Learn more about textile printing procedure

Textile printing is a process used to apply color, pattern, or design onto fabric or other textile materials. Here’s a general overview of the textile printing procedure:

Preparation of Fabric:

Cleaning: The fabric is cleaned to remove any dirt or impurities that might interfere with the printing process.

Scouring: This step involves treating the fabric with chemicals to remove any sizing agents, oils, or finishes that could affect the adhesion of the dye or pigment to the fabric.

Bleaching: If necessary, the fabric may be bleached to achieve a uniform base color.

Preparation of Printing Paste:

Color Selection: Choose the colors needed for the design.

Printing Process:

Screen Printing: A common method where a mesh screen with a stencil of the design is used to apply the paste onto the fabric.

Rotary Printing: This involves a rotating cylinder with the design engraved on it, which transfers the paste onto the fabric as it passes through.

Digital Printing: Uses digital technology to directly print the design onto the fabric, which can be more precise and allows for complex designs. Digital printing MOQ is lower, but the unit price is higher per set.

Post-Printing Treatments:

• Washing: The fabric is washed to remove excess dye and chemicals.
• Drying: The fabric is dried to remove moisture.
• Finishing: Additional treatments like steaming, calendaring, or coating may be applied to improve the fabric’s appearance and performance.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Fabric.

Cotton (Cotton)

Requirements: Suitable for water-based printing, reactive printing, and digital printing processes. Water-based printing is ideal for light or white cotton fabrics, while reactive printing offers a softer hand feel.

Advantages: Soft to the touch, breathable, highly absorbent, and eco-friendly.

Disadvantages: Not suitable for printing on dark fabrics, and water-based printing cannot be applied to dark fabrics.

Polyester (Polyester)

Requirements: Suitable for digital printing with dispersed dye inks and plastisol printing processes, which can be applied to various depths of color and materials.

Advantages: Vibrant colors, high color fidelity, and wide application.

Disadvantages: The printing process is relatively complex and costly, with average breathability.

Oxford Cloth (Oxford cloth)

Requirements: Polyester-cotton blend, suitable for plastisol printing, with good wear resistance and water resistance.

Advantages: Durable, scratch-resistant, water-resistant, breathable, lightweight, and soft to the touch.

Disadvantages: Relatively higher in price, but offers better cost-effectiveness in the long run.

Non-woven Fabric (Non-woven fabric)

Requirements: Suitable for online dyeing and offline dyeing processes, with a pigment printing process that is short, efficient, and cost-effective.

Advantages: Simplified process flow, improved printing quality and tensile strength, low energy consumption, and environmentally friendly.

Disadvantages: Uneven dyeing may occur, especially with the online dyeing process.

Canvas (Canvas)

Requirements: Suitable for pigment printing, which offers good coverage and wear resistance.

Advantages: Sturdy and hard-wearing, suitable for products that require a durable and thick feel.

Disadvantages: Stiff to the touch, with relatively poor breathability.