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Three Techniques On Textile Printing With Wide-Format Printers

Textile printing using wide-format printers is becoming more and more viable as a business these days. The demand for textile prints for outdoor signage and banner advertisements, to say the least, is growing because of the many advantages consumers perceive that polyester, cotton and more natural fabrics have over paper and vinyl as printing mediums.

But when we speak of textile printing, we do not just mean a single process by which printouts are created on fabrics. There are at least three techniques used in creating printouts on fabric, and each technique has advantages and disadvantages over the others. The three major techniques used in textile printing using wide-format printers are discussed below.

Dye Sublimation Transfer Printing

Dye sublimation works by transforming solid dye directly into gas, completely bypassing the liquid state. Heat is an essential factor in this process because it is the one that "melts" the solid ink and turns it into gas.

In dye sublimation transfer printing, the image is first printed out in reverse on a sheet of transfer or carrier paper. Whatever is printed on the carrier paper is then transferred to the fabric with the use of roll-to-roll heat press. The heat allows the ink on the carrier paper to bind directly with the fibers of the fabric.

Many print service providers like dye sublimation transfer printing because it allows them to have more control with the quality of the image being printed. However, the process is considered to be wasteful and time-consuming because of the necessity of having to use transfer paper.

Direct Dye Sublimation Textile Printing

Direct dye sublimation textile printing completely does away with the use of transfer paper. The ink gas created in the sublimation process is pushed directly onto the fabric so that it binds and solidifies with individual fibers to create the printout.

The main advantage of direct dye sublimation printing is that it reduces the time needed to produce the printouts, simply because the step involving transfer paper is eliminated. Nonetheless, the process is still limited to polyester fabrics and the fabric itself needs to be coated so the ink would bind with the fibers. Also, the resulting image is not as crisp as with dye sublimation transfer printing because the ink tends to spread and blot on the fabric.

Direct Digital Textile Printing

Direct digital textile printing is popular among those who do not wish to be limited to polyester when printing on fabric. This textile printing technique works with the wide-format printer placing ink directly on the fabric without having to transform it first from solid to gas.

In this technique, however, the ink to be used should be appropriate to the fabric to be printed upon in order to attain the best printing results. For example, reactive inks must be used for cotton while acid inks are utilized for wools and silks. This nonetheless results in brilliantly colored textile printouts. However, the process of finishing the printout can be tedious because after the printing, the fabric would need to be steamed, washed and then dried.

There are three major techniques to textile printing with the use of a wide-format printer. Each technique has its best uses, its advantages and its disadvantages.

About the Author

John C Arkin from printerinkcartridges.printcountry.com the contributor of PrintCountry Articles. More information is at Three Techniques on Textile Printing with Wide-Format Printers, and related resources can be found at Discount Ink Cartridges.

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