Digital textile printing is matched to the fibre by the ink. The wrong pairing gives weak colour or a print that washes out, so this is the first question a printer asks.
The four ink families
- Reactive dyes for cellulose fibres such as cotton and viscose. They bond chemically with the fibre and need steaming and washing after printing to fix the colour and remove unfixed dye.
- Acid dyes for wool and nylon, with a similar steaming and washing after-treatment.
- Disperse and sublimation dyes for polyester. They are fixed with heat, either through transfer paper or printed direct and then heat-fixed.
- Pigment inks for a wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester and blends. A binder holds the colour on the fibre and is set with heat, so no steaming or washing is needed. The trade-off is a narrower colour range on some fabrics.
Blends
For blends the answer depends on the main fibre. A high-polyester blend usually suits sublimation; a cotton-rich blend suits direct printing. Pigment is often the practical choice when one fabric mixes fibres.
How we choose
Tell us the fabric, the end product and how it will be washed. We confirm the process before printing and make a sample, so you approve the colour on your actual fabric. Our two processes are direct digital printing and sublimation (heat-transfer) printing.