By Digital Output Staff
The variety of inks used to print to textiles is vast and touches many fabrics—cottons, polyesters, silks, and blends. With this variety, we felt it important to take a more drilled down look at the options, separately from the annual state of ink report.
Above: A.T. Inks provides high-density digital inks that yield vibrant, bright, and color fast images.
Top Use
When thinking about ink used for printing with textiles, dye-sublimation (dye-sub) or sublimation, pigment, and reactive dye are primary considerations for users.
Nitin Goswamy, president, A.T. Inks., explains each of these three in a bit more detail. Dye-sub is preferred for polyester and bolster blends. “Dye-sub inks use products which sublimate upon heating and turn into a dye. This creates a lock between polyester polymer chains to provide vibrant colors and high wash fastness and abrasion resistance,” he notes.
Pigment inks are used for all types of fabrics. “Pigmented inks have the advantage of being substrate independent and have the best light fastness. However, pigmented ink suffers from poor wash fastness and relatively poor jetting reliability,” shares Goswamy.
Reactive dye inks are preferred for cotton and cotton blends. “Printed on pre-treated cotton fabrics, the inks are ‘fixed’ onto the fabric after printing using steam and then the excess, unfixed dyes are washed away. Printing using reactive dye ink on cotton uses a considerable amount of water,” says Goswamy.
Another ink set for digital printing to fabrics is acid dye, which is common for silks and nylons.
“Reactive and acid inks are typically used by more industrial printers who have invested in steaming and washing capabilities from an analog business. While they impart high color vibrancy and fastness, the workflow can be prohibitive for a smaller wider format print business,” explains Simon Daplyn, product and marketing manager, Sun Chemical.
According to Pedro J. Martinez, CEO, AFFORD, it’s hard to pinpoint which type is used the most. “It depends on the final application. Pigment inks are the dream, but have taken a long time to provide the desired color intensity and stability, so sublimation and dye have been the most popular.”
“Sublimation transfer printing ink is the most digitized type of textile ink,” comments Goswamy. “The simplicity of use and a low capital cost are the two major reasons for dye-sub printing dominating inkjet printing of textiles.
The rise in soft signage and customized athletic wear plays a role in popularity. “The increasing popularity of soft signage for events, trade shows, and retail spaces drives the demand for sublimation inks. Sublimation inks are a preferred choice for custom sportswear and apparel due to their ability to produce full-color, durable prints,” adds Sohil Singh, VP, StratoJet USA.
“By far the most common application is dye-sub ink technology. It has grown over the last decade as a part of the overall wide format ink volumes,” seconds Paul Edwards, VP of the digital division, INX International.
Daplyn agrees that “the most prominent technology in wide format printing is dye-sub due to the simple process and versatility of the technology.” However, he shares that pigment printing is a growing ink segment.
“Much of this is focused on garment printing, be that direct to garment or using the direct to film process. Some wide format pigment printing is becoming more established due to the simple workflow created by a water-free post process,” continues Daplyn.
If garments are a favored application, “it is most likely a pigment-based ink” that is chosen, suggests Taylor Landesman, VP, Lawson Screen & Digital Products, Inc.
One Over the Other
Print providers have their preferences, and this is true with textile ink. Since the choice of textile ink is based on specific fabrics, the application(s) a print shop offers are also a large consideration.
“While dye and sublimation inks are only suitable for polyester printing, pigment inks will work on cotton, polyester, and other fibers. It really comes to the need of the printer,” explains Martinez.
Goswamy agrees and says it’s challenging to pinpoint one or even two reasons as to why print providers might prefer one ink over the other. “Print providers typically consider various factors like business opportunity, technology maturity, printing speed, capital availability, investment requirement, and operational cost.”
“The type of applications a print shop specializes in, such as outdoor banners, soft signage, or fashion textiles, play a significant role in the selection of textile inks,” admits Singh.
Further, Singh says that sublimation ink is preferred for its vibrancy, durability, soft feel, and wide color gamut. Pigment ink is popular for its versatility, durability, and eco-friendliness. Dye inks are used for vibrant colors and soft touch.
“When looking at wide format textile applications, customers usually want to print onto non-cotton fabrics. Dye-sub is designed for polyester, which is the substrate of choice. Dye-sub inks also have a much brighter color gamut than pigment inks, especially when printing materials are to be viewed from both sides,” shares Edwards.
Ultimate End Use
Wide format print shops are known for versatility. As such, many operate with the flexibility to offer almost any application/material combination.
In terms of textiles, one of the main applications seen in sign shops is exhibition/display—this includes panels, as well as backlit for light boxes, says Martinez.
“A trend over the last decade is to replace previous vinyl banners with polyester banners using dye-sub. This was due to the environmental issues with the vinyl, as well as the economic benefit of using polyester since it is a much lighter material to ship. It also makes handling of the banners easier,” adds Edwards.
Goswamy agrees. “Dye-sub is popular in soft signage due to its ease of use, high resolution, print quality, and lower capital cost required to set up a print shop compared to reactive dye printing. In addition, polyester is a strong, high-quality substrate that can be used in backlit and frontlit applications.”
Other popular applications for sublimation ink include sportswear, activewear, and promotional products. “Custom sportswear and activewear benefit from sublimation printing, as it allows for full-color, durable prints that do not compromise the fabric’s breathability. Sublimation is commonly employed for printing on various promotional products like mugs, mousepads, and phone cases made from polyester-coated materials,” says Singh.
For those offering garment-type solutions printing with pigment ink, “most garment printers will print on t-shirts, hoodies, and other similar goods,” shares Landesman. “Printers are becoming more advanced for the types of garment materials they can decorate. For example, we are seeing an expansion of printers being able to decorate polyester and poly-blended fabrics as well as cotton.”
“Pigment inks are commonly used for printing on natural fibers like cotton and blends, making them suitable for fashion textiles, including t-shirts, dresses, and casual wear. Pigment inks are also chosen for printing on textiles used in home décor applications, such as curtains, upholstery, and linens. Due to their durability and resistance to fading, pigment inks are used for outdoor applications, including flags, banners, and signage,” shares Singh.
Reactive dye is “commonly used in fashion and home textiles for vibrant colors and high wash and rub resistance on cotton,” shares Daplyn. He also points out acid dye as another ink option, which is used for accessories from silk to high-end swimwear.
The Textile Landscape
Print providers currently printing to textiles—or even those considering it—are presented with options when it comes to ink sets. Each type performs best for a specific fabric. As advancements in ink chemistries as well as printer hardware push the other to excel, we will continue to see positive changes in color vibrancy, wash fastness, abrasion resistance, and durability.
Apr2024, Digital Output
