Digital Textile printing

The process of reproducing digital images on physical surfaces is called Digital Printing. The physical surfaces can be in any form like a common paper, cloth, plastic, a photographic paper, film, etc.

1. Digital Textile Printing MD.AZMERI LATIF BEG M. Sc in Textile Engineering Specialized in Apparel Manufacturing, Processing and Designing

2. Digital print directly transfer print onto the fabric by ink. In advanced technology develop no need a paper or film which is used previously to print digitally. New machine directly print fabric. Digital printing is the ideal printing technique for photos and colorful designs which have gradients. This printing technique does not last as long as flex and flock. The colors fade over time. In this form of printing micro-sized droplets of dye are placed onto the fabric through an inkjet print head. The print system software interprets the data supplied by academic Textile digital image file. The digital image file has the data to control the droplet output so that the image quality and color control may be achieved. This is the latest development in textile printing and is expanding very fast.

3. The process of reproducing digital images on physical surfaces is called Digital Printing. The physical surfaces can be in any form like a common paper, cloth, plastic, a photographic paper, film, etc. WHAT IS DIGITAL PRINTING?

4. The idea of digital printing on textiles has been around for some time. Carpet inkjet printing machines have been used since the early 1970s. Digital ink jet printing of continuous rolls of textile fabrics was shown at ITMA in 1995. Again at ITMA in 2003, several industrial inkjet printers were introduced to the marketplace which made digital printing on textiles the new industry standard. These new generation machines had much higher outputs, higher resolution printing heads, and more sophisticated textile material handling systems allowing a wide various fabrics to be printed. History of Digital Printing

5. It is the more advanced type of digital printing. This includes:- Jet spray printing Electrostatic printing Photo printing Differential printing

6. Direct To Garment Printing (DTG) – While screen printing technique is considered to be traditional and known by everybody, direct to garment printing is fairly new. Because it is new, the printer is also very expensive, but the quality of the printed t-shirts is excellent. With the direct to garment printers, the design is printed directly on t-shirt or on the desired product (mouse pad, caps etc.).The art process allows unlimited colors and shades to be printed, thing that could not be possible with the screen printing. It is the perfect option for photo t-shirts and very detailed images. Direct to garment printing is considered to be the only professional option for low run orders. That means you can print one t-shirt or 100 without problems. The printing process in the case of DTG takes longer than in the case of screen printing and the big disadvantage is that the artwork can’t be printed on dark t-shirts (with few exceptions). Also, that’s the reason why the printer does not print the white color. The result is professional and designs are not felt on the garment .

7. Laser print Suitable for printing of accessory fabrics such as bags, caps and hats. The design is put on transparent transfer foil, and then cut out and pressed on the fabrics while applying great heat. Smooth, slightly shiny print with brilliant print results that stay when hand-washing. Photo Printing M/C Laser imaging, also known as digital photo printing, uses lasers or other light forms to produce photo-realistic images on silver-halide photographic paper. It is one of the most popular techniques for wide-format photo production and is also increasingly used for digital-photo finishing. Able to deliver true colors, it acts as a very good advertising medium when stunning impact is required. Direct printing on garment or Direct to garment printing has fewer processes and uses fewer chemicals than screen printing.

8. Thermal transfer digital printing applies heat, using diffusion or sublimation, to a thin carrier film, transferring dye molecules or colored coating to a coated receiver sheet. The heat is typically emitted from a computer controlled laser array, though it can also use technology similar to that found in thermal fax machines. This method is very effective at producing high quality color prints. The most popular digital printing method in use today is inkjet, which uses small drops of ink produced by a computer controlled actuator. There are three common applications of inkjet technology; Piezo , Continuous-Flow and Thermal, each of which relates to different actuator set-ups, delivering unique results. Each application tends to combine dye-based or pigmented aqueous inks. The droplets released by the nozzles hit the surface to be printed on, which is typically paper, and produce minute dots. The image creation is controlled to form precise patterns which can be modified by professional print companies through the amending of droplet size, actuator speed, and surface types. This allows for exceedingly high quality finishes to be achieved.

