By Olivia Cahoon
Part 2 of 2
A variety of textiles are offered for use as digitally printed backdrops for theatre productions, concerts, and other events. Print providers seek durable material with a tight weaving to reduce the risk of pinholes and to protect against light. Here, we provide a roundup of the newest and most popular digitally printable fabrics used for backdrops.
Backdrop Fabrics
Agfa Graphics offers Duratex Heavy Knit released in June 2017. It is a polyester fabric that features a soft hand, with the option of opaque, matte, or sheen printable sides. The fabric is wrinkle resistant. Duratex Heavy Knit is available up to 126 inches and is $0.40 per square foot.
Dazian offers muslin, canvas, and duck fabrics in a variety of weights and sizes. The fabrics are used for backdrops, ground clothes, and bounce and sky drops. The cotton fabrics may be UV-cured or latex printed. 12-ounce cotton duck is an extra heavyweight canvas with 100 percent cotton. It uses coarse count super-carded cotton in an extra tight weave.
Released in January 2017, Dickson Coatings offers Jet Up BC, an acrylic-coated polyester fabric. It is a glare-free, stiff, curl-free, blockout fabric and is commonly used as a backdrops fabric in movie studios. Jet Up BC is not machine washable and should be cleaned with a slightly wet sponge if necessary. The fabric is self-supporting. It is PVC free and GREENGUARD Gold Certified.
Pacific Coast Fabrics offers Microlux Soft 8179WFLBS, a warp knit fabric of 100 percent recyclable polyester with disperse coating and a flame repel finish. It is a dual-function fabric with a satin face with a matte reverse side. Microlux can be front or back lit. It is designed to be wrinkle resistant. It is available up to 124 inches for $19.60 per linear yard and 62 inches for $9.80 per linear yard.
Released in 2013 and 2014, Top Value Fabrics offers several fabrics including DigiHeavy, Canvas Prime, and Geo Mesh. All three are 100 percent polyester engineered with high-tenacity yarns for durability, print receptive treatments, and consistent bright white points. The fabric is flame resistant to NFPA 701 and REACH compliant.
Verseidag US offers V300, Insight Light, Insight Heavy, and Metallic/Medallion. V300 is a chlorafiber fabric that is wrinkle and moisture resistant. It is available up to 16 inches wide. Insight Light is a lightweight polyester with acrylic water-based bath coating, a matte finish, and bright white color. It is flame retardant, able to be cleaned, and available up to 16 feet wide. Available in 126 inches, Metallic/Medallion is a polyester fabric with either silver or gold flake coating.
Printing Backdrops
Large width sizes and a variety of fabric styles allow theatre, concert, and film venues to take advantage of digitally printed textiles for backdrops. Currently there is a great selection of textiles for print providers to offer as backdrops in theatres, concerts, and musicals.
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Sep2017, Digital Output
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