TEXTILE PRINTING

(DIGITAL PRINTING)

Lecture# 41-48

Mujahid Mehdi Abro

Indus University Karachi.

PRINTING:
Localized coloration is known as printing.

Printing Methods
Block Printing
Transfer printing
Roller printing
Screen Printing
Flat Screen Printing
Rotary Screen Printing
Digital Printing

Introduction
First digitized manufacturing process involved textiles-

Invention of Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801.

That device was able to weave complex designs.
Opportunities arose to apply these technologies to textile

printing.
First digital printing on carpet by Millikan (patented).
Textile digital printing evolved in 1990s as a prototype tool for

printing small batches of fabrics for niche production.

Why digital printing?

High production speeds.

Quick response.

To meet changing trends of textile fashionLess wastage of stock.

TEXTILE PRINTING MARKET

Textile market is large but market of textile printing is only 30billion sq .m/year.

Growth rate of digital printing

Traditional methods and

limitations
INTAGLIO PRINTING: Width upto 120 cm.
Rollers bend under their own weight causing print distortions.
ROTARY SCREEN PRINTING: High production of 80 m/min.
Restrictions on repeat size.
FLAT BED: 30-50 m/min and screen size upto 9 m.
DRY HEAT TRANSFER: Transfer from paper to substrate under high temperature and pressure.
Applicable to Disperse dyes on polyester mainly.
But trend turned towards cotton.

LIMITATIONS
Rely on printing using rollers and screens.
Preparation of these is a time consuming process.
Choking of the equipment.
Expensive Sampling.
Higher wastage of fabric as well as paste.
Higher engraving cost.
High labor cost.
Screen washing and disposal of waste print paste.

COMPARISON OF ROTARY SCREEN AND

DIGITAL PRINTING METHODS
conventional method

Digital method

Ink-jet Printing of textiles- fundamentals

Inkjet technology for textile requires pre- and post-

processing. Since textile is unable to absorb ink

sufficiently, it is necessary to provide an ink absorption
layer, which is referred to as pre-processing. After printing,
the process of making ink fast to fabrics by heating,
humidification or pressurization and washing to remove the
pre-processing agents and non-fast dye are necessary.

The other is the difference of coloring agents used

according to the types of textile. For instance, disperse dye

inks are used for polyester fabrics, while reactive dye inks
are used for cotton.

FEATURES OF INKJET
PRINTING
Variable data
Contact less (substrate) printing
Versatile
Multicolor
High speed
No moving parts

DOT-ON-DEMAND or IMPULSE PRINT HEADS

This provides mechanism for delivering drop where

required.
Demand is created by software which decides whether to
fire or not.
Drop then falls on substrate under gravity and appears as
dot.
Drop sizes are measured in Pico liters.
20-30 pl are used.
Possible to produce drops of <10 pl and even 1pl.
Increases the resolution.

DOD

ELECTROSTATIC PRINT HEAD

A high pulse electric voltage signal is applied to the ring shaped upper.
Electrode plate located against the wire (Pt line) inside the nozzel as ground electrode
The electrostatic force between the electrode and ground causes the liquid Miniscus at
the interface to form a microdroplet.
When the force is stronger than the surface tension of the liquid miniscus, the Liquid
breaks up into microdroplets and are ejected from the nozzel.

Major Suppliers
THERMAL INK JETS:-Canon, Hewlett-Packard,

Lexmark, Olivetti .
PIEZO-INK JETS:- Aprion Magic piezo DOD, Epson

piezo DOD.
CIJ:- Zimmer
PULSED INK JET:-Zimmer

DReAM INK JET PRINTER

Printing Speed 150- 190

Sq. m /hr.
Fabric width 150 cm.

DuPont 3210
Speed 30 -60sq m / h
Width 3.2 meter
360 dpi (Good quality)
8 color system

DuPont 2020
Speed 30 sq m / Hr.
Width 1.8 M
720 dpi
8 color process

Fabri Jet XII

Speed 10 15 sq m /Hr.
Width 1.78 M
Thermal Head system
1200 dpi
12 color system

MATERIAL FLOW IN DIGITAL

PRINTING
Pre-treatments

Printing

Post-treatments

SUBSTRATE PRE-TREATMENTS
Pre-treatment includes those chemicals which inhibit the

migration on the surface and it may also contain chemicals

controlling pH.
Low viscosities are preferred to ease flow but that will
move away from the target due to wicking.
So it is required to pad with Thickener which enhances
absorbency and improves migration.
If handle gets affected then a scouring process is needed
at the end to remove excess thickener..

PRETREATMENTS FOR
DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES
COTTON:-

CHEMICALS

Amount (g)

Alginate
(thickener)

250

Urea (swelling 100

agent)
Ludigol
(Detergent)

25

Sodium
bicarbonate

25

Water

1000

After padding, material is dried at 120dc and then printed

WOOL,SILK AND NYLON:-

Drying at <100dc.

CHEMICAL

AMOUNT(g)

Alginate

250

Guargum

50

Urea

100

Ammonium
tartrate

50

Water

1000

INK DRYING
The behavior of a water-based
ink droplet when it lands on the
Surface: The ink tends to spread along the
fibers and penetrate into the
bulk.
The water-based ink actually
depends on penetration and
absorption for its drying
mechanism.
Some evaporation of water is
taking place, but this drying
mechanism is often very slow.

Various drying mechanisms

Aqueous

Continuous Absorption/
Penetration Evaporation

Oil

Absorption/Penetration

Solvent

Evaporation

UV curable based

Polymerization

Hot melt

Solidification

POST-TREATMENT
It is required for fixation.
Steaming make the substrate to open up and causing the

dyes to fix.
Steaming for 8-12min. At 102dc is done.
Heating is required for pigments to polymerize the binder.
UV curable inks have a simple treatment but require care
to be taken.
Washing is required to remove the unfixed colorants. That
is done by cold rinse, hot rinse, soaping, cold rinse and
then drying.

INK AND FABRIC SUMMARY:

Dyes

Cotton

Acid dye
Reactive
dye

Silk

Polyester

Dye
sublimati
on

wool

Disperse
Dye
Pigment

Nylon

Not

Avalible

At

This

Time.

Garments

Home furnishing fabrics

Flags