9. The concept of direct to garment printing process basically includes the use of a DTG printer to lay down a water based ink with chemical binders on the garment such as a T-shirt. The ink was then cured to the T-shirt using a textile conveyor dryer or a heat press. Generally, the machine utilizes a 4- color ink process that mixes magenta, black, cyan, and yellow to create the desired colors in the design.   Direct to garment printing has fewer processes and uses less chemicals than screen printing. This serves as the perfect choice for full color printing since there is no additional charge asked for the amount of colors needed to complete the design.

10. Feature of Digital Direct Printing Print with computer-operated digital print, ideally suited for large-scale prints. Colors are sprayed on and made durable with a hardener. The fabrics can still be felt when touching the design. Results in a relaxed “vintage look”. The design looks a bit faded, don’t expect brash colors. Digital direct is not available for all of our products.

11. Effects and Presences of Digital Printing There has been no greater effect on the print industry over recent years than the introduction of digital printing. As technologies have gone from strength to strength, it is fast becoming the go to medium for businesses throughout the country. Ideal for short and long runs, on-demand printing and time sensitive campaign runs, the flexibility afforded by printing digitally is a huge benefit to many - both in initial investment and return on investment. In the best print companies, there are a number of techniques which can be used for digital printing. Methods include electro photography (using dry and liquid toner), laser imaging on photographic paper, thermal transfer (dye sublimation transfer and mass transfer) and most commonly, inkjet printing. Electro photography digital printing uses the application of liquid or dry toner onto photo receptive surfaces, upon which a charge is produced from a laser or similar light source. This transfers the toner either directly to paper or to paper through a blanket sheet, which is then fused to create the intended image.

12. Flow Process of digital Printing

13. Comparison between Digital Textile Printing & Traditional Printing Methods Digital Textile Printing Method Traditional Printing Methods Has greater flexibility. Easy applications. Can be used for versatile purposes. Takes less time. Having more colors along with photo-realistic effects. Present a variety of exclusive textile designs Less flexibility. Less convenient in applying. Can be used for limited purposes. Take more time. Comparatively less colors and absent of photo-realistic effects. Having less no. of varieties regarding designs.

14. Dyes used for Digital Printing Inks and related fibers Name of Digital Printing Inks Types of fibers used Acid inks Disperse inks Dye based inks Reactive inks Silks & Nylons Polyesters Not used for any fabrics, used for photography only. All cellulose based fibers: Cotton, Linen & Rayon

15. Polyesters Canvas Silk Chiffon Polyesters Satin Cotton Lycra Jersey Natural Linen Polyester Canvas Cotton Canvas Cotton Sateen Nylon Mesh Silk Chiffon Silk Satin Cotton Funnel Crepe Georgette Types of fibers & Digital Printing Inks used for

16. The image can be printed all over the entire item, with no difficulty in printing all the way to the edges. Colors can be extraordinarily brilliant due to the bonding of the dye to the transparent fibers of the synthetic fabric. It is time saving for sampling as compare to rotary process. Truly continuous tones can be achieved that are equivalent to photographs, without the use special techniques such as half-screen printing. Time saving for sampling only. Advantage of Digital Printing

17. Digital printing involves any reproduction process that does not use a static image carrier (such as a plate). Every page impression is re-generated, even if they are the same. Digital printing can use any method that places spots of coloured particles on substrates, with toner and inkjet being most common.

18. Digital print V/s Sublimation print Sublimation Printing Paper image is transfer on the surface of the polyester fabric. There is no need of fabric to be coated. Base fabric should be synthetic or 100% polyester, Disperse dyes are used Sublimation will not fade, even after multiple washings Sublimation dyes does not penetrate the surface of fabric. So back side of fabric always white. Production feasible and less costly for bigger run. Digital Printing The inks are printed directly to the coated fabric . There is need of fabric to be coated . All fabric can used as base except polyester or synthetic. Reactive dyes are used Digital print can get fade after multiple washing. In this dyes penetrate the surface of base fabric. Digital relying on molecular bonding,. It is not production feasible , Ideal for sampling only. [email protected] 24

19. Digital printing provides an opportunity to meet the present day market trends of mass customization. It has established as an acceptable technology for sample production. Among other technology problems speed of printing is the main hurdle in commercialization of technology. Attempts are being made to achieve commercially acceptable printing speeds. Till then the practice of combination of digital printing for sampling and rotary screen printing for production will continue. Conclusion

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