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Digital Textile Review

Digital textile printing offers several advantages over traditional screen printing methods. It allows for short run printing of as little as one yard without screen changes. It also uses less water, power, and chemicals, producing less waste. Digital printing can produce larger designs and repeat sizes. It requires less production space and inventory since designs can be printed on demand. The same printer can be used for samples and production. It provides more flexibility to test designs and color options. A variety of creative designs can be printed, and the capital investment is relatively low to start a digital textile printing business.

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99 views

Digital Textile Review

Digital textile printing offers several advantages over traditional screen printing methods. It allows for short run printing of as little as one yard without screen changes. It also uses less water, power, and chemicals, producing less waste. Digital printing can produce larger designs and repeat sizes. It requires less production space and inventory since designs can be printed on demand. The same printer can be used for samples and production. It provides more flexibility to test designs and color options. A variety of creative designs can be printed, and the capital investment is relatively low to start a digital textile printing business.

Uploaded by

peter tichi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Digital Textile Review

Advancing Industry Adoption of Digital Textile Printing


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Ten Reasons for Using Digital Textile
Printing Technology
Posted on January 29, 2013 by John Ingraham No Comments

Industry researchers estimate that textile printing represents upwards of 30 billion yards of
material volume on an annual basis worldwide. While digital printing currently amounts to
about 2% share of this volume, digital printing continues to expand with the movement from
mass-production to mass-customization of printed goods. Like the transition in paper printing
starting in the late 1980s from offset/gravure to inkjet/laser printing technology, digital textile
printing offers new creative possibilities for printing over traditional screen-printing. As a result,
digital printing enables a shift from printing in large scale manufacturing facilities to smaller
cottage businesses focusing on specialty printing applications.
So what are some of the compelling reasons for digital textile printing?
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1. Short run printing advantage: Digital textile printing efficiently produces designs at
run lengths as low as one yard of fabric without the need for screen changes.
2. Lower water and power consumption: Digital textile printing eliminates the substantial
amount of water and electrical energy one requires for rotary screen preparation, printing
and cleanup. Even greater water and power savings can be achieved with
disperse/sublimation and pigment digital textile inks, which only require a heat-fixation
step for post treatment.
3. Less chemical waste: Digital textile printing results in significantly less ink usage and
waste relative to screen-printing. Taking into account the additional chemistry and
chemical waste from screen production, printing digitally offers a greener advantage for
printing.
4. Large repeat sizes: Digital textile printers can print large designs (e.g. cartoon characters
on sheets and blankets) on roll fabric without the usual rotary screen-printing limitation
in pattern repeat size.
5. Reduced production space requirements: By not having to prepare and store customer
screens for future use, the production footprint for digital printing is a fraction of the size
one requires for a rotary screen print facility.
6. Less printed inventory needed: Digital textile printing permits the option to print a
design at will. This means that manufacturers with an integrated digital printing system
in their production chain can keep a stock of unprinted textiles on hand to print as
required. This reduces the need for pre-printed inventory of fabric that may or may not be
used.
7. Sampling and production done on same printer: By being able to print samples
(strike-offs) on the same printer one uses for production, digital textile print shops can
present their customers with proof samples of designs that will exactly match the final
printed material.
8. Print flexibility: Printing houses utilizing both digital and screen technologies can
choose to print a small quantity of designs with different color combinations (colorways)
first with their digital textile printing solutions for test the market. They can later opt to
print higher volumes of the most desired color designs using rotary screen technology.
9. Variety of creative design choices for printing: Digital textile printing provides the
option to print photographic/continuous tone images, spot color pattern designs or a
combination of both. This expands the creative printing alternatives for fashion and
interior designers.
10. Low capital investment: The relatively low capital investment to setup a digital textile
print shop, especially compared to rotary screen-printing production, makes it possible to
start small and expand as business grows

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