen printing is one of the most popular ways of printing on textiles. T-shirts that are sometimes seen on the street are printed using the screen printing process. This is a direct-to-fabric printing process that uses films, meshes, and screens to create a pattern on the fabric. Screen printing and rotary screen printing are two types of screen printing. The former is expensive, while the latter is widely used in the textile industry. The screen is formed from a piece of mesh stretched over the frame. Later, patterns were formed by shading parts of the screen. With the help of a grid, the ink is pushed onto the textile under the screen. This printing requires one color per screen, which can lead to higher costs. With screen printing, you’ll also get a durable, high-quality design. Screen printing is perfect for those who run a clothing business and want to have the same design printed on many items of clothing.

5. Spray printing As the name suggests, spray printing is done using an atomizer. This will help the dye to diffuse onto the textile. A spray gun is essential equipment for painting. Also, experiment with different spray nozzles to get the look you want.

6. Sublimation Transfer Printing For sublimation transfer printing, you need an inkjet or color laser printer, sublimation ink and a heat press machine to help you transfer the sublimation dye to the fabric. This method is more expensive than all of the above, but what you will get in return is vivid and beautiful. The disadvantage of sublimation transfer printing is that the pattern cannot be obtained on cotton fabric. Polyester and synthetic fibers are good for this print. Another great thing about Sublime prints is that they are durable and long lasting. But if stored for a long time or exposed to sunlight, the color may fade.

7. Pattern Printing As the name suggests, pattern printing refers to cutting patterns in the form of a pattern. These templates are made of metal, wood, plastic and paper. The paint is then applied to the space cut out from the inside of the template. It is a safe printing method that even children can easily do. The downside of this method is that it takes a long time to print. So you can make it for home use or just for fun.

8. Heat Transfer Printing One of the cheapest methods of printing on fabrics is heat transfer printing. It uses a printing press and a heat press to transfer the pattern to the fabric. First, in this process, the print is printed on the paper, then it is transferred to the fabric, and then the designed fabric goes on the heated rollers. In this method, the color may disappear after the first wash. However, because of its clear and beautiful patterns, many institutions use thermal transfer printing. Colors always brighten our mood. Even more interesting is the difference in the dyeing methods. Since ancient times, there have been different methods of dyeing fabrics.