Sophie Matthews-Paul looks at how developments have impacted upon inks and substrates for digitally printed textiles.
Perhaps it became a myth as the years passed that a textile coming under the digital heading is a material that has been used in conjunction with a machine which can print inks or dyes specifically for fabrics. Where this misconception originated is anyone’s guess but, depending on the end application desired, there’s no reason why many applications can’t be produced using other chemistries.
Digital textiles today cover myriad phrases and terms, with production suitability dependent on the type of job being output and its end destination. Whilst everyone has become accustomed to dye sublimation and disperse dyes, there are sectors where the use of acid and reactive equivalents are required for specific materials. Likewise, using a so-called fabric to produce a flag or exterior banner is not going to need the same hand, or feel, as furnishings or curtains. Fashion is poles apart from a run of perimeter fencing, yet both are candidates for inkjet technologies and their attendant machines and processes.
Today’s designers have also caught on to the fact that their work is being taken seriously and on a par with graphic specialists when it comes to software and workflow. Pundits of familiar programs, such as Adobe Illustrator, mean more people are learning about the idiosyncrasies of colour management when dealing with fabrics, and the behaviour of the Rip in this particular sector.
Although designers might have little knowledge about the performance of the printer itself, a basic understanding of how it works in conjunction with the instructions it’s being sent via software is invaluable for assessing the capabilities and limitations of the textile production process. Manufacturers of all elements are increasingly aware that the behaviour of fabrics differs to a conventional display material and its handling and finishing brings with it its own learning curves.
One of the areas for understanding lies in the apparent complexity of many fabrics when considering fibre content, weight and washability. As a starting point, we were “conditioned” into using dye sublimation and, with it, the necessity to use at least a 50% polyester mix in the cloth. This has been a logical step for sign-makers and display producers who want to enter the market for soft signs, banners and related applications. It’s also been pushed heavily by those who want to promote greener practices and more recycling potential.
The division between display production using textiles and the more industrial sectors, including fashion, continues with the former still opting for disperse and sublimation dyes whilst the latter concentrates more on the ability to print to a variety of fabrics ranging from chiffon and georgette through to cotton, silk and wool. In truth, they are very different markets and although machine manufacturers are able to produce equipment that isn’t restricted to a particular ink chemistry, in this sector dye sublimation has reigned.
The inherent growth of digitally produced signs and displays lends itself to polyesters and mixes because of their light weight and durability, along with cost of the fabric itself. Nonetheless, latex inks are also proving themselves as an option for textiles, and don’t carry the limitations of the sublimation process.
In terms of materials it isn’t particularly easy to determine what is and isn’t a digital textile, with the catalogues of coaters and manufacturers including products that can be used with a range of ink formulations. Some of these have almost a universal option whilst others behave better when used with a specific chemistry but it depends to an extent on the end application, the ink penetration desired and the marriage of machine to fabric.
Search for digital textile materials on the internet and it requires fairly deep drilling down through the pages to find specific lists of products and their suitability within the display industry. Unlike working with familiar roll-fed or rigid options where users will know pretty quickly whether or not their machines are compatible with the media, textiles present a challenge. For two-step sublimation it is accepted that the material must be at least 50% polyester for the process to work but, when attempting to print direct to specific fabrics there are other considerations which might make it unwise to purchase items from a supplier than doesn’t understand the print methodology of a piece of digital printing equipment.
The display market shows an increase in numbers of wide-format solutions for the digital textile sector, with Rip developers taking on board the idiosyncrasies of colour management and workflow. In conjunction with these systems there are plenty of materials which can be used for display production and there haven’t been any radical changes to the line-up of widths and weights.