Textile digital printing can be carried out either on reels or on ready-to-wear.
In the second case, a different type of DTG printer is used, but in this blog, we will limit ourselves to introducing the thermal sublimation web printing technology.
Textile materials to be digitally printed must be “printable,” that is, washed, bleached, and dimensionally stable as far as possible.
When ink droplets are printed on fabric, they can be printed directly, or when the image is first printed on paper and then thermally transferred (using a printing press or calender) onto the fabric, it can be printed by transfer.
Transfer printing is directly applied to materials with a high polyester content (over 93%) from the “ready to print” state and uses sublimation inks. This is a dry process. The resulting printed matter does not require subsequent cleaning and is resistant to friction and cleaning (“no bleeding”).
( Example :
Sublimation printer：
For direct printing, textiles must go through a pretreatment process, and depending on the material, the substances and inks involved are also different. After printing, there are also color fixing and washing processes.
| ink | Printed fiber | application field | process |
| acidic | Silk, wool, nylon | Fashion/clothing | Pretreatment — steam setting — water washing |
| dispersion | Polyester fiber, acrylic fiber | Clothing, fashion, accessories, furniture, car seats | Pretreatment — steam or dry heat setting — washing with water |
| pigmented | Cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers | Accessories/low-cost fashion/T-shirts | Pretreatment — Dry heat setting — Optional washing |
| reactivity | Cotton, silk, viscose, linen, hemp | Clothing/fashion | Pretreatment — Steam Fixation — Overflow |
Special applications for textile digital printing:
Keditec has developed specific solutions for the printing of special types of materials or textile products
For example：
- Printing the entrance floor mat as a product with a ready-made rubber backing.
- Cotton or polyester towels are printed by a process that transfers ink to the bottom of the thread.
- Carpet and carpet printing, carpets can be printed in rolls or sheets.
- Narrow strip printing technology is suitable for all kinds of fibers and can be used to produce clothing, sports materials and equipment, automotive belts, and more.
For details, please contact our sales and agency for specific provision.
The pigment ink printing process developed by Keditec largely eliminates the shortcomings of the process (less vivid colors, reduced washable and rubbing resistance), making the technology a good choice for home decoration textiles.
Another special process is printing cellulose textiles with VAT ink. The products are extremely resistant to washing and ultraviolet radiation. One of the applications is making military uniforms and other camouflage elements.
