TEXTILE PRINTING

Printing is the process to make colors on the textile materials with the presence of thickener to
give sharp design. The thickener will be removed after the printing process to make softer
handle.
Textile Printing
The application of color to a fabric in a design or pattern (localized dyeing)
Modern printing generally incorporates one of the following techniques:
 Flat-bed screen printing
 Rotary screen printing
 Engraved roller printing
 Heat transfer printing

METHODS OF PRINTING 
For printing color on a fabric, mostly three techniques are applied: Direct Printing, Discharge
Printing and Resist Printing.

DIRECT PRINTING

Direct Printing It is the most common approach to apply a color pattern onto a
fabric. If done on colored fabric, it is known as overprinting. The desired pattern
is produced by pressing dye on the fabric in a paste form. To prepare the print
paste, a thickening agent is added to a limited amount of water and dye is
dissolved in it. Earlier starch was preferred as a thickening agent for printing.
Nowadays gums or alginates derived from seaweed are preferred as they allow
better penetration of color and are easier to wash out. Most pigment printing is done without
thickeners because the mixing up of resins, solvents and water produces thickening anyway.

DISCHARGE PRINTING

Discharge Printing In this technique, the fabric is dyed in piece and then it is printed with
a bleaching agent that destroys the color in the designated areas. Sometimes, the base
color is removed and other color is printed in its place. The printed fabric is steamed and
then thoroughly washed. 

RESIST PRINTING

Resist Printing In this technique, a resist paste is fixed onto the fabric and then it is dyed.
The dye affects only those parts that are not covered by the resist paste. After dyeing, the
resist paste is removed leaving a pattern on the background of the fabric.

There are various methods of printing in which one of the above three techniques is used
- Block Printing, Roller Printing, Duplex Printing, Stencil Printing, Screen Printing,
Transfer Printing, Jet Spray Printing, Electrostatic Printing, Photo Printing, Batik Dyeing,
 Tie Dyeing, Airbrush (Spray) Painting and Digital printing

BLOCK PRINTING 

Block Printing the designs are carved on a wooden or metal block and
the dyestuff in paste form is applied to the design on the face of the
block. The block is pressed down firmly by hand on the surface of the
fabric.

ROLLER PRINTING

Roller Printing In this method which can be called a machine counterpart of block
printing engraved copper cylinders or rollers are used in place of hand carved blocks.
When the rollers move, a repeat of the design is printed on the fabric. The printed cloth is
passed into a drying chamber and then in a steam chamber where the moisture and heat
sets the dye. 

DUPLEX PRINTING

Duplex Printing Printing is done on both sides of the fabric either through roller printing
machine in two operations or a duplex printing machine in a single operation.

SCREEN PRINTING

Screen Printing It is done either with flat or cylindrical screens made of

silk threads, nylon, polyester, or metal. The printing paste or dye is
poured on the screen and forced through its unblocked areas onto the
fabric. Based on the type of the screen used, it is known as 'Flat Screen
Printing' or 'Rotary Screen Printing'. 

STENCIL PRINTING

Stencil printing the design is first cut in cardboard, wood or metal. The stencils may have
fine delicate designs or large spaces through which color is applied on the fabric. This
method is very expensive and thus its use is limited.

TRANSFER PRINTING

Transfer Printing In this method, the design on a paper is transferred to a fabric by

vaporization. There are two main processes for this- Dry Heat Transfer Printing and Wet
Heat Transfer Printing. Various types of cylinders such as electrically heated cylinder,
perforated cylinder etc. are used for pressing a fabric against a printed paper which
transfers the pattern to the fabric.

AIRBRUSH (SPRAY) PAINTING

 Airbrush (Spray) Painting In this method, the dye is applied with a mechanized airbrush
which blows or sprays color on the fabric. 

TIE DYEING

Tie Dyeing Firm knots are tied in the cloth before it is immersed in a dye. The outside
portion of the immersed fabric is dyed but the color does not penetrates the inside
portions of the tied knots. There are various forms of Tie dyeing like Ikat Dyeing where
bundles of warp and/ or weft yarns are tie dyed prior to their weaving. In Plangi Dyeing
the gathered, folded or rolled fabric is usually held with stitching to form specific
patterns.

BATIK DYEING

Batik Dyeing It is a resist dyeing process. Designs are made with wax on a fabric which
is then immersed in a dye. The portion not having wax absorbs the color.

DIGITAL PRINTING

Digital printing in this form of printing micro-sized droplets of dye is placed onto the
fabric through an inkjet print head. The print system software interprets the data supplied
by a cademic_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. 

