A world without technology is hard to imagine. Since most of the technology we see is digital today was not formerly done using a computer, fabric printing is not a new thing.
The current era has seen the technological revolution which has witnessed the creation of cutting-edge printing technology that has given the rise to digital fabric printing.
Digital fabric printing utilizes computer-controlled printers for transferring the designs or images stored in the digital files into the fabric. This makes people create complex designs with ease and more quickly.
There are different types of printing methods and techniques, depending on your requirements. But each of the methods has its own pros and cons.
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What are the Most Common Fabric Printing Techniques?
Fabric printing Canada is a common method to get your preferred design on the fabric. Some common printing methods nowadays are screen printing, inkjet printing, and dye sublimation.
Screen Printing
It is an analog fabric printing method that has been around in the industry for years. It is the process of spraying an ink layer over a screen to transfer the ink into a fabric piece. The screen is also known as a stencil and a different stencil is required for each design.
In the past, a large number of prints were required for the process to be cost-effective. The technology has given way to more reasonable, flexible screen printing processes.
Screen printing has 2 types – rotary and flatbed. The latter one is a semi-continuous process which means that it is an automated version of the manually operated screen printing process. In the contrast, the former one uses cylindrical screens that get rotated in a fixed position with the sponge placed in the stencil. The fabric moves at a fixed speed between the screen and an impression roller that is being located below the screen.
Direct to Fabric Printing
This technique involves the transfer of ink to the fabric, which is done by the printer. This is done by using inkjet technology. The most detailed designs can be printed with this technique, and the color palette is virtually continual.
Dye Sublimation Printing
Dye sublimation clothing printing is one of the most modern techniques for fabric printing like custom sublimation shirts. During this process, heat and pressure get applied to transform the die into a gas. The gas infuses the surface and gets attached to polymer-based fibers, resulting in enduring high-quality images.
Direct to Fabric or Direct Disperse Dye Sublimation
A direct-to-fabric dye sublimation technique has been developed. This method reduces the transfer of paper, but the printing material is still required to be run through a heat process to fixing the dyes into the fabric. The fabric needs to be pre-treated for the equipment to print directly onto it.
Screen printing and direct to fabric inkjet printing are best for the fabric that gets printed to create garments. The dye sublimation technique is used for wide-format printing.
