For any method that is ancient printing on fabric has gone through a very rapid period of development and alter over the last a decade.
Screen-printing fabric using flat screens has been the well-established way of applying colour and style to fabric as yet. This technique was suitable for medium to large runs. For quite high volume, rotary screen-printing was the traditional process. The setup costs to engrave and convey the screens were very high but because in the sized runs they were probably the most economic.
Small runs weren’t economic using either of such processes for fabric printing. This made the tiny runs extremely expensive because of the high setup costs as well as in the flag and banner market small runs were usually either hand printed, appliqued or embroidered.
Then along came the new means of fabric printing. Digital fabric printing introduced a completely new concept whereby small runs could be done at a far lower cost. Printing digitally onto fabrics created from polyester now has reached new heights due to continuous development work by fabric manufacturers who are dedicated to this kind of printing on fabric.
Stunning outcomes are now being achieved on fabrics which is seen in an array of applications from flags, banners, artist’s canvas, exhibition graphics, mobile displays, stretch display systems, theatrical back drops, point of sale displays, furniture, shades, roller blinds etc. Printing on fabric because of this ever-increasing variety of applications demands careful and continuous research and development. This ensures the fabrics work well when used on many digital printing machines with all the wide blend of inks from dye-sub water-based inks to UV, solvent and latex inks.
Printing fabrics using dye-sub water-based direct to polyester textiles requires complex chemistry applying to the information to guarantee the printer provides the optimum performance from your ink, machine and rip used. This will likely then give high definition, brilliant strong colours when necessary for flags excellent print through, for all types of printing on fabric.
Although dye-sub printing polyester fabric probably creates the ideal results advances in UV inks signifies that results have improved dramatically recently. The inks have become more flexible making suitable for textile printing. Also Latex ink technology entails that these inks are suitable for textiles. This is further evidence of the need for fabrics for digital printing where textile is replacing traditional media like PVC. Machine and ink manufacturers have responded well to this challenge by adapting machines as well as the inks.
A recent development has seen the development of two beneficial to our environment compostable and biodegradable fabrics called Gossyp (cotton) and Chorus (jute). Printing on fabrics that are compostable and biodegradable is starting to become increasingly more essential as landfill taxes carry on and rise and not forgetting that polyesters fabrics can obviously be recycled. Many of the necessary for those companies that are alert to the growing need for more green products.
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