FLOCKING

Flocking is the technique of depositing many small fiber particles, called

"flock" onto a surface of a fabric to produce design. Instead of dyes, an
adhesive is used to affix the flocks on the fabric. Then, roller printing
produces design on its surface. Nowadays, this is done by the application
of high-voltage electric field too. Flocks of cotton, wool, rayon, nylon
and acrylic are all used for the purpose.

TYPES OF PRINTING PROCESSES

1. AUTOMATIC FLAT SCREEN PRINTING

Approximately 17% of printed goods

ADVANTAGES

1. Large repeats
2. Multiple strokes for pile fabrics

DISADVANTAGES
1. Slow
2. No continuous patt
2. ROTARV SCREEN PRINTING

Approximately 50% of printed goods

B. Advantages
1. Fast
2. Quick changeover of patterns
3. Continuous patterns
C. Disadvantages
1. Design limitations
2. Small repeats

I& ENGRAVED ROLLER PRINTING

A Approximately 26% of printed goods

ADVANTAGES

1. High design capability

a. Fine detail
b. Multiple tones
C. DISADVANTAGES

1. Copper cylinders very expensive

2. Not economical for short runs
3. Requires highly skilled workers

HEAT TRANSFER PRINTING

Approximately 7% of printed goods

ADVANTAGES

1. High quality prints

2. Fewer seconds
3. Economical for short runs
4. Practically pollution free

DISADVANTAGES

1. Slow
2. Primarily only for polyester
Steps in Printing Process
1. Preparation of print paste
2. Printing of fabric
3. Drying
4. Fixation of dyestuff
5. Washing – off
PREPARATION OF PRINTING PASTES

Type of specific formulation used depends on the fiber, the colorant system used and, to some
extent, the type of printing machine. TvDicaZ Inmedients Used Include:
 Dyes or pigments
 Thickeners
 Binders, cross-linking agents
 Sequestrants.
 Dispersing agents - surfactants
 Water-retaining agents (humectants)
 Adhesion promoters
 Defoamers
 Catalysts
 Hand modifiers

FLAT-BED SCREEN PRINTING

Mechanization of hand screen process Fabric glued to blanket Screens rise and fall Printing done
while screen in down position Rod or blade squeegee system Up to four strokes possible Slow
process.

Flat-Bed Screen Printing

ROTARY SCREEN PRINTING

 Continuous screen printing process

 Fabric glued to blanket
 Fabric moves under rotating screens
 Rod or blade squeegee system
 Fine adjustments easily made
 Speeds up to 100 yd/min

 Rotary Screen Printing
Squeegee Principle

Diagrammatic View Of A
Roller-Printing System
HEAT TRANSFER PRINTING

ADVANTAGES

 Easier handling of units

 Easier training of operators
 Better registration and clarity
 Fewer seconds
 Inventory in paper
 Pollution - free

DISADVANTAGES

 Slow
 Limited to synthetic fibers, mainly polyester

CLASSIFICATION OF TEXTILE PRINTING

1. Direct Printing
Printing on material directly with the ink on the designed goods.
2. Reverse Printing
Printing on the goods by printing ink on background (opposite printing).

TEXTILE PRINTING PROCESS

1. Fabric Preparation
2. Silk Screen/Rotary Screen/Roller Preparation
3. Print paste Preparation
4. Print ink preparation
5. Printing on fabric
6. Drying
7. Fixing
8. Washing and Soaping
9. Final Drying

Rotary Screen Printing Machine

ROLLER PRINTING

A copper roller is engraved by some acids to have some areas acted as an ink reservoir. When
pressing the roller with some ink on it, the fabric will have a design like the roller.

INK JET PRINTING

Now ink-jet printing is coming out to solve some problems about how to print a photo-like
picture. Like paper ink jet printer, the fabric ink jet printer has a least 4 colors (yellow, blue, red,
and black). Some manufacturers offered 8 colors to make vivid and natural pictures

FORMATION OF SCREENS

Normally, the silk screen and rotary screen are coated with photo-emulsion containing photo-
sensitizer. By coating the compound over the screen with a very thick film on the screen, the
screen is allowed to be dried in room temperature without light. The master design will be
produced by using black color covering the areas that needed the ink to pass through. Using a
light bulb table, the design will transfer from the master design to the screen by exposing it to
light for 2-5 min. After that, the screen is washed and dried.

Types and inks that can be used

in textile printing
Fabrics Inks
Cotton Pigment, Reactive,
Vat
Protein Reactive
Polyester Disperse, Pigment
Polyester/cotton blends Pigment