Pigment inks are also popular for home décor applications. Pigment inks are also very popular in roll-to-roll digital textile printing because they can be used on a wide range of fibers. Prints made with pigment inks look duller than acid and reactive dyes. Because the color does not penetrate the surface of the fabric, but rather settles on the surface of the fiber, it sometimes lacks washability, although color fastness is usually good. For this reason, most experts recommend using pigment inks for home décor rather than everyday fashion applications.
Industrial strength roll-to-roll textile digital printing occurs primarily in the textile industry. The two main water-based liquids used there, reactive dyes for cotton, wool and nylon, and acidic inks for silk, wool or polyamide, require custom pretreatment to achieve high-quality results. Post-treatment requires steam treatment to ensure that the dye is embedded in the fiber. Several wash cycles are required to remove any excess ink.
Acid and reactive dyes provide vibrant colors, a smooth fabric feel, good washability and lightfastness, and are used primarily for fashion and high-end home décor. Inkjet inks are available for some of the company's market leading print heads.
Inks for apparel printing
Digital printing has been used to print shirts, hats and other apparel since the first 4C inkjet prints were offered by copy stores. In earlier years, printer output on thick heat sublimation foil was simply ironed or heat pressed onto the item.
Today, the available sublimation ink solutions for garment printing are much more complex. They still require polyester or polyester blends as substrates or polyester pre-coatings. This is why thermal sublimation inks are often used for sports fashion as well as many home décor applications such as cushions.
Sublimation inkjet printing technology works best on white gloss textiles.
Today, water-based pigment inks are widely used for apparel printing because they are suitable for most fibers on the market. They are printed directly on the item, hence the name "direct to garment" (DTG). Pigment DTG inks are available in CMYK and opaque white, and they can also be printed on dark fabrics. They usually require pre-treatment and fixing in a hot press at approximately 160 °C.
Conclusion
Today, there are a variety of ink technologies available to meet every digital textile printing need. However, it is important to consider that depending on the technology, pre-processing and post-processing will take a significant amount of time. The necessary pre- and post-printing steps may require additional investments that may exceed the price of the printer. Therefore, an in-depth study is highly recommended.
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